10 most talked about books of 2020

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Most of them raise very important questions, especially relevant in this strange and difficult year.

Some of the works from this collection were released in Russia in 2020, such as Marina Stepnova's Garden or Jenin Cummins' American Dirt. And some have become relevant again - "Vongozero" by Yana Wagner about a terrible epidemic or the novel "James Miranda Barry" by Patricia Dunker, recognized by the Yasnaya Polyana award as the best foreign book of 2020.

1. "Normal People" by Sally Rooney

The most talked about book of this year. Irish writer Sally Rooney has managed to create a recognizable image of a millennial hero. Her characters - Connell and Marianne - are teenagers (and then young adults) who learn to interact with each other and with the world around them. Their love drowns in unjustified expectations and misunderstandings, in trauma and fears. The heroes have to overcome themselves and go through the difficult path of growing up.

In May, a 12-part film based on Rooney's novel was released, which further fueled readers' interest in the book and broadened the audience.

2. "Garden", Marina Stepnova

One of the most anticipated Russian novelties. Marina Stepnova, author of the bestselling Women of Lazarus, wrote a versatile novel about what it was like to be a woman in the 19th century. In addition to the feminist issue, Stepnova also considers other topics that are relevant today: conscious parenting, selfishness, epidemics, human behavior in extreme situations. Her heroine Tusya is ready to go over the heads for the sake of personal happiness, but can she achieve it?

3. American Dirt by Jenin Cummins

And this novel by Jenin Cummins is rightfully considered the most scandalous book of the year. Nine publishers fought for the right to publish it, and the starting circulation of "American Dirt" was half a million copies. But when the book came out of print, a scandal erupted: the author was accused of cultural appropriation. The fact is that this is a novel about the life of Mexican migrants, and Cummins herself is not. As a result, critics fell upon her with all the force and fury.

In the novel, Cummins finds himself on the side of the oppressed. She tells the story of the survival and inner strength of a woman who lost her family overnight. And only love for her only surviving son makes her fight for her life and flee to the saving borders of the United States.

4. "Circe" by Madeleine Miller

Philologist and Shakespearean Madeleine Miller became famous after the publication of her debut novel "Song of Achilles". Her second work is again devoted to Antiquity and the heroes known to us from the legends and myths of Ancient Greece.

This time, Miller tells the story of Circe, the goddess and unloved child in the family of immortals. What does eternity turn out to be for the rejected? "Circe" is a completely new look at mythology through the prism of the fempoven. In Miller's novel, there are familiar characters: from Odysseus to Medea, from Minotaur to Prometheus. And each of them has its own path and its own destiny.

5. "Vongozero", Yana Wagner

Published in 2011, Yana Wagner's dystopia is more relevant today than ever. According to the plot, an unknown deadly virus was discovered in Moscow and the situation is rapidly growing to a terrible epidemic. The heroes have a chance to survive, but will they be able to preserve their humanity in extreme conditions?

At the end of 2019, the TV series Epidemic, based on the book by Wagner, was released, and in 2020 it appeared on the Netflix streaming service and received a flattering review from the king of horror himself, Stephen King.

6. "There Will Be Blood," Stephen King

By the way, about Stephen King: this year his collection “There Will Be Blood” was released in Russia, consisting of four stories: “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone”, “The Life of Chuck”, “The Rat” and “There Will be Blood”. The works are not related to each other - they are stories of different people. For example, "There Will Be Blood" again features Holly Gibney, familiar to readers from "The Stranger" and the trilogy "Mr. Mercedes", once again found herself in danger. And in the story "Rat" King raises the topic of writing and creative design: what is the author willing to sacrifice for the sake of a masterpiece? All stories will be filmed, and some of them are already in the works of directors such as Darren Aronofsky and Ben Stiller.

7. "Invincible Sun", Victor Pelevin

Victor Pelevin is one of the few contemporary authors whose books become an event in the literary world. The action of his new novel takes place in the present and in Antiquity. The main character of Pelevin is 30-year-old blonde Sasha, who dreams of comprehending the meaning of life. She will have to solve a mystical riddle and save not only herself, but the whole world.

8. "Troubled People" by Fredrik Buckman

World-renowned Swedish author Fredrik Backman writes kind and wise books that help the desperate to be comforted. To each of his heroes, Buckman gives a second chance - the opportunity to start everything from scratch.

The story of Troubled People takes place the day before the New Year and begins as a detective story. But in reality, the twisted plot is just a cover. Using this story as an example, the writer conveys the idea that human indifference can save lives. And a happy ending turns out to be - nothing more, nothing less - a new beginning.

9. "Serotonin", Michel Houellebecq

The acclaimed French writer Michel Houellebecq reopens the theme of loneliness and loss. The hero of his novel "Serotonin" is 46-year-old Florent-Claude Labrouste, who retired from the Ministry of Agriculture and lost his joy of life. He remembers the past and all the opportunities to be happy that he missed. Houellebecq shows the hero's personal crisis and his inner destruction against the backdrop of the crisis of the Western world. The novel, published in 2019, may well be called chronicles of the world's depression, and this problem is one of the most pressing in 2020.

10. "James Miranda Barry", Patricia Dunker

The novel "James Miranda Barry" by British writer Patricia Dunker is based on the biography of a real person - a world-renowned doctor. James Miranda Barry was the nephew of the famous artist James Barry and the adopted son of General Francisco de Miranda, a fighter for Venezuelan independence. Barry Jr. made a brilliant career: he became a military doctor, saved lives, worked in the British colonies. A small nuance - after his death, it turned out that the genius doctor was not a man at all, but a woman.

This is the story of a man who abandoned his gender identity in the name of a profession and a higher purpose. What was it like for a woman of the 19th century to win her right to self-realization and what did she have to sacrifice? Roman Danker was recognized as the best foreign work of 2020 according to the Yasnaya Polyana literary award.

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