Last year I read 32 books, these are some of my favourites. I always like putting these posts together because it makes me reflect on what I loved, and what I didn’t, in the last twelve months. From my favourite picks it’s clear that family dramas and deep character dives are still what makes me tick. The Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist was a great way to discover some of these books and authors, who I hope to read more of in the future.
A Trace of Sun by Pam Williams
The story follows Raef, who is left behind in Grenada while his mother, Cilla, moves to be with his father in England in hope of a better life. Seven years later, they are reunited but they have grown, literally, oceans apart. The little boy she left behind on the beach has shifted into a quiet, contemplative teenager struggling to belong in his changed family. There is a new little sister to contend with, as well as tension with his father.
I thought this would explore the strained family relationship and the difficulties of adapting to life in the UK, which it does, but it also dives deep into the lasting impact of abandonment and mental health.
Brotherless Night by V. V. Ganeshananthan
As conflict erupts in Jaffna between the Sinhalese dominated state and the Tamil separatist groups, Sashi’s family is pulled apart at the seams. Her eldest brother is killed in anti-Tamil riots and two of her brothers, Seelan and Daylan, turn to the militant Tamil Tigers.
This is a story of choices. Stay or go. Hurt or be hurt. Aspiring doctor Sashi’s boundaries become blurred as she’s drawn into the world of the Tigers.
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
In Blue Sisters siblings, Avery, Bonnie and Lucky are on completely different paths in life but are bound together as sisters. Their shared grief forms the central narrative, exploring how each copes with the death of their sister Nicky and unravels each of their flaws as they’re brought back together to help each other through the sale of their childhood home.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
A story of struggle, a modern retelling of David Copperfield. Born in a trailer in Lee Country, Virginia, Demon has a hard start in life. His single, teenage mother has also had it tough and spends much of his childhood in and out of rehab, which sees Demon left to either fend for himself or run riot with the neighbours and his best friend, Matt Peggot, affectionately known as Maggot. This isn’t a happy read and the story spirals painfully and it feels like it takes a slow zoom out of Demon’s life as he grows up and into the wider Appalachian landscape, all of his friends and close connections drawn into the same suffering one way or another.
Wandering Souls – Cecile Pin
Pin’s heartbreaking debut Wandering Souls tells the story of siblings Anh, Minh and Thanh who are Vietnamese refugees, sent on the trecherous journey to Hong Kong ahead of their parents and remaining siblings. Tragically, the three siblings are the only ones to survive the journey. They’re moved from refugee camps to detention centres before the hope their parents held for them, to emigrate to the United States, is shattered and they are instead sent to the UK. It’s 1980, in the midst of Thatcher’s rule, and the environment is hostile.
While I don’t set reading goals with the intention of smashing through books, more just to keep track of what I’m reading on Goodreads, I think this year I want my goal to be to find books that I love and to read some different genres. I read a lot that was just okay, so this year I want to find books that I really enjoy. I grew up on fantasy so maybe I’ll dive back into that and there are some classics I want to revisit too.
