My Year In Books
By Erin Deborah Waks
I began this year, hopeful and optimistic. Buying Babel by R. F. Kuang on my Kindle, I set myself up for a year of good books. This one’s hardly a well-kept secret, but is a fantastic next read for fans of The Secret History. A labyrinthine tale of language and words set against an academic backdrop, it’s perfect winter reading. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was an equally literary follow-up read. It’s topped bestseller lists for years, and it’s easy to see why. It tells the story of a young Nigerian woman, Ifemelu, who immigrated to the United States, and encapsulates her experience crossing cultural - and literal - borders.
I had to follow with a moment of inspiration for the writer in me, though. Everything/Nothing/Someone by Alice Carrière provided an inside look at the dark, disturbed mind of a mentally ill writer, and is a fascinating read. Particularly poignant for its message that even the most damaged of souls deserve - and will find - love. In a similar, yet less intense, vein, I moved on to Not That Kind Of Girl by Lena Dunham. This was right up my street - what makes us complex female writers tick? Relatable and yet darkly humorous.
As I moved through my paces, I needed something about men. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver was the answer. Inspired by the Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield, this takes a deep dive into the world of poverty and addiction in modern-day America. I couldn’t put it down.
By May, I was in the depths of love. I wanted to read about it. The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton, my favourite of all of Wharton’s novels, follows five American beauties who move to England to find husbands. It is, in my opinion, some of the finest period literature to exist. Lovers At The Museum by Isabel Allende, a short story that explores the intense depths of passion and intimacy, is likewise one of my favourite Allende works. It perfectly satisfied my need to read about the sexuality in the world, to mirror that which I was experiencing in my life. Read it in one sitting - you won’t regret it.
Sexuality dominated several months of this year. Having graced the shelves of BookTok fans and avid readers alike, journalistic-style thriller Butter by Asako Yuzuki has an intriguingly unique heroine. Equal parts weird and wonderful, it’s a blithely written tale of hunger, sexual desire, female empowerment and, frankly, the oddness of humanity. Equally primal and sensual was Swanna In Love by Jennifer Belle - like Lolita, but told from the young girl’s perspective.
But the year wasn’t all sex, flowers and chocolates. I’d say the darker turn it took led me to seek an escape from the world of romance, and find it in the genre of thrillers.
I began with Lullaby by Leila Slimani. A thriller from one of the best literary minds of our day, this tale of an evil nanny is unputdownable. Reader - be warned. I added to my list Magpie by Elizabeth Day. Another thriller for fans of Gone Girl, this captivating read will have you confused - and unsure who to trust. Next up, A Spring Of Love by Celia Dale. A life of routine and order is, as is to be expected, uprooted when Esther falls in love. Is it too good to be true? Was my love too good to be true?
Yes, as it turned out.
I found solace in the world around me. Tracing the ebbs and flows of twentysomething female friendships, the gem of a novel The Yellow Kitchen by Margaux Vialleron felt like essential reading for anyone experiencing the unique complexities of young womanhood. Given to me by a close friend, I felt just a little bit less alone.
Similarly, Family Lexicon by Natalia Ginzburg had been on my to-read list for months, and I’m glad I finally got around to it. A picturesque image of the words and phrases that make up a family, it will have you wondering what your ‘family lexicon’ looks like. And appreciating the beauty that is found in family, and the tiny moments that make yours what it is.
Reading Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler in the midst of a breakup had me crying on the bus as I turned page after page, understanding and relating to the protagonist, loving her, feeling for her. And healing myself in the process.
As December drew in and the year wrapped up, I finished in a place of peace within myself. And, as such, the books I chose to read had to reflect this. Lo and behold, a series of true gems were found: The Covenant Of Water by Abraham Verghese and The Land Of Milk And Honey by C Pam Zhang.
Et voila; the tangled thoughts and eras through which I lived this year, and the gorgeous pages that so supportively accompanied me each step of the way. On to the next year, and the glorious, precariously stacked pile of books on my bedside table, beckoning me to open them up and tuck in…
