SSC CGL
Insurance
NABARD
CAPF
RBI Assistant
IBPS PO
SBI PO
Shorts SSC CGL Practice
SSC CGL General Awareness-Topics
Major Books of 2023 : Fiction
In the words of John Milton "a good book is the precious lifeblood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up to a purpose to a life beyond life." 2023 has been a great year for readers with so many books that deserve attention and praise. The year saw plenty of acclaimed debuts from the likes of Chena Maroon, Thao Thai, and DK.
Fiction Books
A Death at the Party
Amy Stuart’s thriller A Death at the Party reads like a contemporary Agatha Christie novel. Set over a single day. The book centres around Nadine Walsh, a loving mother, devoted wife and dutiful daughter. While preparing to host a birthday party for her mother, Nadine is overwhelmed with thoughts of the past. The party was supposed to be a chance for her friends and family to celebrate, have fun and forget but Nadine is caught up with haunting memories and secrets that might come to a head when her guests arrive. As the garden party is in full swing upstairs, Nadine mysteriously finds herself standing over a dead body in her basement and she’s left to piece together exactly what is going on. Noro as well as eagerly anticipated tomes from acclaimed authors such as Zadie Smith, Colson Whitehead, Salman Rushdie and Stephen King. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Varghese ranks as one of the most talked about books of 2023.
Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor
Equal parts crime thriller and family saga, transporting readers from the dusty villages of Uttar Pradesh to the urban energy of New Delhi, Age of Vice is an intoxicating novel of gangsters and lovers, false friendships, forbidden romance, and the consequences of entertainment at its literary best.
A Spell of Good Things by Ayobami Adebayo
A dazzling story of modern Nigeria and two families caught in the riptides of wealth, power, romantic obsession and political corruption from the celebrated author of Say with Me, in the lineage of great works by Chinua. Achebe and chimamanda Noose Aditee.
Banyan moon by Thao Thai
Thao Thai’s debut novel traces three generations of Vietnamese American women from wartime Vietnam to the swamps of Florida. Nguyen Phan Que Mai, author of The Mountains Sing and Dust Child has called Banyan Moon “heart-shatteringly beautiful “ and “ a love letter to keepers of secret, to motherhood, family and survival.
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
Set in modern-day New Zealand, Birnam Wood is multilayered like a far-left anti-capitalist manifesto, at times like a techno-futurist manual, at times like suburban ennui-driven domestic fiction-in short, it’s a book of contemporary ideas, somehow woven together into a thriller that is subtly poking fun at the absolutism all those perspectives entail.
Chain Gang All Stars By Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a depraved private. The prison system is not so far removed from America’s own in this debut novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Friday Black.
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead
The two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author of Harlem Shuffle continues his Harlem saga in a powerful and hugely entertaining novel that summons 1970s New York in all its seedy glory.
Demon copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Demon Copperhead is a remarkable reimagining of the Dickens classic, David Copperfield. Like the original, this is an immersive bildungsroman rich with character and an evocative sense of place set in Appalachia against the backdrop of the opioid epidemic, this is a sobering examination of poverty in America told with great charm, voice and intelligence.
Happy Place by Emily Henry
A couple who broke up months ago pretends to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel.
Isaac and the Egg by Bobby Palmer,
A beautiful, modern-day fable about loss, hope and the magic of the every day, it tells the story of a broken man’s transformative journey through a wood. An original novel, this gets to the core of what it means to be human.
History’s Angel by Anjum Hasan
Anjum Hasan’s History’s Angel is a novel that explores what it means to be Muslim in India. Donnish history teacher Alif is forever drawn to the past, but as a Muslim in India, even he is finding it hard to ignore an increasingly intolerant present. When a Hindu student goads him about his faith on a school trip to a Mughal monument, Alif impulsively reaches out to twist the boy’s ear. Setting in motion a calamitous sequence of events. History’s Angel uses the expanse of fiction to show us how Indian Muslims are pigeonholed and made to feel like fugitives in their land.
Holly by Stephen King
Stephen King’s latest novel is both a nail-biting crime fiction and a dystopian vision of contemporary America. Set at the height of the pandemic, when rows over mask-wearing and vaccines were raging, it centres on a series of mysterious disappearances in a Midwestern town. The perpetrators, it emerges, are “two of the most unusual “serial killers in fiction-a pair of retired college professors, whose veneer of ordinariness has long“ protected them from suspicion “ On their trail is private detective Holly Gibe. Who has appeared in King’s fiction before, but never in a starring role”.
Legacies by Jessica Goodman
A glitzy YA thriller set in New York City elite social circles, filled with backstabbing and blackmail, twisty secrets, and a dead body, from New York Times bestselling author Jessica Goodman.
Maame by Jessica George
The story of the twenty something Maddie’s fresh start at adulthood is shot through with themes of family race. And discrimination womanhood and the immigrant reality of feeling torn between cultures. Maddie is a vibrant protagonist who feels stuck. Her job is a slog. Her mother is far away in Ghana- yet somehow still intimately critical. Her dad has Parkinson’s disease and needs Maddie’s daily help. So when her mother returns to London for a year, Maddie leaps at the chance to rent a new place and live like her friends and colleagues. Only sometimes stepping outside the constraints of home feels a lot like getting lost.
Old God’s Time by Sebastian Barry
Recently retired policeman Tom Kettle is settling into the quiet of his new home, a lean-to annexed to a Victorian castle overlooking the Irish Sea. But when two former colleagues turn up at his door with questions about a decades-old case, one which he finds himself pulled into the darkest currents of his past. A beautiful haunting novel, in which nothing is quite as it seems, Old God’s Time is about what we live through, what we live with, and what may survive of us.
Ordinary human failings by Megan Nolan
The subject of much hype even before its publication, Megan Nolan’s second novel is a tour-de-force. Taking place in 1990s London, it follows a reporter who begins to investigate a Irish family implicated in an atrocious crime, and the stories behind the headlines. A searing expose of prejudice and privilege, this is at once a social commentary and a dramatic thriller.
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez
Spanning multiple decades, Argentine author Mariana Enriquez’s weird and wonderful novel, newly translated into English by Megan McDowell, doesn’t fit into just one genre. Oscillating seamlessly between historical fiction and supernatural horror, Our Share of Night centres on Juan and Gaspar, a father and son who are grieving Rosario, the wife and mother they just lost in a car accident. Complicating things is the fact that they are also on the run from the ruthless cult from which Rosario descends. Better known as the Order, the cult will do just about anything to achieve immortality, and Gaspar has developed powers that would make him a valuable asset. Set against a comprehensive backdrop of Argentine. History, Our Share of Night offers an absorbing window into a terrifying, fantastical world.
Promise by Rachel Eliza Griffiths
A luminous story of two sisters and their journey into adulthood amid the escalating tensions, violence and prejudice of 1950s America, the Promise is the first novel from writer Rachel Eliza Griffiths (the wife of Salman Rushdie). Set in 1957, as the news from distant parts of America fills with calls for freedom, equality and justice for black Americans, this is a powerful take on racism and resistance.
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
In Prophet Song Lynch looks to the near future, presenting a dystopian vision of the decline of democracy in Leland. This is an impressive novel in stylistic as well as political terms, staying close to one woman’s consciousness throughout Elisha Stack must try to maintain normal family life after her husband is detained by the police for union activity; Lynch is brilliant at capturing people’s disbelief and denial throughout the slow slide into totalitarianism.
River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer
The beautiful, page-turning, and redemptive story of a mother’s gripping journey across the Caribbean to find her stolen children and piece her family back together is a "celebration of motherhood and female resilience"
Roman Stories by Jumpy Lahore
Pulitzer Prize–winning writer Jumpy Lahore returns with a collection of utterly absorbing stories set in Rome, where the city serves as both location and protagonist Translated from Italian, the nine pieces probe the quotidian and the ever-evolving lives of Roman citizens, particularly women and immigrants as they navigate a transforming Italy.
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sitenfeld
A comedy writer thinks she's sworn off love until a dreamy pop star flips the script on all her assumptions a smart, sophisticated, and fun novel from the author of Eligible, Rodham, and Prep.
Save What's Left by Elizabeth Castellano
An outrageously funny debut novel about a woman who moves to a small beach town looking for peace, only to find herself in an all-out war with her neighbours.
Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb
A gripping page-turner from the celebrated author of The Violin Conspiracy. Music professor Bern Hendricks discovers a shocking secret about the most famous American composer of all time his music may have been stolen from a black Jazz Age prodigy named Josephine Reed. Determined to uncover the truth that a powerful organization wants to keep hidden Bern will stop at nothing to right history’s wrongs and give Josephine the recognition she deserves.
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize and clocking in at more than 600 pages, it is the story of a well-to-do Irish family in financial, emotional and emotional and existential trouble: Dickie Barnes, who has taken over his father’s car showroom; his wife Imelda a local beauty; daughter Cassie, preparing for university; and 12-year-old son PJ. The after-effects of the financial crash have crippled the motor business, and now that the money and the good times have run out Dickie hides away in local woods, building a shelter against the collapse of civilization while Imelda furiously eBays their possession. Cassie fears for her future; PJ fears divorce. We see the same few months through the eyes of each in turn, during floods and drought, as a slow-building ecological disaster parallels the family’s unfolding apocalypse.
The Birdcage Library by Freya Berry
The Birdcage Library is a transporting 1930s-set mystery that follows the endeavours of adventuress Emily Blackwood, as she attempts to locate a mysterious artefact hidden in a crumbling Scottish castle. A noticeable departure in theme from Berry’s first book (The Dictator’s Wife, which won prizes and plaudits across the board) this new novel still has Barry’s signature way of drawing a reader in and keeping hold of them until the very last page.
The Celebrants by Steven Rowley
A deeply honest tribute to the growing pains of selfhood and the people who keep us going, coupled with Steven Rowley’s signature hum and heart, The Celebrants is a moving tale about the false invincibility of youth and the beautiful ways in which friendship helps us celebrate our lives, even amid the deepest challenges of living.
The Center by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi
Protagonist Anisa Ellahi is continually surprised by her boyfriend’s aptitude for languages until she learns of his secret weapon: his invite-only acceptance to The Centre, where students can become fluent in any language in mere moments. But the cost of such an effortless education might be more than Anisa bargained for.
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
The Covenant of Water begins in 1990 as a 12-year-old girl marries a 40-year-old widower with a young son. Some years after their wedding, the girl discovers her husband’s son drowned in a ditch. It’s a cruel suffering that the family can’t seem to shake-they keep losing more of their own to the same fate-and they become determined to figure out the source of this strange affliction. Verghese follows the family over nearly 80 years in this powerful and sweeping story about love, loss and the strength of the human spirit.
The Davenports by Krystal Marquis
The Davenports delivers an escapist, swoon-worthy romance while offering a glimpse into a period of African American history often overlooked. Inspired by the real-life story of the Patterson family. The Davenports is the tale of four determined and passionate young Black women discovering the courage to steer their path in life and love.
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
The Fraud is the result of the acclaimed author’s trip into the annals of Victorian England. Grounded by the real-life events of the Tichborne Trial, Smith’s multiple main characters (and their distinct narratives and timelines) intermingle for a tale that’s both challenging and clever.
The Guest by Emma Cline
Cline’s 2016 debut, The Girls the story of a lost teenager who falls into a Manson-style cult in the heady days of the hippie movement in California, won worldwide. Parise. The guest is about a young drifter and the dark recesses of the rich and famous she discovers on Long Island. Cline’s carefully measured prose in this eerie, masterfully written book will have you bookmarking perfect phrases every few pages.
The Happy Couple by Naoise Dolan
Charting the lives of the soon-to-be-married couple, the best man, the bridesmaid and a guest for an approaching wedding, this comedy of errors from the bestselling author of Exciting Time is entertaining, clever and excoriating. Naoise Dolan has a way with sparse prose, which says everything in just a few words.
The Light at the End of the World by Siddhartha Deb
Siddhartha Deb’s robust novel ‘The Light at the End of the World’ explores India across four timelines, drawing forth the country’s agonizing secrets, linked dangers, and unexpected residents. In a feverish, near-apocalyptic future, Bibi is a former journalist and a current global consulting firm employee. When a conspiracy theorist whom she knew vanishes, she’s tasked with finding him. Her cat-and-mouse pursuit of him through Delhi’s dense surroundings alternates with reflections on her own restricted, harangued life, culminating in a panoptic view of politics and mystery that yields a cryptic clue.
The List by Yomi Adegoke
Fun and thought-provoking in equal measure, The List is the latest from Yomi Adegoke, who is now as much a cultural icon and commentator as she is a writer, so on the money are her views. Clever and intricately plotted, The List examines the dark side of social media and its influence on even the closest of our relationships. Weaving in anonymous allegations and the way they call into question our responsibility and loyalty. This is a book that’s just right for our times.
The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis
The author weaves a sleek metafictional tale set in 1980s Los Angeles, where a teenager (also named Bret Easton Ellis) spins out as his life of privilege and debauchery collides with a series of grisly murders.
The Wind Know My Name by Isabel Allende
The lives of a Jewish boy escaping Nazi–occupied Europe and a mother and daughter fleeing twenty-first-century El Salvador intersect in this ambitious, intricate novel about war and immigration, from the New York Times bestselling author of A Long Petal of the Sea and Violeta.
Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou
In a world where the children of the gods inherit their powers, a descendant of the Greek fates must solve a series of impossible murders to save her sisters, her soulmate, and her city. For fans of Song of Achilles.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Tom Lake is just as warm, intelligent and powerful as so many of her beloved works including The Dutch House and These Precious Days. The story of a mother and her three daughters, and the old love she reveals to them as they isolate themselves together in Northern Michigan during the pandemic, Tom Lake is a rich reward for Patchett devotees.
Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
There is nothing special about the day Cushla meets Michael, a married man from Belfast, in the pub her family owns. But the encounter will change both of their lives forever. Set in the time of the troubles a world of car bombs, rubber bullets and people killed, beaten or left for dead-this is a vivid portrait of love and loss. It is bold in its scope, taking in topics from the Protestant/Catholic divide to politics. Still, Kennedy handleser.
Victory City by Rushdie
One of the world’s most acclaimed authors, Salman Rushdie, is back with his first novel after narrowly surviving an attack on his life in August 2022. Victory City is a fitting title for such a book, which features all the hallmarks of Rushdie’s best work. In the wake of an insignificant battle between two long-forgotten kingdoms in fourteenth-century southern India, a nine-year-old girl has a divine encounter that will change the course of history. After witnessing the death of her mother, the grief-stricken Pampa Kampana becomes a vessel for the Goddess, who begins to speak out of the girl’s mouth. Granting her powers beyond Pampa Kampana’s comprehension, the goddess tells her that she will be instrumental in the rise of a great city called Bisnaga-literally ‘victory city’ the wonder of the world. Over the next two hundred and fifty years, Pampa Kampan’s life becomes deeply interwoven with Bisnaga’s from its literal sowing out of a bag of magic seeds to its tragic ruination in the most human of ways: the hubris of those in power. Whispering Bisnaga and its citizens into existence, Pampa Kampana attempts to make good on the task that the Goddess set for her: to give women equal agency in a patriarchal world. But all stories have a way of getting away from their creator, and Bisnaga is no exception. As years pass, rulers come and go, battles are won and lost, and allegiances shift, the very fabric of Bisnaga becomes an ever more complex tapestry with Pampa Kampana at its Centre. Brilliantly styled as a translation of an ancient epic, this is a saga of love, adventure and myth that is in itself a testament to the power of storytelling.
What Napolean Could Not Do by Dk Nnuro
In this spellbinding debut novel, two Ghanaian siblings chase the same dream of making a new life in America. Belinda, the younger and brighter child achieves “what Napolean could not do”: she moves to the United States for college, becomes a lawyer, and marries a wealthy Black businessman. Meanwhile, back in Ghana, her older brother Jacob seethes with jealousy, repeatedly petitioning the American government for a green card. But as Belinda soon learns. Hers and Jacob’s dreams of the promised land don’t square with the lived experience of African Americans like her husband, who face relentless racism and insightful debut. Nnuro delivers a nuanced exploration of the American Dream’s broken promises.
Western Lane by Chetna Maroo
Shortlisted the Booker 2023 indelible-of-age Chetna for the Prize and a coming story, Maroo's first novel captures the ordinary and annihilates it with beauty. Lane is a valentine to innocence, to the closeness of sisterhood, to the strange ways we come to know ourselves and each other. The book follows 11-year-old Gopi as she copes with the death of her mother by losing herself in an intensive training regimen for squash. Growing apart from her sisters and the rest of the world, Gopi finds solace on the court in the company of her father and 13-year-old Ged, an impressive talent in his own right. A statement by The Booker Prize appreciates Maroo's novel for "skilfully deploying the sport of squash as both context and metaphor", calling it "a deeply evocative debut about a family grappling with grief, conveyed through crystalline language."
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
The book tells the story of June Hayward, who steals, the unpublished manuscript of literary Athena Liu, and publishes it as her own. Deadly consequences ensue, as Hayward is determined to keep what she thinks she deserves. Y/N by Esther Yi For a Korean-American copywriter.
More Related Articles
