Three authors that are new to me in the top three this year; that’s pretty exciting, although not first novelists. Only my #1 selection got 5 stars though. The two listed here only got 4 1/2 stars. I had a tough year for books. This pair is intriguing though, as they are both multi-generational epics, that reach back in history and look forward into the future.
#3) Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr – I’m reading a run of lengthy novels that span multiple eras, this one being over 600 pages, and a significant improvement over the last. Anthony Doerr has created a science fiction epic that reached back to fifteenth century Constantinople, through present-day Idaho, to an interstellar starship decades from now to celebrate books, and libraries. The characters Doerr creates are so unique, and so enchanting, that whether they be an orphan girl/turned thief, an animal-loving outcast spurned because of his cleft palate, a Korean war veteran who missed his chance for love, a lonely, misguided boy turned domestic terrorist, or a young girl who will spend her life on a starship headed to a destination that will not be reached until long after her death, they come alive and resonate in your heart; each one bringing tears to your eyes as they reach the end of their journeys. This one is worth the time and effort and it takes you on a journey much like the ancient codex for which the novel is named.
#2) The Overstory by Richard Powers – Richard Powers won the National Book Award for this epic tale that blends activism and protest with environmentalism, ecology, and the mysterious life of trees. How often have I thought about the wisdom of trees, to exist for so long, and to cover so much of the earth. What I had never thought about was the interconnectedness of these mysterious life forms; both with each other, and with the other lives that swirl around them. Powers writes a compelling story that admittedly, takes a little time to get off the ground as he introduces about ten characters whose paths we will follow throughout this 500 page book. Once I realized that this was not going to be just a series of unrelated vignettes, but a tale of lives entwined with these majestic beings, both beautifully written and massive in scope I was fully captured. An epic tale rooted in science, lofty in thought, but firmly exploring humanity at its best and worse.
#7) Weather by Jenny Offill – Fascinating look at our moment in time as uniquely talented author Jenny Offill examines the political shift in America and how it affects us individually. Lizzie is the University library’s reference librarian who earns an additional job answering letters to a popular podcast hosted by her mentor. The podcast forecasts dark times ahead and many of the letters Lizzie handles treat her like a therapist doling out advice. Even as Lizzie gets caught up in her letter-writers’ angst, she juggles raising her young son, supporting her downward-spiralling brother, and alternatively fending-off an enticing potential affair. Offill’s writing is unique; short bits of insightful and arch observation that sometime seem disparate, but add up to a sobering yet entertaining whole.
#8) The Presence of Absence by Simon Von Booy – In his elegant, thought-provoking prose, Simon Van Booy has created a beautiful gift to his fans; a fictional conversation of sorts between the author and his readers, speaking through the mouth of Max Little, an author who learns that he will die within a year or so. As his terminal disease advances, he ends up spending his last days in a hospital bed, reflecting on his life, his beloved wife, and the future… even beyond his passing. Through it all, he carries on a conversation with the reader, an asynchronous dialog that is happening as he writes it, but also as the reader reads it. The book is sectioned into two parts, “In Vivo” or, within the body, and “Ex Vivo” or, outside the living body. As you might imagine, the first part is told while Max is still alive, and the latter part years later.