#9 – The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson
Kevin Wilson was a new discovery for me in 2011, but his latest novel, The Family Fang, is a revelation. Annie and Buster are the children of Camille and Caleb Fang, two performance artists who value their art perhaps more than their children. When Annie and Buster finally escape their immediate family after growing up as Child A & Child B in their performance art troupe of a family, they think they’re done with all of that. But when hard times force them back to the family home, they find themselves embroiled in one of the most complicated pieces their family has ever launched. Insightful, touching and bizarre.
#8 – Everything Beautiful Began After by Simon van Booy
Three wanderers find each other in Athens. Rebecca is young and beautiful, but lost. She meets and befriends George, a translator who is lost in past worlds of language and Jack Daniels. Both their lives are irrevocably changed when they meet Henry, a carefree archeologist who charms them both. Spun with care using language that is rich with texture and emotion, Simon van Booy creates a nearly mystical exploration on love, grief, and heartbreak. Truly a testament to a full year of fine novels, this book deserves to be much high on this Top 10 list.