The books I enjoy reading most, and that stay with me long after turning the last page, are ones that explore the complexity of relationships, whether between family members, friends, roommates or partners. These are some of my favourites that I’ve read in the past year.
Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon
Joanna Cannon has a wonderful talent for depicting female friendships. This is the story of Florence, who, with the constant presence of her best friend Elsie, sets out on a quest to make sense of events that occurred sixty years earlier.
The novel is exciting, humorous and heartbreakingly touching in equal measures. And I love the unique way that Cannon uses personification of emotions – and even of inanimate objects – to get right to the heart of things.
Educated by Tara Westover
I’m not a great reader of non-fiction, other than for research purposes, but this memoir drew my attention because of Westover’s incredible personal history. Her evolution from a teenager who had never set foot in a classroom to a woman who earns a doctorate from Cambridge University is inspirational.
Much of the strength of the book lies, for me, in Westover’s exploration of her relationships with the various members of her dysfunctional family as the horizons of her life expand.
My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
Strout is one of my all-time favourite writers and I could have picked any one of her books for this list. I’ve chosen “My Name Is Lucy Barton”, because her depiction of the complex relationship between a mother and daughter is so beautifully and delicately realised.
As Lucy’s mother sits by her daughter’s hospital bed, we learn as much about the two women and their shared history by what isn’t said as by what is.
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
This is a delightful book that’s just been published in the UK and the US, and I know will be a huge hit. It’s the story of Tiffy and Leon, who share a flat but have never met; he works nightshifts and she works the usual daytime hours.
It’s light, funny and utterly heart-warming, with two of the most endearing central characters I’ve come across in a long time. If, as I do, you have periods when you feel your reading material has become a bit stodgy, this is like a palate-cleansing sorbet.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
This has to be my favorite book of the last twelve months. The plot charts the relationship between Marianne and Connell, who first meet at school and later attend the same university. At its heart, it’s a romance, but not in the traditional sense.
Although Marianne and Connell clearly love each other, their insecurities and problems mean they struggle to find a way to be together. Rooney’s depiction of the characters’ thoughts and emotions feels, at times, painfully true-to-life and recognizable.
