Tag: Literary Fiction
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Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
Coetzee won his second Booker Prize with this in 1999. It’s short, but rich and memorable.
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Denison Avenue by Christina Wong, Illustrated by Daniel Innes
Moving and beautiful. It belongs in the Toronto Starter Kit. It’s one of the best things I’ve read in years.
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Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam
This was a sensation in Canada when it was published in 2005. It’s easy to see why.
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The Magician by Colm Tóibín
An imagined biography if Thomas Mann that seems highbrow and alienating but is actually compelling historical fiction, even if you don’t know the subject well.
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Waiting for the Barbarians by J. M. Coetzee
Cotezee’s best-regarded book is a slim volume with sharp teeth and resonance more than 40 years after its publication.
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Money by Martin Amis
Amis’ most popular work stands up very well. Edgy and funny, with a weird relevance even after all these years.
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Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver
I didn’t love Demon Copperhead, but I loved Kingsolver’s writing enough to seek out more from her. I’ve since read a few more of her books and loved every one. This one jumped off a shelf at my favourite used bookstore and I bought it without hesitation. I didn’t even realize there was a sequel…
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Arthur and George by Julian Barnes
I was wrong to be daunted by this. All of the Julian Barnes I had read to this point were short novels that hit like a sledgehammer. They demand close, slow, attentive reading. I worried that 400+ pages of that would be overwhelming. I underestimated Julian Barnes. This is the (fictionalized) true story of Sir…
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The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
The comparisons to Franzen (especially Crossroads) are fair, but I liked this much more than even The Corrections. Maybe it’s because Murray is Irish, and Irish fiction seems to connect with me. Maybe he writes women better, maybe he’s just better at building tension. I could not get enough of this book. The story revolves around a…
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Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
Breathtaking. Literally: there were several times while reading this I realized I was holding my breath. Lynch’s book details a modern Ireland’s quick slide into a nightmare dystopia. It sees the world through the eyes of a mother trying to figure out how to keep her family together. It’s easily one of the top five…