Advertisement

Art & Books Books

The 10 best books of 2016

Whether you’re reading physical books – which are holding their own – or e-products, stories like those on this list can be life-changing. Note the melancholy that characterizes most of these releases 2016 was not a happy year.

After James, by Michael Helm (McClelland& Stewart)

Told in three parts, with an ethically questionable drug trial as its backdrop, this exquisite, enigmatic and totally absorbing novel meditates on the power of paranoia and the meaning of poetry. This was the late editor Ellen Seligman’s last project, a perfect marriage of her and Helm’s literary gifts.

natural-way-of-things.jpg

The Natural Way of Things, by Charlotte Wood (Europa)

This timely dystopian novel with shades of Lord Of The Flies focuses on women imprisoned for their involvement in a series of sexual scandals. An unblinking, sharply written depiction of women-hating.

mischling.jpg

Mischling, by Affinity Konar (Random House)

Konar’s fictional account of twins in Mengele’s Zoo in Auschwitz is a breathtaking depiction of love, guilt and survival, proving that the best revenge against Nazi brutality is beauty.

party-girls.jpg

Sarong Party Girls, by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan (HarperCollins) 

Don’t be fooled by the cover – it makes Tan’s savvy story of a Singapore woman seeking financial security look like a slice of fluffy chick lit. It’s actually a pointed, super-smart evocation of classism, racism and misogyny in Singapore’s fast lane. 

clay-girl.jpg

The Clay Girl, by Heather Tucker (ECW)

A gifted young girl is forced out from under the wing of a pair of witchy (read lesbian) women down east to live with her abusive father in 60s Toronto in this unbelievably accomplished first novel. Bonus: the Riverboat figures prominently.

the-wonder.jpg

The Wonder, by Emma Donoghue (HarperCollins) 

Donoghue’s story of a young girl who stays alive while apparently not eating a thing is part mystery, part portrait of the snobbish nurse in charge of finding out if the girl’s a fraud, all exquisitely rendered by one of our best storytellers.

CaDl1CQWwAAwmav.jpg

Red Star Tattoo, by  Sonja Larsen (Random House) 

Raised in a hippie commune, a teen winds up in a revolutionary collective in Brooklyn where the charismatic leader’s sexual abuse doesn’t reduce her revolutionary fervour. Sounds like some wild fiction, but it’s actually a memoir told with startling candour.

your-heart-is-a-muscle.jpg

Your Heart Is a Muscle The Size Of A Fist, by Sunil Yapa (Lee Boudreaux)

In 1999 Seattle, seven characters – including activists, police and paramedics – all have a stake in the anti-globalization demo that eventually turned into a major shitstorm. Pay attention to this debut novelist. 

do-not-say-we-have-nothing.jpg

Do Not Say We Have Nothing, by Madeleine Thien (Knopf)

This Giller-winning evocation of Mao’s China doesn’t take off for about 100 pages, but once Thien’s musicians are under fire from the vicious Red Guard, you’ll be hooked.

best-kind-of-people-cover.png

The Best Kind Of People, Zoe Whittall (Anansi)

Inspired by the Ghomeshi trial, Whittall raises her game dramatically in this Giller-shortlisted novel about what happens to a relatively happy family when the father is accused of sexually abusing his high school students.

Honourable mentions

Shylock Is My Name, Howard Jacobson’s fictional take on The Merchant Of Venice writer-to-watch Mona Awad’s 13 Ways Of Looking At A Fat Girl Ann Y.K. Choi’s debut, Kay’s Lucky Coin Variety, about a family of Korean immigrants in Toronto Amy Jones’s soulful We’re All In This Together Noah Richler’s sly election memoir, The Candidate: Fear And Loathing On The Campaign Trail

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted