Is there a genre called lite literature? I apply the name to novels that offer escapism while exploring somewhat serious issues. They are well-written, usually historical, always engaging. Novels by Fiona Davis fit the name, examples being The Lions of Fifth Avenue (2020) and The Magnolia Palace (2022), both set in New York City, both featuring likeable young women trying to find their way in different eras. In Davis’s own words: “In all of my books I like to layer a fictional story over the scaffolding of historical facts, and then parse out the inspiration for the plot and characters in my Author’s Note…”
FICTION
Our Woman in Moscow (2021) by Beatriz Williams also falls into this category based as it is on young British men whose political beliefs in the 1930s led them to become spies for the Soviet Union (alluding to the Cambridge Five). In addition to espionage, the novel treats a theme of sibling loyalty through twin sisters Iris and Ruth.
Beartown (2016) is the first of a trilogy by Swedish writer Fredrik Backman. Through the game of hockey and its pervasive effects on the townspeople, an omniscient narrator develops many characters, exploring their thoughts, motivations, feelings, flaws, all the while illuminating much about human behaviour, individual, group and familial. Backman knows how to turn a phrase; his writing enthralls. I agree with a blurb: “In this story of a small forest town, Fredrick Backman has found the entire world.”
Peach Blossom Spring (2022) by Melissa Fu follows the lives of a Chinese family from China in the 1930s through to the US in the 2000s, instructing us a bit about Chinese history as well as the immigrant experience in America.
Lessons in Chemistry (2022) by Bonnie Garmus. Extraordinary protagonist Elizabeth Zott reluctantly becomes the host of a TV show in 1961, “Supper at Six”, to support herself and her precocious daughter Mad. This captivating story recalls the imperative of the feminist movement. No spoilers but from The Guardian to whet your interest: “A tale of female disempowerment in the 50s and 60s gets a culinary tweak in this sweet revenge comedy.”
In Klara and the Sun (2021), Kazuo Ishiguro echoes Remains of the Day (1989) in a study of service. Klara is an Artificial Friend (AF) who’s taken into service to care for a mysteriously ill teenage girl. Ishiguro says “AF allows him to observe the human condition without prejudices and preconceived notions… AF muses on everything from love and loneliness to the existence of the soul.” Artificial intelligence is not menacing in this novel set in the near future; its embodiment “celebrates the better aspects of human beings.” Rather than analyze this masterpiece, I simply luxuriated in its mood and message.
This Tender Land (2019) by William Kent Krueger opens in 1932 at the Lincoln Indian Training School in Minnesota, a miserable home for Native American children and a few impoverished white orphans. Odie escapes with three others to embark on an odyssey into unfamiliar territory. Krueger’s yarn is riveting; he also brings to light historic events, such as a Sioux uprising in 1862 that, after a mock trial, resulted in the largest single-day mass execution in US history.
In Heather Marshall’s debut novel, Looking for Jane (2022), Jane is not only a character but also the code name for doctors willing to perform safe abortions when they were illegal in Canada and the US. Set in Toronto, cutting back and forth among three time periods, Marshall depicts a postwar maternity home run by the Church, which forces unwed mothers to relinquish their babies for adoption. Be prepared for emotionally charged scenes. Amid the current turmoil about abortion, this historical fiction reminds us of heartrending circumstances in the not-so-distant past.
Matthew Quick said of We Are the Light (2022): “This book was written at the end of a particularly dark period of my life… Writing fiction has always helped me manage my depression and anxiety. For this reason, the addition of severe writer’s block… was a particularly difficult cross to bear.” Conceiving an epistolary novel — letters from protagonist Lucas to his Jungian psychologist Karl — enabled Quick to pen a tale of the citizens in a small Pennsylvania suburb dealing with the aftermath of a mass shooting in the local theatre. Lucas is funny, somber, candid, even painfully so, as he grieves the murders of his wife and other townspeople (18 dead). This novel probes PTSD, psychology, neurodiversity, love, and the healing power of art. Quick writes with compassion for all his characters; he moved me to compassionate tears at the end.
Ian Reid belies the notion of appropriation in We Spread (2022) as the 42 year old male author convincingly inhabits a much older woman in a first person narrative about growing old. Penny takes us on a journey from her apartment that’s haunted by memories and mementos to a long term care residence in the middle of nowhere, where we meet other odd characters. An underlying creepiness and ambiguity to her story impel us to read on, to try and figure out what’s happening. But how reliable is Penny as the narrator? Is her journey going to and living in the residence or is it a journey through her deteriorating mind?
Whenever Elizabeth Strout comes out with a new novel, I rush to read it. Lucy by the Sea (2022) serves as a diary of Covid-19, set in the early years of fear and anxiety. Lucy leaves behind her familiar life in Manhattan to isolate with her former husband in a small town in Maine. In one scene, a new friend reads to her an observation about life, which can also be applied to the pandemic: “It’s our duty to bear the burden of the mystery with as much grace as we can.” In simple language, clipped sentences, short paragraphs, Strout writes wisely about love and life. I also enjoyed rereading her debut novel, Isabelle and Amy (1998).
MYSTERIES
The Woman in the Library (2022) by Sulari Gentill. Four strangers become friends after a woman’s scream disrupts their calm in the Boston Public Library — in a novel narrated by a character named Hannah, who lives in Australia and, while writing her mystery, gets entangled online in a “real” mystery with a fellow writer in Boston. This nested story is sufficiently suspenseful, if at times confusing, and it led me to discover Gentill’s entertaining series of Rowland Sinclair historical mysteries. (I’ve liked three of ten so far.) Set in 1931 in Sydney, Australia, A Few Right Thinking Men (2010) explores the politics of the day — the rise of communist and fascist groups — the class system, and art, as Rowland (to the manor born) and his bohemian friends naively attempt to solve a murder case. Wit and elegance characterize Gentill’s style.
The Murder of Mr. Wickham (2022) by Claudia Gray. Jane Austen meets Agatha Christie in Gray’s charming, literary mystery that brings a full cast of characters from Austen’s six novels together in the mansion of Mr. Knightley and Emma. When the odious Mr. Wickham is found murdered, the local magistrate plus a few of the guests seeks the culprit.
Stephen King calls The Plot (2021) by Jean Hanff Korelitz “insanely readable” — high praise from the master of suspense. A failed writer and mediocre teacher, Jake seizes an opportunity to resurrect his reputation by stealing a sure-fire plot from a deceased student and turning it into a bestseller. Then The Plot becomes a book-within-a-book as we follow both Jake’s story and the story in his novel, The Crib.
The Maid (2022) by Nita Prose. Molly is on the spectrum and her quirky personality delights in a story of intrigue set at the Regency Grand Hotel where Molly is a conscientious maid. Prose sprinkles nuggets throughout to open our minds. From Molly: “Gran always said that the truth is subjective, which is something I failed to comprehend until my own life experience proved her wisdom… We are all the same in different ways... The world is a better place seen through a prism of colours rather than merely in black and white.” An aphorism worth remembering: “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”
NONFICTION
Fifty years after borrowing The Prophet (1924) by Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931), a Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist, a good friend returned the book to me. So I reread this “bible” that was popular during the countercultural movement of the 60s and 70s. I must use the word “profound” to describe Gibran’s meditation, delivered in 24 prose poems, on life’s concerns. An example: “Love gives naught but itself and takes naught from itself. Love possesses not nor would it be possessed; For love is sufficient unto love.”
In The Promise of Canada (2016), historian Charlotte Gray relates the evolution of Canada by portraying nine individuals, a few little recognized, who helped to shape our country: George-Étienne Cartier, Sam Steele, Emily Carr, Harold Innis, Tommy Douglas, Elijah Harper and others.
Given my love and frequent use of libraries, I adored The Library Book (2018) by Susan Orlean, who uses an investigation into the devastating fire of 1986 at the Los Angeles Public Library to tell a fascinating story of libraries and librarians. Her book’s full of anecdotes, for instance, in the late 19th century, a head librarian walked all the way from Ohio to Los Angeles just to become acquainted with his country.
I continue to write a post on World Book Day because it generates recommendations in the comments from readers, some of whom will recognize titles in my list above. Thank you for directing me previously to first-rate books and adding your new suggestions below. •
Lillian Rogerson says
Thank you Pam for your recommendations. I’m forwarding this onto my book club.
Pam McPhail says
Please add in comments or send me your book club’s reading list, Lil, as it’s sure to offer some good titles to pursue.
Tracy says
I heartily support Pam’s recommendation of Elizabeth Strout’s Olive, Again. If you like Strout, it might lead you to reread her work, since Olive, Again is not just a sequel to Olive Kitteridge, as the title suggests, but also a brilliant summary of an extraordinary career still very much in progress. Like its predecessor, Olive, Again is an unusual sequence of stories. Olive alone appears in all of the stories, but sometimes she is the protagonist, and sometimes only a minor character. That was also true of Olive Kitteridge, but now Strout returns to such earlier books as Amy and Isabelle and The Burgess Boys, often in surprising detail. Once again the setting is almost as important as the characters, though the depiction of Crosby, Maine can be surprisingly harsh. In that way, these books differ from the works of Alice Munro that inspired them. Munro returned to Southwestern Ontario because she recognized it as her only possible home. By contrast, some of Strout’s characters prefer New York City to a small town in Maine with closed stores and empty streets. It may be a difference in geography as much as a difference in point of view that is involved, but Strout recognizes that Maine is also a haven for Somali immigrants, like the woman who attends Olive in her last years.
Pam McPhail says
I hope you will contribute recommendations to this post, Tracy, avid reader that you are.
Catherine says
Thanks for your suggestions. I am always ready for more titles to explore.
I am reading and enjoying Louise Penny’s recent novel A World of Curiosities. I also enjoyed A State of Terror coauthored by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny.
The Kissing Fence by Brian Thomas-Peter is based on the scoop of Doukhobor children in the 1950s and their placement in a residential school in New Denver, BC. Another dark time in Canadian history.
Pam McPhail says
I too read The Kissing Fence that exposes a little known episode in our dark history, as you said. Have not yet explored Louise Penny’s books. Given your enjoyment of TV series, Cathy, you may want to check out Ken’s late posted list of recommendations: https://sunsetyears.ca/toptvshows2022/
Marlie says
First rate. Thanks for the thoughtful recommendations. You’ve never steered me wrong.
Linda Richardson says
Thanks for the excellent recommendations Pam. I will pass them along to my Hubby, too. I have read and enjoyed some of these books but am always looking for new authors to try.
Pam McPhail says
Feel free to add your preferred reading of the last year, Linda. Titles from your Book Club perhaps? And Rick too can guide me to new mysteries.
Barbara Richardson says
Thanks for the list for suggested reading. I’ve discovered a new pleasure and soothing from books. I’ve always used reading in bed to help me still my mind and prepare for sleep. But at this age and stage I often find that I feel sleepy while reading and turn off the lights but my mind returns to the thoughts that keep me awake. So I’ve discovered the somniferous effect of audible books! I put on a couple of chapters of an audible book and enjoy lying there with eyes closed listening to it and drift off. I’m always asleep by the end of the chapter. Perhaps not the intent of literature but effective! Add languorous literature as a genre perhaps? 😊
Pam McPhail says
I like the sound of languorous literature, Barb, and when e-books no longer send me to sleep, I will try audio ones.
Marilyn RB says
Thank you for sharing your booklist Pam. I have read some of the books you’ve mentioned and agree that they are excellent. I look forward to checking out the others. To add to “lite” historical fiction, I recommend Kate Quinn’s novels, The Diamond Eye and The Rose Code. (Quinn draws sympathetic and powerful female protagonists within historically based plot lines and skillfully adds a zest of mystery.) I just finished reading Hello Beautiful by Ana Napolitano (echoes of Little Women) and would love to read it again. Be prepared for some tears. The author creates dynamic and likeable characters with thematic emphasis upon family connections, enduring friendships, surviving loss, and reflections on beauty.
Pam McPhail says
I’ve enjoyed one, The Alice Network, of more than a dozen novels by Kate Quinn. I will read others. My hold at the VPL on Hello Beautiful is number 244 of 20 ebooks. Your synopsis makes me eager to read it, Marilyn.
Pam McPhail says
From Ken McLean (who for some unknown reason could not post to my blog so sent me an email):
Thank you for the many interesting recommendations Pam. I guess I also read some novels that could be considered “light”, such as Brian Moore’s “The Doctor’s Wife”.
Fiction
“Lessons”(2022) Ian McEwan. A compelling somewhat autobiographical account of a British man’s life , with contexts from the Bay of Pigs to Brexit. Goodreads describes it well: “ Epic, mesmerizing, and deeply humane, “Lessons” is a chronicle for our times—a powerful meditation on history and humanity through the prism of one man’s lifetime.”
“Demon Copperhead” (2022) by Barbara Kingsolver. A powerful retelling of “David Copperfield” in late 20th century southern Appalachia. Here is what I said on Goodreads: I greatly admire Kingsolver’s sustained voice throughout the novel, and her virtuosity in many chapters. The only drawback for me was that I know “David Copperfield” very well, and found myself sometimes distracted from her narrative by comparing and contrasting many of her characters to their Dickens’ originals. I could be wrong, but I imagine someone who did not know Dickens’ novel might appreciate hers even more. In any case I did give the novel a 5 star rating for its brilliant prose, evocation of setting and culture, and memorable characters.
“The New York Times” provided a list of five novels their reviewers considered the best of 2022, of which this is one. I’ve read three others: “Trust” by Hernan Diaz, “Checkout 19” by Louise Bennet, “The Candy House” by Jennifer Egan. These all had innovative features, but, for me, also some problems. The fifth is “The Furrows” by Namwalli Serpell.
“What I Lived For”(1994) by Joyce Carol Oates. My Goodreads comments: I first read this novel shortly after it was published and have read many of JCO’s works. As this new year began, I was leafing through some old files and came upon my list of the ten works of fiction that I believed should be ‘rescued’ if all else were lost. I had written this list at the very beginning of this millennium , in January 2000. I was surprised to see that I had put “What I Lived For” on this list, so felt I should immediately re-read it now. I greatly appreciated doing so. Oates enters Corky’s mind and feelings, she becomes him (or he her). How she knows so much about male perceptions and responses I do not know, but she does. As some other commentators have said, Corky may be a little too priapic, but he is convincing; this is his story, his life. The intensity, the force with which it is presented is rarely equalled.
“Old God’s Time” (2023) by Sebastian Barry. I’ve found Barry to be one of the best contemporary writers. His most recent novel presents an intense portrait of a retired Dublin police officer who is called upon to revisit his disturbing past involving Catholic residential schools. As usual Barry’s turns of phrase are often striking.
“The Raw Shark Texts” (2007) by Steven Hall. I greatly enjoyed Hall’s only other novel “Maxwell’s Demon”(2021) and found this earlier work to be equally rewarding. This challenging work recounts the experience of a man suffering acute memory loss after the death of his wife, or is that what it is? Goodreads again: “The Raw Shark Texts is a kaleidoscopic novel about the magnitude of love and the devastating effect of losing that love. It will dazzle you, it will move you, and will leave an indelible imprint like nothing you have read in a long time.”
“A Meeting By the River” (1967) by Christopher Isherwood. I recalled appreciating this work when it came out, so re-read it now and found it still as rewarding. It tells the story of two brothers, one a successful publisher, secretly gay, and the other who is about to join a Hindu monastery in India. Isherwood’s prose is often poetic.
“Cloud Cuckoo Land”(2021) by Anthony Doerr and “Cloud Atlas” (2004) by David Mitchell with their multiple time lines, are both well worth the read.
“Mysteries” will follow.
Pam McPhail says
Thanks for your enticing recommendations, Ken. I — and no doubt other readers — appreciate your leads. While I am acquainted with some of the authors, I’ve not read the works you mention and look forward to doing so. The “Cloud…” novels give me pause, mainly due to their element of fantasy. Maybe this year…
I also anticipate your list of mysteries.
Pam McPhail says
From Ken McLean: I can no longer post directly to your blog. Here’s my post:
Mysteries
“The Appeal” by Janice Hallett (2021) A fascinating mystery told through emails . A theatre troupe is fundraising for the director’s granddaughter’s cancer treatment when questions arise as to possible fraud.
“Reconstructing Amelia” by Kimberly McCreight (2013) When she is informed that her daughter has died from a fall at the private school she attends, a mother investigates by looking at Facebook posts, emails etc.
“Defending Jacob” by William Landay (2012). An Assistant D.A. ‘s teenage son is accused of murder.
“Next of Kin” by Kia Abdulla (2021). A woman leaves her sister’s baby in her car instead of dropping her off at the daycare.
“The It Girl” by Ruth Ware (2022) A popular female student at Oxford is murdered in her residence room.
“The Woman in Cabin 10” by Ruth Ware (2016). A woman disappears from a cruise ship.
“All My Colors” by David Quantick (2019). A failed novelist with a photographic memory recalls a novel that he once read. When he finds that no one else remembers it he publishes it under his own name. All is well until…
Three “Hawthorne and Horowitz “ novels by Anthony Horowitz, “The Word is Murder” (2017), “The Sentence is Death”(2018), and “A Line to Kill” (2021).Horowitz features in these works as one of the two protagonists, the other being a retired Met detective. He includes details of his actual life, such as filming a scene for “Foyle’s War”, a tv show he created. I’ve not yet read the most recent in the series, “A Twist of a Knife” (2022).
I also second Pam’s earlier praise of Peter Robinson’s D.C.I Banks books, of which I read another three. I find, with the possible exception of the Morse novels, that his are the best detective works.
Non-Fiction
“The Copenhagen Trilogy: Childhood, Youth, Dependency” by Tove Ditlevsen (1967) . Translated from Danish. My Goodreads review: “I wish to start by quoting from the Goodreads’ description because this precisely identifies the great appeal of the book: “Her trilogy is drawn from her own experience but reads like the most compelling kind of fiction”. The comparison made there too to Elena Ferrante’s quartet is correct. In fact this book is much closer to those novels than to Annie Ernaux’s “autobiographical “work, which I find extremely detached. The very personal is here, but so also is the exterior world. For example, the NAZI occupation of Denmark is vividly evoked; the protagonist at one point had a landlady who was an active and vocal member of the Danish NAZI party. I highly recommend this work on the same grounds as I would a novel of the highest calibre.”
“The Years” by Annie Ernaux (2008). Translated from French. I was drawn to this autobiography on the basis of the author winning the 2022 Nobel Prize for Literature. The work covers the years from 1941-2006, and tells the reader a great deal about French society and culture in this period. Ernaux certainly has an impressive memory. However she remains here rather detached from her own life (as noted above). Goodreads has this to say on this point: Like the generation before hers, the narrator eschews the “I” for the “we” (or “they”, or “one”) as if collective life were inextricably intertwined with a private life that in her parents’ generation ceased to exist. She writes of her parents’ generation (and could be writing of her own book): “From a common fund of hunger and fear, everything was told in the “we” and impersonal pronouns.” It is rewarding to compare these two autobiographies.