Great contemporary fiction — Kay Pfaltz

GREAT CONTEMPORARY FICTION

There are countless good writers working and writing today. A very few of my reliable favorites, as well as a few recent releases:

Apeirogon, Colum McCann

Apeirogon, Colum McCann

This novel could not be more timely considering the war in Gaza and the continued occupation in the West Bank. It is considered a novel but details the real-life stories of Bassam Aramin a Palestinian who lost his daughter to a rubber bullet and Rami Elhanan and Israeli who lost his daughter to a suicide bomber. The book is loaded with history and fact on subjects ranging from the occupation to bird migration (one of the busiest migration routes is over parts of Israel/Palestine.) But the crux is the deep friendship between these two seemingly opposites or enemies and their constant quest for compassion, understanding, dignity, and lasting peace. (An apeirogon is a shape with a countably infinite number of sides.)

All This Could be Different, Sarah Thankam Mathews

All This Could Be Different, Sarah Thankam Mathews

“I am trying, late in the evening, to say something about love, which for many of us is not separable from the other shit.” From the second page of All This Could Be Different. I could have included this book in the section on style for Thankam Mathew’s style is vivid and strong, filled with metaphor, rendering the novel very emotional as well as hilarious in parts. It’s a hip, fast paced novel that’s completely up-to-date on the latest trends and language of Millennials and Gen Z.

Early in Sarah Thankam Mathews’ debut novel, All This Could Be Different, the book’s narrator, Sneha — a queer Indian immigrant fresh out of college in the 2010s, living in Milwaukee and working her first corporate job — muses on what it means to be an adult. True adulthood, she explains, signifies “a bowing down before the inevitable. For the lucky, this could be preceded by a period of freedom, the latitude of youth.” Over the course of her 20s, Sneha navigates all the changes this particular period of time brings, from her relationship with her parents to working through past trauma, understanding her role in corporate America, and economic (in)security. Read more.

“How will we learn about the world if not from each other?”

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Elizabeth Strout

Who can do it any better? I’ll read anything by Elizabeth Strout, and many times over. Rich detail and the essence of the diverse, odd, and wonderful human animal. Beautiful writing.

Olive Kitterdige, Elizabeth Strout

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Anne Patchett

Another flawless writer. I read The Magician’s Assistant and wrote to Anne. She graciously wrote back and we talked of dogs. State of Wonder below could equally be listed under page-turners…from the first to the last, it flows.

State of Wonder, Anne Patchett

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Anthony Doerr

All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr -

Poignant and deeply moving, the novel will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Maggie Shipstead

Great Circle

Dual storylines, with abundant history, especially about aviation and the Pacific Northwest. The the novel jumps back and forth between the Pacific Northwest in the early 20th century and contemporary L.A., and it works. Immensely readable. For more: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54976986-great-circle

Kazuo Ishiguro

Klara and the Sun

I have loved everything Ishiguro has written. Klara and the Sun grabbed me initially and I felt excited to see where it would go, but the novel petered out a bit. Klara the AI is extremely memorable, and like the clones in Never Let Me Go, Ishiguro is wrestling with interesting concepts and themes of modern life and potentially future life. The writing is, as always, lyrical and beautiful. Some places in the story felt unresolved and other storylines simply fizzled. Nevertheless, a worthwhile and entertaining read. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54120408-klara-and-the-sun