I wouldn’t usually have more than a two-part catch up of my reading list of a previous year, drawing attention only to the best, but I found it so hard to choose from 2020s selection. So here are the last highlights of a year of great reading…
Sophie’s World, Jostein Gaarder
A magical, mystical blend of fact
and fiction that makes for an excellent teaching aid for anyone wanting
to learn about philosophy. I felt a little disconnected with the book at
first — as though the letters to Sophie were a bit too much like
sitting in a classroom, but as it progressed, I became swiftly hooked.
The ending also felt a little too long, but overall the experience is
not unlike falling down the rabbit hole, and I wish I had read this many
years ago. Though I knew some facts, I didn’t know them all. The book
even touches on the subject of natural selection, and implications of
more artificial selections/mutations caused by pesticides and disease
control. The book is just as relevant today as when first written. It’s a
lot to take in, but if you want a whirlwind tour of history and how
philosophy has helped to shape our lives, this is an amazing book.
*
Lovecraft Country, Matt Ruff
I love books that blend genres
surprisingly. With richly portrayed characters and a real feel of both
fantastical magic, and the more frightening and bitter horror of racism,
the historical setting adds an uneasy depth that’s all too realistic.
My one criticism is that I felt a little detached from the true cruelty
of the era, and would have liked more emotional insight to the
characters’ feelings; saying that, it’s all too easy to fill in the
blanks. The book is easy to read in a series of individual but linked
stories with a noir pulp feel running through them. (Side note: the book
is not the same as the series, with a subtle tone down of the magic and
mayhem, and with less blatant sex.)
*
Disappearance at Devils Rock, Paul Tremblay
An author who writes
in his own style and created his own genre bridging the supernatural and
real life paranoia. Horror? I’m not sure I would categorise his novels
in that genre, but horror covers such a wide spectrum these days.
Sometimes his work has a Young Adult flavour, but then as many of his
characters are teens or children, this is fine. This novel sums up a
mother’s terror over her missing child well, yet the true horror here
comes from the way Tremblay captures the flavour of social media, and
journalism, the criticism and blame aimed at victims.
*
The Troop, Nick Cutter
I would have finished this book sooner had
time allowed; I didn’t want to put it down. At first, I wasn’t sure of
the narrative. Being that the plot involved teenage boys, much of the
tone expressed that initially, but then as things progressed so did the
style grow more lyrical and tighter, edging along the sense of
well-constructed doom. Scary? Yes, owing to the subject alone, the sense
that one day this or similar could happen under humankind’s egotistical
restructuring of the natural world. This is an amazing book. I’ve seen
negative reviews and understand the dislike of animal abuse portrayed,
but sometimes it’s necessary to reflect reality. Even then the story is
painfully sad, making the reader feel for these boys. Other negatives, I
don’t understand as there’s little point moaning about extremes when
reading horror, as long as it fits the story without being gratuitous.
The various personalities build a rich tapestry of human nature, good
and bad. For me, the book ends on a perfect note.
*
An English Ghost Story, Kim Newman
This story was not what I
expected. When one hears mention of a ghost story, one imagines the
unsettling creak of a floorboard, lights that flicker as though from
faulty wiring, an escalation of scares, and spectres at every turn, not a
subtle disintegration of family that’s almost a metaphor. The tale
begins with the family finding the perfect home and weaves an enchanting
picture of country life that’s something out of a Victorian romance,
creating the perfect escape the characters seek. What isn’t so clear is
they cannot escape their own flaws, weaknesses the power within the
house focuses on and brings alive to disturbing extremes. Does it work?
To an extent, although I think the readership will be one who also
appreciates more literary subtext and likes classic works. If looking
for an easy scare, this won’t be the book. I’ve not read much of Kim
Newman, particularly in recent years, but this interested me enough that
I may look up some of his other titles.
*
Two titles by Josh Malerman, starting with Bird Box
Having watched
the film after seeing mixed reviews, I was keen to read the book as I
had also heard good things about Josh Malerman’s work. I didn’t react to
the film as badly as some, but found the book to be a completely
distinct entity with far more tension. I also like how the story’s told
with two lines of chronology running throughout — a present journey
undertaken by Malorie and the events that led her to that point. I see
the book has as many mixed reviews as the film, but I’m not a reader who
needs a big reveal. And with a revelation that could drive the main
character, Malorie, mad, the question of the best outcome will always be
questionable. There’s no way a writer can please every reader with this
type of story, only trust the book will find its own audience. The
suspense comes from Malorie’s anxiety, the act of having to fumble
around not knowing if a threat stands right next to you excellently
portrayed. Will Malorie find sanctuary? Will she save the children? I’ll
be reading more from this author, including the sequel.
Black Mad Wheel
While reading this I didn’t feel I was reading
horror, more a dark thriller, yet as I neared the end I realised how
insidious the horror is. This is a story of what happens to a man thrown
in at the deep end, morally abandoned, and used. The novel reads as a
multilayered allegory; much of Malerman’s work seems to. For me, this
one perhaps tries to illuminate the futility of war. I couldn’t help a
rather bleak thought at one point, that the only way to stop war was to
kill everyone. Readers who like crystal clear details and simple endings
may find this writer’s work is not for them, but like poetry or a song,
it leaves some details for self-interpretation. Still, the second part
feels like no ‘part’ at all, and over too fast considering the
tremendous buildup. Despite this, and some question left hanging, I
thoroughly enjoyed this book.
*
The Complete Tales of Edgar Allan Poe
I began The Complete Tales
and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe way back, an enormous book I’ve had awhile
and, as I thought, it took me ages to get through. Very much a book I
intended to dip in and out of over several months. Many hidden gems
here, though I have to say the reason his most loved and best-known poem
is The Raven shines out. The cadence and emotional response it invokes
never ceases to impress. In the story section, the first touch of the
true Poe I know came with his story Berenice. The System of Doctor Tarr
and Professor Fether has to be one of the oddest tales in the book,
aided by a modern day imagination. Once again, the reason his best-known
works stand out becomes clear, for they are the most compelling. Yet if
you think you know all there is to know about Poe in things macabre,
think again. Some of his stories are light, even possibly satirical and
intended to be humorous. It feels sacrilegious to give Poe less than 5
stars, but I have to be honest. Some work I adored, some I liked, and
some I hated. As someone who has always been a great admirer of
classics, even I struggled when the content failed to hold my attention.
But there are many gems here, and one has to recognise Poe’s talent and
influence, so I’m glad to have read through to pay homage to an amazing
body of memorable work.
*
The Other, Thomas Tryon
I’ve only read one other book by Thomas
Tryon, many years ago, loved it, and still own. So I thought it way past
the time I read another. I’d heard good things about The Other, and
overall this is excellent. The trouble stems perhaps from the dated
feeling of both the writing, setting, and how distanced a modern
audience often is from subconscious scares. I wouldn’t categorise this
as horror, though for those who like evil child stories, this
undoubtedly deserves to be a classic. The construction that will meet
with dislike from some was ingenious at the time it was written and
remains good today. Most profoundly, a subtle unease exists within the
pages that creeps into the mind. Unfortunately, the surprises didn’t
feel all that big; again, perhaps because a modern audience is harder to
shock.
*
The Library at Mount Char, Scott Hawkins
One book that defies
description and… despite the hugely tough choice, I’m making it my read
of the year. Though it has dark elements, it’s not listed as horror but
as fantasy, but I cannot help feeling it’s all these things with a blend
of an intellectual type of bizarro fiction. This is one book that acts
as a lesson to writers everywhere, not to worry about reining in their
imagination. Disbelief needs shelving. I couldn’t help feeling the
opening section is almost designed to throw the reader off balance,
though whether this was the author’s intention, it’s impossible to tell.
The rest of the book is an easier if peculiar read, giving just enough
away to hook the reader from beginning to end. For every revelation,
there are bigger questions hanging over the story. Towards the end I
felt the book (for me) was essentially about the pain of sacrifice
(there’s a lot of pain throughout), though, like poetry is open to
individual interpretation. I found it compelling and haunting despite
being fantastical and confusing. This has to be one of the strangest
books I’ve ever read, yet that’s why it’s amazing and completely
unforgettable.
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