What to read on vacation: 25 iconic art books of 2018

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

Recently translated into Russian works that definitely deserve attention.

1. "Autumn", Ali Smith

Autumn is a collage novel written in Ali Smith's magical poetic language. It is woven from scraps of chaotic memories that the reader seems to be collecting bit by bit. In abrupt sentences depicting a stream of thoughts, the writer describes the rift in times and the uncertain future of Britain after its exit from the European Union. And against this background - the unity of the hearts of a young girl and an elderly person, free from stereotypes and crossing a whole century. The book is imbued with the theme of art, spirituality and an unquenchable belief in the best, and it makes the reader look at the world in a completely new way.

2. The Fabulous Adventures of Cavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

Pulitzer novel by Michael Chabon, published in a new translation. This is the story of Josef Kavalier, who fled German-occupied Prague, and his cousin Sammy Kleiman. Both of them became famous in the wake of the popularity of comics in the United States, creating their own superhero - the Escapist. This character, with his fictional exploits, saved real people from the unbearable life of the Second World War. A novel about the history of new art and its power against the backdrop of human tragedy.

3. "Immortelles", Chloe Benjamin

The novel begins in New York in the late 70s. The main characters are four children of the Gold family, who one day find themselves at the fortune-teller who predicted their fate. Innocent curiosity turns into the fact that previously carefree children can no longer return to their previous existence. One of them goes all out, trying to enjoy every moment, the other devotes his life to finding a cure for death. Their paths diverge and find themselves at the mercy of predictions that have eaten into the subconscious. The novel raises an interesting question: is there something that determines our destiny, or are we free to create it ourselves?

4. Swing Time by Zadie Smith

This work is about a mestizo girl who runs away from her home in search of a better place, success and recognition, but faces even more problems and loneliness. The story begins with the friendship of two girls, equally passionate about dancing, but growing up in completely different families. Perhaps this is what caused the growth of a huge chasm between them, determining the success of one and the collapse of the other. The novel raises many eternal questions - the relationship between fathers and children, growing up and finding oneself, making important life decisions - and also highlights the problems of racial conflicts and social inequality.

5. "Secret Place" by Tana French

Almost a year ago, the corpse of a guy with a broken head was found in the courtyard of a private school for girls, but the case remained open. Antoinette Conway's investigation is deadlocked. A year later, detective Stephen Moran is brought a snapshot of the murdered man with a terrible inscription: "I know who killed him."

Steven, who has long dreamed of being transferred to the murder department, enlists the support of Antoinette, who wants to restore his reputation, and they immediately go to the girls' school. The heroes find themselves surrounded by cute-looking, but very dangerous and calculating students, into whose world they will have to plunge. A world filled with deceit, intrigue and sophisticated lies, which was so skillfully created by Tana French - the queen of the Irish detective.

6. "One Story" by Julian Barnes

1960s. Paul, 19, arrives home for his first university vacation. Escaping boredom in a London suburb, Paul enrolls in a tennis club, where he meets Susan Macleod. The relationship gradually develops into love, and everything would be fine, but Susan is a married 48-year-old woman, and such a connection in a small town causes a wave of indignation.

The author describes the development of relationships in an impartial but frank and obscene honest way. Until the very end of the work, the reader is waiting for some kind of philosophical denouement, a moral judgment, but Barnes allows him to conclude for himself: can love be something wrong or we ourselves create limitations for ourselves.

7. "4321" by Paul Oster

A multi-page reflection on what would have happened if life had turned out differently? These are practically four novels in one. Paul Oster makes the reader live the life of the protagonist Archie Ferguson in four parallel realities, watching over and over again how events develop depending on personal experiences and decisions.

The hero begins his path in the same way, but in each life he finds different hobbies, aspirations and friendly connections. And even writing and love for the same girl Amy unfolds differently in Archie's four destinies. How tiny details determine the course of life and how far the paths that we can choose are capable of diverging - this is what the author writes about.

8. "History of the Bees", Maya Lunde

The Bee Story is not just a dystopia, but a family saga in the context of a global catastrophe. It describes three families from different countries and times, which have one thing in common - the desire to make the life of their children easier and better. Against this background, there are irreversible changes that a person inevitably makes to the world around him, namely, the disappearance of bees, which entailed hunger on earth.

Three storylines that unfold in the past, present and future are described simultaneously and at the end shed light on a global ecological catastrophe. The author also touches upon the problem of fathers and children, and how a person's desire for a better life for himself and his offspring is gradually destroying the world in which he lives.

9. "Compassionate", Viet Thanh Nguyen

The protagonist is a secret agent working simultaneously for the United States and the USSR during the approaching end of the Vietnam War. Throughout the novel, his name is not called, and he himself does not seem to understand who he is. Supporting two strikingly different political views and two mutually exclusive ideas, he accepts both sides, ceasing to distinguish between friends and foes and no longer understanding which side he is fighting on. These two contradictory positions living inside one person, in the end, turn into a tragedy for the character.

10. "And Fires Smolder Everywhere," Celeste Ing

A gripping story about the collision of two families, personifying two worlds - order and chaos. In a wealthy family of Mrs. Richardson, an ideal mother and wife, life goes according to a well-thought-out plan, and only the "difficult" daughter Izzy gets out of it. But when the artist Mia Warren settles in the neighborhood, who, along with her daughter Pearl, hides from the dark past, everything in the small town turns upside down. Children, in whose hearts a restrained fire has been smoldering for a long time, one day begin to rebel and allow it to flare up and embrace everything around.

In the novel, the conservative Mrs. Richardson and the rebel Mia Warren are opposed to each other, but in reality they turn out to be very similar: both are driven by fear for the future of their children. The author immerses the reader in the problem of parents and children, raises the question of maternal love and makes the characters feel deeply affected by psychological feelings.

11. "Eleanor Oliphant Is Alright" by Gail Hanimen

Eleanor Oliphant, a thirty-year-old intellectual, leads a measured and boring life: she works as an accountant surrounded by primitive people, and on weekends she hides behind alcohol. But one day she meets a musician, whom she thinks she is falling in love with, and decides to change her life. As a result, the heroine, experiencing problems with adaptation in society, will try to fit into a team that is mysterious to her and learn to be her own at parties.

A funny story, full of awkward moments from a girl's life, awaits the reader, which is actually a sad and touching story about childhood trauma and loneliness. At some point, it becomes clear that Eleanor Oliphant lives in each of us, and that is why she so wants everything to be in perfect order.

12. "The General Theory of Oblivion", José Eduardo Agualuza

The novel is set against the backdrop of the civil war in Angola. The main character Ludo, suffering from agoraphobia, finds the only solution to protect herself from the chaos happening around her, literally walled herself up in her own apartment. Having blocked the door with a stone wall and leaving only a window and an exit to the terrace, she learns about the news from the outside world only on the radio and from the overheard conversations of neighbors. Ludo remains in isolation for as long as 28 years, until one day a boy who climbed onto the terrace through the scaffolding tries to rob her. It is he who makes her open up to the world and gives hope for a new future.

13. Sweet Bitterness by Stephanie Danler

Tess is 22 years old. Wanting to experience everything and feel the taste of life, she moves from her small town to New York. The heroine gets a job in a luxury restaurant, where in the evenings the staff drinks everything that is not drunk and does not consider it a sin to steal a few oysters. The girl dives into the world of luxury and fun, sex, drugs and dirt - an inexperienced provincial woman finds it difficult to resist such a temptation. Tess is drawn into a love triangle that she is trying to unravel, and in doing so she becomes the object of the dislike of some colleagues. In 2018, based on the novel, a series of the same name was released.

14. "Beauty is grief", Eka Kurniavan

The epic novel by an Indonesian author is a gripping mixture of real life, myth and magic. The history of 20th century Indonesia, filled with revolutions, blood and attempts to survive in the midst of environmental violence, is described through the prism of the family history of the beautiful Devi Avu, who once rose from the grave, and her four daughters. The author takes the reader into the world of amazing events - from comic and ironic to heartbreaking and tragic. There are many crazy and touching episodes, cruel irony and bold satire, as well as ghosts, dead ancestors and other mystical creatures.

15. "People Among the Trees", Chania Yanagihara

Hanya Yanagihara's debut novel to rave reviews. The story is based on the memories of Dr. Perina, who travels to a lost Micronesian island and finds the secret of eternal life. This incredible discovery for humanity suddenly turns into painful and terrible consequences. The fulfillment of an old dream, to which people have been striving for centuries, leads to a global catastrophe for the economy, society and morality.

16. Nora Webster, Colm Toybin

Nora Webster has always lived measuredly and calmly, hiding behind her husband's back and gradually losing her individuality and dreams. But when Nora is already over 40, she remains a widow with four children. The heroine is forced to struggle with financial difficulties and raise her sons alone. There is nowhere to wait for help, and a woman has to learn to fight, make concessions or be adamant - to do everything to stay afloat. It was at this time that Nora begins to embody her dreams and ideas that have languished inside her for so long, remaining unnoticed.

17. "Myth" by Stephen Fry

Stephen Fry retells Greek myths in his own way - avoiding embellishments, bashful details and unnecessary searches for meaning. The writer does not try to interpret stories in his own way - he reproduces them in his own way, retelling myths that have long been familiar from childhood in his own interpretation and in his own manner - picturesquely, with humor and irony. Antique plots come to life and begin to play with new colors - lively and bright.

eighteen. Foes by Anne Patchett

The story begins with meeting Albert, a happy husband and father, who suddenly realizes that he is tired of being a family man. Taking a bottle of gin, he goes to the christening of the daughter of his colleague, whom he practically does not know. An unexpected kiss between Albert and Beverly, the mistress of the house, gives rise to a romance that ruins two marriages and turns the lives of six children. They are the main characters - the book describes how their destinies develop over fifty years and how one awkward kiss forever changed the course of their lives. "Friend or Foe" is a story about Anne Patchett herself and about her stepbrothers and sisters forced to live in two families.

19. Empire Falls, Richard Russo

The story of good-natured Miles Rob, who has been working at the Imperial Grill in the small empty town of Empire Falls for twenty years. Miles is also not going smoothly - constant problems with his wife and at work. He himself, and all the inhabitants are deeply convinced that they will no longer be able to change their lives. But even in this fading place, tragedies and passions are still seething, and the secrets of the past are suddenly revealed that have influenced the lives of its inhabitants. As a result, the author shows the reader his own fears and hopes, the best and worst qualities of a person, looking at them with humor and warm irony.

20. "Dark Water" by Hannah Kent

A wilderness 19th century Irish village where people are far from the industrial age and still believe in the supernatural. Everything in the settlement is not going well: chickens do not rush, cows are not milked, crop failure begins. Nora Leahy lost her husband and young daughter, and her grandson stopped talking and cannot walk. It is at this moment that she realizes that all the troubles are due to the faeries who have replaced the boy. Even healers and priests are powerless against these creatures, and Nora decides to turn to the healer, starting a dangerous divination to drive away the changeling. The atmosphere of superstition that pervades the book is creepy, but definitely exciting.

21. Patrick Melrose by Edward St. Aubin

"Patrick Merlows" is a series of novels about a playboy, aristocrat and alcoholic. Despite the luxury, this man's life cannot be called simple. As a child, he endures cruel treatment from his father and indifference from his mother. And as Patrick grows up, he has to deal with the consequences of childhood trauma and pave the way for a better life. The hero manages to become a part of the high society, but his success is accompanied by self-destruction - alcohol, drug addiction and mental anguish. Based on the novel, a series of the same name was filmed in 2018 with Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role.

22. Bear's Corner by Fredrik Backman

A poignant social drama set in a remote Swedish town. Hockey, which local teenagers love to play, is probably the only way to draw the country's attention to the small forgotten by the authorities Bjornstad. Therefore, the day of victory in the quarterfinal match becomes especially happy for the whole city. But at the party in honor of this event, something happens that turns the lives of the protagonists and puts the inhabitants before a difficult moral choice. The theme of hockey in the novel is central, but still not the main one. This book is about the ethical side of success, about loyalty, true friendship and responsibility.

23. Angleby, Sebastian Faulkes

The novel is a confession of Mike Engleby, a Cambridge University student suspected of the murder of his beloved Jennifer. Mike talks about his life, portraying a person who is deep and has an incredible analytical mind. He speaks honestly and frankly, not embarrassed by his injuries, complexes and fears and not missing even the smallest and most delicate details. The only thing that Mike does not reveal to either the reader or the investigation is the truth about whether he really became Jennifer's killer.

24. "Home Fire", Kamila Shamsi

The novel tells the story of a British Pakistani family in which the elder sister Isma, after the death of her mother and grandmother, took responsibility for her brother Parviz and sister Anika. When the girl manages to return to her career, she learns that Parviz fled to the Middle East, falling into the trap of jihadist recruiters. The sisters are trying to save the boy, who, realizing his mistake, cannot return on his own. Critics call "Home Fire" the modern "Antigone" - in it the heroes have to make a choice between the laws of society and blood ties.

25. Ministry of Supreme Happiness, Arundati Roy

The novel takes place in Delhi and Kashmir. Aftabu, one of the main characters, becomes uncomfortable in a male body, and he leaves his home, changes gender and gets the name Anjum. After a long journey, a transgender woman settles in a cemetery and opens a hotel where those who have been rejected by the outside world come and seek happiness amid the surrounding violence and injustice. Gradually, the book becomes more and more political, it reveals the modern reality of India with its religious, legal and social conflicts. At the same time, the author does not consider the novel purely ethnographic, but calls it a reproach to the whole world.