Esteemed reader,
I’m back! Just in time for your last minute holiday shopping. I’m not reading 50-100 books per year like I used to, but I am still reading. This newsletter is back as a seasonal treat, like egg nog but for your eyes.
And while I didn’t send my usual dispatch last year, I did record the books I read. Here’s the summary I never sent, if you’re curious. It sat as a draft for 12 months. There are some absolute bangers in there, too:
But on to the main event. I’ve promised you three book recommendations in this email’s subject line, and here they are.
Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck
Kairos is a deft glimpse into the lives of ordinary people in East Germany before the wall came down. The plot centers around a young woman who falls in love with a older, married professor. Her life is in flux, and he takes advantage of her love for him.
This is classic Erpenbeck in that the city of Berlin, as well as classical music, both feature prominently. Overall, it’s a sad story, but the intimacy kept me thinking about the book for weeks after I’d moved on to other novels.
I’m a Erpenbeck completionist, and you may become one as well after Kairos. If so, you’re in some truly brilliant reading from an underrated author.
Unseen by Roy Jacobsen
Set in northern Norway, this is a seafaring novel with a wonderfully subtle translation that manages to capture the Norwegian dialect of the island people who are the characters of this story. This is a book about living on an island, and about fishing and farming in a remote, unforgiving Arctic climate. It's also a book about families, about mothers specifically, and it sheds light on a way of life that has almost completely disappeared.
This is the first instalment in a trilogy. The sequel didn’t resonate with me quite as well as Unseen, but I do intend to read the third book this year. Unseen is an easy read to get completely immersed into.
Special thanks to my brilliant friend Michelle Cyca for sending this one my way.
Assembly by Natasha Brown
This is an assertive and provocative story, with a depth rarely seen in a novel a mere 85 pages long. This is the story of a highly successful woman working in finance. She is Black, and her White boyfriend comes from money. The plot centers around the fact that they are set to attend a high profile party at his parents' house. There is so much here: the impact of the results of a diagnosis, a relationship with a power dynamic that makes reciprocity impossible, and some very incisive writing. This one is a must read.
Plus, it has a great ending.(Why are great endings so rare these days?)
Other notable books:
Where the Falcon Flies by Adam Shoalts because I can only describe his writing style as Canadiana, and I love to lose myself on a long canoe trip (without having to experience the rain or the bugs myself).
Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice, which is a great “road” novel meets “pandemic” novel. There is a lot of Anishinaabemowin dialog in the book — mostly untranslated — which is a nice complement to the storytelling. This was a fun read and it will make a terrific TV series. (I wish it had been edited a bit more thoroughly though).
And if you’d like a few French book recommendations, get in touch for some great ones.
What’s next for me? I’m currently indulging in yet another 700+ page tome: The Covenant of Water, and it’s excellent. If you like to vanish into a good book for a million pages, I also recommend this and this but not this. Oh and I’m also spending one to two hours a day reviewing this animal book.
That’s it, that’s all! I can’t promise I’ll be back next year, but I promise to write back if you reply to this dispatch. I’d love to hear from you.
Happy new year, pals!
Cheers,
Vero