Best of 2020: Books
A short list of fiction and nonfiction book releases of 2020, which caught the attention of our writers and will hopefully catch yours too.
Zadie Smith by B.C. Lorio on Flickr
“Intimations” by Zadie Smith
This is a short one, a collection of six essays by the brilliant Zadie Smith, concerned primarily with 2020 realities - the pandemic, isolation, social injustice. None of the essays directly address the events of this year, neither the outbreak of Covid-19 nor the Black Lives Matter protests, and in fact some of Smith’s observations have been made prior to the endlessly far-away March. Yet, one can sense how each of the fragmented stories she presents is infused with new meaning in the aftermath of 2020, and the emotions which Smith carefully dissects are at their most relatable now, given the experience of this year.
For instance, the essay “Suffering” portrays one’s inability to reconcile their own lockdown-related discomfort with the pandemic’s global scale of suffering death and loss. It is the persistent existence of greater pain elsewhere in the world that makes it difficult for people to acknowledge their own issues. I bet that it’s a thought that many have had recently, yet it takes a masterful essayist like Smith to shape it into such a crisp and eloquent text.
Daria Mosolova
“The Guest List” by Lucy Foley
In a year which brought relentless social and economic hardship, the need for escapist reads proved crucial. Lucy Foley’s “The Guest List” satisfied this longing for leaving the harshness of reality behind and diving into a world of drama, deceit, and betrayal. On a remote island off the coast of Ireland, situated in the rough waters of the Atlantic Ocean, a high-profile wedding takes place amongst the rugged beauty of the outdoors. With the grand marquees, flowing champagne, and impressive multi-tier wedding cake, everything looks poised to be an unforgettable celebration. And so it is; but not for the right reasons. Skeletons in the closet come out to play in this well paced, compelling thriller that explores the inescapability of the past and the danger of harboured resentment. While “The Guest List” doesn’t set out to reinvent the thriller genre, Foley cherrypicks the best of the genre’s tropes, crafting a perfect quarantine read full of brimming tension and unease. Gripping and transfixing, “The Guest List” epitomises the power of books and their ability to transport readers from the mundanity - or in 2020’s case, the distress - of daily life, into the depths of new worlds.
Alexander Hancock
“Leave the World Behind” by Rumaan Alam
Unlike other pieces of post-apocalyptic fiction that focus on the aftermath of a calamity, Rumaan Alam’s “Leave the World Behind” deals with the here and now; when the world is put on pause, and the familiarity and comfort of the outdoors is lost. During the confusion of a mass blackout that leaves the whole of the eastern United States powerless, two families from completely different backgrounds are forced to isolate together, only to realise that their one lifeline is found in the help of strangers. Sequestered in the confines of one house, the initial tension between the two groups forces each member to consider whether the real menace lies outside the confines of the home or within it. Quiet and reflective, Alam’s novel is rooted in the understanding that the time spent waiting to discover the cause of a disaster is just as harrowing as the event itself. While the novel’s uncanny resemblance to the times we’re living in now makes this story nothing short of unnerving, it encapsulates many of the emotions we experienced over the past couple of months; anxiety, solitude, and the need for human interaction. Filled with mystery and ambiguity, “Leave the World Behind” allows the reader’s imagination to run wild with its twists and unpredictable turns.
Alexander Hancock
“Mayflies” by Andrew O’Hagan
Andrew O’Hagan is a Scottish novelist and the Editor-at-Large of everyone’s beloved London Review of Books, which frequently features his incisive long reads. This year, he gave us “Mayflies” - a novel about an extraordinary lifelong friendship, underlined with themes of the 1980s working-class Britain, generational disputes and passionate melomania. Perhaps it would be inaccurate to call this a bildungsroman, although the novel does display some of the genre’s most enticing features.
Split in half, it depicts two separate moments from the history of friendship between James (the narrator) and Tully. One is the most memorable weekend of their youth, during which the boys escape their native Scottish town to attend Manchester’s festival of the Tenth Summer (which had a killer lineup by the way, featuring the Smiths and New Order among others). This part reads like a coming of age story, filled with youthful euphoria and idealism, reckless behavior and a desire to rebel against one’s forefathers. The second half of the novel is concerned with events that take place 30 years later, and it is a lot more vulnerable and somber in tone. It is a novel built on contrasts: between youth and adulthood, James’ tame submissiveness and Tully’s explosive energy, the world in 1986 and 2017. A bittersweet story, unfolding over one of the best literary soundtracks I have ever encountered.
Daria Mosolova
“Surviving Autocracy” by Masha Gessen
“Surviving Autocracy” is a gripping investigation of Trump’s presidency and its impact on US society. Drawing from their personal experiences in Russia, Masha Gessen identifies common strategies of both Trump and Putin, focusing on the salience of language as an essential part of any nascent autocracy. When explaining Trump’s rhetoric, they brilliantly expound on the ‘Trumpian lie,’ which represented a poignant way for the 45th president to “assert his power, to say ‘I can say what I want when I want to’.”
Gessen also offers a trenchant analysis of the shortcomings of the most important American institutions and how they can constitute a conducive environment for a Trump-like figure - one of the most poignant critiques being the sheer amount of power concentrated in the executive branch. Another enabler of Trumpism is, in Gessen’s view, the media, who resorted to a ‘neutral tone’ whilst covering the president’s most outrageous lies and proclamations.
Oana Gavriloiu
“Girl, Woman, Other” by Bernadine Evaristo
During a year in which human contact and communication has been severely reduced and restricted, I found Bernadine Evaristo’s “Girl, Woman, Other” to be an incredibly comforting read. Evaristo introduces her reader to twelve central characters, most of whom are women of colour, and though they are fictional personas, it feels as though you are following real people, with real struggles, strengths and stories.
Evaristo touches on a multitude of issues and challenges faced by the female Black community, particularly in London, over a number of years. From sexuality and love to career, profession and ambition, Evaristo positions her characters in solidarity with one another, despite the fact that they do not always know of each other’s existence. Members of the Windrush generation navigate life in Britain, whilst teenagers struggle to find their identity under today’s complex social standards and expectations. The novel is truly one for anyone and everyone to relate to in some way; Evaristo simultaneously writes specifically for the individual and universally for all. A true 2020 masterpiece and deserving winner of the Booker Prize.
Evie Robinson