The Best Fiction I Read in 2020 (Part One)
Understandably there were times this year I found it very difficult to switch off from the news and lose myself in fictional worlds. There were times when the sound of a breaking news alert would render any immersion into my book impossible. Thankfully the occasional period of doom scrolling didn’t dampen my love of fiction at all. I read lots of books this year, the most I’ve ever read in my life, and here is part one of my favourite novels I read in 2020.
(in no particular order)
A Spell of Winter – Helen Dunmore
Helen Dunmore’s A Spell of Winter won the Women’s Prize in 1996 but I read it for the first time in February 2020 after seeing the glowing recommendation by Simon Savidge (and his mum!) in their Women’s Prize winners videos. The novel is a gripping gothic tale of forbidden love between Cathy and her brother Rob, set in the run up to the First World War. Without their parents, the siblings grow up in their grandfather’s isolated estate, growing dangerously close to each other. Despite the taboo subject (and it might not be for everyone!), Helen Dunmore handles it in such a beautiful way that you completely buy into Cathy and her tragic life. It’s a stunningly written novel – very easy to see why it won the Women’s Prize.
Red at the Bone – Jacqueline Woodson
Longlisted for 2020’s Women’s Prize, Red at the Bone tells a multi-generational story of Melody’s family, beginning with her coming of age party. The story then moves back and forward in time through the lives of her parents and grandparents. It’s an emotional book, touching on big topics of race, class, identity and death. This is a short novel, less than 200 pages, and I read it in one blissful sitting, growing attached to Melody’s entire family as they moved through the successes and losses of their lives. I’m amazed at Jacqueline Woodson’s ability to craft such distinct and vivid lives in such a concise way. I couldn’t put it down.
My Dark Vanessa – Kate Elizabeth Russell
Given the subject matter, it’s no surprise that My Dark Vanessa is a disturbing read that I was unable to stop thinking about. This novel is about a woman in her thirties forced to revisit her teenage relationship with her English teacher when he is accused of sexual abuse by a former student. She has spent her whole life believing it to be a consensual love story, but as the story unfolds the reader sees his predatory behaviour in the light that Vanessa cannot, that he groomed and raped her. This is a compelling, brilliantly written novel in which Vanessa’s complicated emotions about her abuse were depicted in a really authentic way.
I have a very happy memory of reading this book on a hot April day, in one sitting in the garden. It brought real joy to me, even in lockdown – I loved it. Such a Fun Age is a smart, funny novel about race, wealth and privilege. The story starts late at night in a supermarket when babysitter Emira is accused of kidnapping the little white girl she’s looking after. Emira’s employer, Alix, is an influencer/motivational speaker and believes herself to be the perfect “woke” ally, but her clumsy attempts to help Alix overstep the mark and provides much of the conflict in the novel. This is a really entertaining read that feels fresh and contemporary.
Your House Will Pay – Steph Cha
The fictional fall out at the centre of Your House Will Pay was inspired by the real-life murder of LaTasha Harlins in 1991 (a crime I’d never heard about until this book). In this novel, two families deal with their grief and the dramatic consequences against a backdrop of long-standing racial tensions in LA. Korean-American Grace and African-American Shawn are thrown together when revenge is taken in payback for a tragedy that took place decades before. What I liked most about this novel was my ever shifting empathy towards different characters, all of them were so complex and never did Steph Cha try to simplify or reduce their characterisation to being morally right or wrong. I was gripped right until the end with no clue how it would reach a satisfying conclusion – but somehow it did. This book leaves you with a lot to think about.
Ask Again, Yes – Mary Beth Keane
From the first few pages I was hooked by Ask Again, Yes. I love novels that take a family and follow them through many years of their life and this was a great example of that, with well-drawn characters and beautiful writing. It begins with two NYPD colleagues moving next door to each other and follows their families, particularly the children Kate and Peter, as their families are tied together by a shocking event. The novel asks questions about forgiveness and the ability to move on from a life-changing moment, as well as dealing with the impact of mental health on family life. If you love novels that really dig deep with characters that we follow throughout their lives then Ask Again, Yes is a great read.
After the End – Clare Mackintosh
This is one of those novels that came as a huge pleasant surprise. Clare Mackintosh is best known for her psychological thrillers but After the End takes an emotive plot and does something clever and innovative with the narrative. When Max and Pip’s son gets very ill, they take opposing views on what should happen with his life. Their divided marriage and the hospital come under media and social media spotlight in a story that feels very current. The premise of this book could have so easily been mawkish or cliched but thankfully it was neither. Clare Mackintosh balanced the viewpoints very well without it being moralised at all. I was moved by the story and all the difficult decisions the characters had to make, but one of the biggest strengths was the way the story split into two timelines after the court verdict, dealing with the two aftermath options in a really original and interesting way.
This year I tried to get into audiobooks. I love podcasts and I love the idea of audiobooks but the reality for me is a struggle to concentrate. But this year I made time for audiobooks, mainly listening when I was doing embroidery, like an 19th century lady. I heard good things about the audiobook of Small Island by Andrea Levy and I knew it was a beloved book – but one I’d never read. Small Island follows three characters: Queenie, Hortense and Gilbert Joseph, during and after the second world war. As Queenie takes in lodgers after the disappearance of her husband, Gilbert and Hortense try to settle in England, but it’s not what they were expecting. This book is wonderful. I think I’d have loved it in whatever format I read it but the audiobook was exquisite. Narrated, accents and humour abound, by the writer Andrea Levy, I think this will forever be the audiobook I love the most.
Part Two of the Best Books I Read in 2020 coming soon…