Favourite Books of 2019

2019 was a great year in books for me: I dipped into more non fiction than ever before; devoured the Women's Prize shrtlist; and managed to read over 100 (!) books.

1. American Marriage by Tayari Jones

The most deserving winner of 2019’s Women’s Prize, this poignant novel of disintegrating relationships was the real stand out read of the year. Celestial and Roy are newly married when he is falsely accused of a terrible crime. What follows is the story of their marriage, and how their relationship is affected by tragedy.

2. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata Hailed as the next Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, this novel explored themes of loneliness and fitting in. However the narrator in this piece of translated fiction is much more content with her isolation. Keiko, our central character, has worked at a convenience store for over a decade, despite the judgement of those around her. Utterly absorbing, this is a novel that celebrates difference. 3. I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron

Ephron’s series of essays I Feel Bad About My Neck covers everything from handbags and aging to favourite foods and renting. Brimming with humour, self-deprecation and ponderings on what it is to be a woman, this collection is one I am sure I will return to time and again.

4. My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Another Women’s Prize nominee, this is a gripping read, which follows Korede as she helps cover for the murder’s her sister Ayoola commits. When the man Korede loves begins to date her dangerous sister, the rift between the sisters grows. This offers a pacey look at sibling love, rivalry and murder.

5. Little Labours by Rivka Galchen

Galchen’s series of essays about motherhood make it very clear that being a mother was not her life goal. Each chapter talks us through an experience being pregnant, or life as a new mother, without the overtly optimistic perfectionism of similarly themed books. Galchen’s book oozes with love for her child, but also describes the difficulties women face, all with told with a wry sense of humour.

6. The Half God of Rainfall

Written in the style of an epic poem, Ellams’ blend of poetry and story was unlike anything else I have read. Combining the modern world with myth and fable, this extended poem focuses on a demi-god. Watched over by the gods, he becomes a celebrated basketball star, going against the wishes of the gods. This is a book which dazzles in its lyricism, concise plotting and intricate weaving of cultures.

7. The Party by Elizabeth Day

Day’s tale of social pressure and insecurity is a gripping story of class war and a desperation to fit in.When Martin joins an elite school as a teenager, he is sucked into Upper Class society, here he meets Ben, and instantly forms an obsessive friendship. The narrative flits between police interview and flashbacks, as we gradually find out about a crime that has been committed.

8. Expectation by Anna Hope

A pitch perfect book about three women in their thirties. As young adults, Hannah, Cate and Lissa formed a close bond, each with their own hopes and ambitions. Now older, their lives have drifted from the futures they envisioned and the nature of their friendship is changing. I loved the vibrant description of London, and Hope’s ability to capture the confusion of millennial life.

9. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

The classic tale of a young woman gone missing is anything but cliché in Ng’s hands. Racism, parental pressure, and migration are all the focus of this absorbing read. Born to a Korean father and white American mother, the main character in this book is just one of the narrators Ng writes. Through this young woman, Ng explores the contrasting pressures both parents put on their child, and the damage this does. In turn, Ng explores the parents own upbringing, ensuring we see the knock on effects of how each generation affects the next.

10.A Girl Returned by Donatella Di Pietrantonio

This work of Italian fiction tells the story of one young girl, raised by an Aunt and Uncle, she is returned to her birthmother as a pre-teen. Unable to fit into neither this new environment, nor return to her old one, the author captures her narrator’s relentless uncertainty and fear. Through this lens, we are introduced to a world of poverty in which she now lives. Di Pietrantonio has drawn many comparisons to Ferrante, particularly through her raw and detailed recount of everyday life, and the struggles of being a woman in a patriarchal world.