The novel, many like to say, is dead or dying. Don’t believe that for a minute. 2014 was a banner year for great fiction, some of which will leave an impression you will not soon forget. Though it was difficult to narrow it down to just ten books, I believe these are the ones that will, as Kafka said, “Leave a mark” on you.
1. 300,000,000 by Blake Butler
This book starts with a simple premise: the search for a serial killer by a flawed, damaged police detective, but the language employed by Butler brings to mind the dystopian hallucinations of the late William S. Burroughs. Sections of the book read like poetry filtered through the mind of a madman. I dare anyone to read this novel and not come away with a new appreciation of the English language.
2. Redeployment by Phil Klay
Every war, it seems, produces at least one great writer, and Phil Klay is my choice as the novelist who has best captured the hell of Iraq and Afghanistan. Winner of the 2014 National Book Award, this story collection puts the reader as close to the action and grit of warfare as most of us will ever get. It shows the human cost of war, both abroad and at home.
3. Orfeo by Richard Powers
Few writers have the ability to construct sentences and stories like Richard Powers. Long considered one of the best contemporary writers in the world, Powers does not disappoint with this book. His protagonist is a do-it-yourself genetic engineer who is hunted by the government as a terrorist. But the real hero of this novel is music, which Powers shows us has the power to transform and delude.
?4. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
I am tempted to call this historical fiction, but it is much more than that. Doerr tells the tale of a blind French girl who encounters a German boy amidst the horror of World War II. Poignant, haunting, and beautiful, this book works its way into the marrow of your bones.
5. Can’t and Won’t by Lydia Davis
Though technically a short story collection, what Davis achieves is in some ways just as impressive as those writing in longer form. One story is only two sentences long! But don’t be fooled: Davis infuses her words with power, precision, and poetic elegance. Davis may be the best short story writer working today, and her work is being hailed in many quarters of the literary world.
6. The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
Perhaps no writer working in fiction today takes more chances than David Mitchell. This novel ranges over the span of years and involves dozens of characters, some of which have appeared in Mitchell’s previous novels. If you want proof that the novel is not dead, this is the book to read. It will restore your faith in the possibilities of fiction.
7. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Though I have not been a huge fan of Tartt’s other novels, she won me over with this expansive, perfectly plotted work that touches both the heart and mind. Winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Tartt has raised her stock considerably with this excellent book.
8. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
This apocalyptic view of the future will haunt you long after you put it down. Mandel has merged tragedy with hope and comes out with a novel that is unique in its own magical way.
9. Let Me Be Frank With You by Richard Ford
I cannot help but have a soft spot in my heart for the work of Richard Ford. This book, which continues the story of Frank Bascombe, who was also the subject of The Sportswriter and Independence Day. Echoing the work of John Updike and Richard Yates, Ford shows us the light and dark side of the imperfect human heart.
10. Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
One of the most heartfelt of all the novels I read this year, this book will touch you on the deepest levels of your heart and soul. The basic story concerns a teenage girl searching for her missing mother. If you don’t cry while reading portions of this novel, you are a lot stronger than I am.
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