We have selected the ten most striking fiction books published (in translation or in Ukrainian) in 2020, based on the opinions of literary reviewers.
“The Ickabog” by JK Rowling
A fairy tale from the author of the adventures of Harry Potter. The book tells about a terrible mythical creature living in the distant, dark Smurland. One day, a monster attacks the happy country of Cornicopia, which lived in prosperity for a long time.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
A romantic love story between the nerdy Marianne and the athletic Connell. At school she was the black sheep, while he was the first handsome man there. Having moved to college, they switched roles and now everyone laughs at Connell, and Marianne has found dozens of friends. Over the years of study, the guy and the girl constantly circle each other. They either move away or come closer, but still between them remains something that incredibly attracts them to each other.
“The Institute” Stephen King
The king of horror’s new work revolves around a teenager. One dark night, his parents are killed, and the guy himself is thrown into a truck and taken to a mysterious place called “The Institute.” There, the main character meets special children who have telepathic and telekinetic abilities. Cruel doctors are draining the life energy from these teenagers. And the main character decides to escape from this bad place at all costs.
“The One Who Loves All Your Crackers” Raphael Bob-Waksberg
A collection of funny stories by the American comedian, who became famous as a screenwriter for the TV series “BoJack Horseman” and “The Undoing.” Through the pages of the book are brides who are forced by their relatives to perform a ritual of sacrificing goats at their wedding, musicians who, in a state of alcoholic stupor, receive superpowers, a park worker who almost loses his job due to a mutant created with the DNA of ten US presidents, and other funny stories.
“Her Body and Others” by Carmen Maria Machado
A collection of stories about modern women, about personal boundaries and attempts to avoid loneliness. Among the stories there is a terrible tale about a tape on the neck that no one could solve, and a chronicle of a disease that struck the whole world, and a phantasmagoria about women who, after domestic violence, began to hear the opinions of actors from adult films.
“Chasing Life” David Feigenbaum
The novel will help you feel like you are in the shoes of the main characters of 2020 – doctors. The book describes the story of a resuscitator who was distinguished by very good health and endurance. One day, all his vital energy began to melt away under the pressure of an unknown illness. In just a week, the big man turned into a bedridden patient. However, doctors could not determine the diagnosis. Only complex seven-part chemotherapy was able to bring him back to life. After this, the guy independently began researching the disease and began looking for an antidote to it.
“Anxious People” Fredrik Backman
New Year’s stories are not only fairy tales, fantasy and romance, but also criminal thrillers. It is in this direction that the plot of the new novel by Backman, a writer who became famous after the book “A Man Called Ove,” moves. “Troubling People” tells the story of a failed thief who takes eight people hostage during a pre-sale showing of an apartment. Police and reporters gather around this apartment. In this tense atmosphere, each of the hostages tells their secret stories. And with each such confession, the thief wants more and more to surrender into the hands of law enforcement officers, so as not to hear all this anymore.
“The Straight Man” Richard Russo
The novel, written by a Pulitzer Prize winner, hilariously chronicles a week in the life of a total loser named Hank. During this time, he is attacked by a graduate student to seduce him, by a colleague to break his nose, and by local television to accuse him of killing a goose. And this is only part of Hank’s funny adventures.
“Mary’s Keys” Andrey Kurkov and Yuri Vinnichuk
The common detective story of two mastodons of modern Ukrainian prose has three storylines at once, unfolding during the Crusade of 1111, the beginning of World War II in Lviv and Krakow, as well as in modern times. All three of these stories revolve around the Maiden, who has been hunted for centuries.
“#HEADLESS” Luko Dashvar
Modern girl Galya once helped another person. And from that moment on, her life becomes like an illustration of the expression “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” The girl loses her job, friends, husband, and then her faith in people. But the most significant things in her life begin to happen only when she tries with all her might to get out of this hell.