It encompasses everything- from stirring tales bringing us to another world to transfixing dives into the human experience-at their depths sparking our imaginations. For reading as another year creaks to silence, a fresh harvest of novels has been prepared, ensuring that their tenants remain riveted in suspense with fantastic storylines and characters enough to live with.
Here are the top five fiction novels you should consider adding to your reading list this year.
- Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is a meandering novel through an intricate web of friendship, artistry, and the gaming world. It follows the life of two friends, Sam and Sadie, into their adulthood while creating a very pivotal video game. In their path to success, wealth, and fame, this success is pushing their friendship to a breaking point.
Why should one read It? Zevin’s prose is both moving and intellectual, weaving a story that reverberates with everyone who has ever pursued a dream in art or battled through the intricate latticework of friendship. To be read by gamers, artists, and lovers of intensely human tales.
- The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
Set in colonial Malaya during the 1920s, Tan Twan Eng’s latest novel is an epic saga of love, betrayal, and secrets. The House of Doors is partly inspired by a true-life event and centers around Leslie Hamlyn, whose idyllic life comes crashing down with the arrival of a renowned author at her doorstep. As old wounds heal, Leslie is forced into the confrontation of long-held realities.
Why read it? In lyrical prose and richly colored historical detail, Tan Twan Eng offers his readers a dazzling view of a vanished time. He probably would not be too interested in the reader who loves a book featuring layers-of-intricate-characterisation and possesses much narrative embedded in history.
- Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface cuts deep with insight into the publishing world and cultural appropriation. The novel is a story about June Hayward, a wannabe writer, stealing a manuscript from her recently deceased friend Athena Liu and then claiming it as her work. In this way, when the lie starts to spiral beyond her grasp, the novel unpacks the privileges, race, and identity questions in a world obsessed with success.
Why should one read it? Kuang’s biting humor and incisive commentary make this book as thought-provoking as it is entertaining. Yellowface will leave readers questioning the stories we tell and who gets to tell them.
- The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
With generational scope, Abraham Verghese’s The Covenant of Water is an epic in layout and set in South India. The novel follows, through generations, a single family plagued by a peculiar kind of fate: one person in each generation drowns. Against this backcloth, Verghese weaves a story about love, resilience, and familial bonds that endure.
Why should one read it? Verghese tells deeply affecting and immersive stories, which he does here in this sweeping saga. For any reader of family dramas, this is a richly cultural and universally themed novel that is well worth the time and effort.
- Babel by R.F. Kuang
R.F. Kuang’s Babel is a revolutionary dark academia fantasy set within the walls of 19th-century Oxford. It tells the story of Robin Swift, a Chinese orphan taken to England and enrolled in the prestigious Royal Institute of Translation-known as Babel. The deeper Robin wades into the world of magical linguistics, the more he learns about translation, colonialism, and how they are entwined at the core of power.
Why should one read it? Kuang’s engagement with language and empire, explored here, is at the same time intellectually sound and emotionally arousing. Babel dares readers to reckon with privilege, exploitation, and resistance in the finely woven world it presents.
Why These Novels Stand Out
What makes these novels essential reading this year is how they reflect and sometimes challenge the world around us. Each story, both those rooted in historical fact and those born of fantastical imagination, offers new insights and characters that are unforgettable. They challenge boundaries, spark conversations, and remind us of the enduring power of storytelling.
How to Have the Best Reading Experience
- Keep a Reading Log: Record your reactions, favorite quotes, questions while reading.
- Join a Book Club: It will help in discussing these novels and may bring more depth to the comprehension of their themes.
- Read Genre Diversely: Even if a book isn’t in your usual genres, give it a go-you might find a hidden favorite!
This year’s best fiction picks hold hours of mesmerizing reads. From rich literary dramas to satirical thrillers and epic family sagas, there’s something on this list for everyone. So find yourself a cozy blanket, a quiet nook, and dig into these extraordinary stories.
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Writer,
Mahmud Hasan Srabonto
Intern
Content Writing Department
YSSE