Five books to read in January
Money, indiscretion, bad behaviour Come and Get It, by Kiley Reid
What lines are you prepared to cross for the sake of your ambitions? That’s the question at the heart of Come and Get It,
Kiley Reid’s latest novel. It follows her success with Such a Fun Age (2019), an acclaimed story about the complex relationship between a young black babysitter and her wellintentioned but clueless white employer.
Set in 2017 at the University of Arkansas, Come and Get It
revolves around Millie Cousins, a black senior resident assistant who wants to graduate, find a job and buy a house. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she encounters Agatha Paul, a 38-year-old gay white visiting professor and writer, who offers her a peculiar, yet easy and enticing opportunity. She pays Millie to help with her research by letting her come to her room and eavesdrop on the five students who live next door — “Jenna: tall. Casey: southern. Tyler: mean”, and the two loners, Kennedy, who has survived a terrible experience before arriving at college, and Peyton, who is black. Agatha starts selling edited versions of these overheard conversations as “money diaries” to Teen Vogue. Some of the students’ conversations are grossly bigoted, exposing their ignorance and privilege, while their attitudes towards money are flippant and callous.
When Millie and Agatha’s messy entanglement becomes sexual, the author rightly raises concerns about the power imbalance.
Written in Reid’s fresh, bright style, her intimate study of financial anxieties, desire and indiscretions deftly delves into themes of race, privilege and transactional relationships — and the seemingly innocuous choices that lead to life-altering mistakes.
Publishers Weekly said: “Reid returns after her smash hit
Such a Fun Age with a sardonic and no-holds-barred comedy of manners... Reid is a keen observer- — every page sparkles with sharp analysis of her characters. This blistering send-up of academia is interlaced with piercing moral clarity.”
Friendship, family and the complexities of exile My Friends, by Hisham Matar
Libyan author and Pulitzer prize winner Hisham Matar often explores themes related to his personal history and experiences, particularly his father’s disappearance in Libya. In My Friends, Khaled, a young man from Benghazi, who is captivated by a short story he hears on the radio, decides to study at the University of Edinburgh. This decision leads him on a transformative journey far from his homeland.
Khaled’s life takes a dramatic turn when, in 1984, he participates in a protest against Muammar Gaddafi, “the kernel of our grief”, in London. The event ends in tragedy, and he and his friend, Mustafa, find their lives irreversibly altered. As time passes, their friendship, along with that of another friend, Hosam, a writer, is tested and reshaped by the unfolding events, particularly the Libyan revolution. This forces them to confront the difficult choice between their lives in London and the ones they left behind in the homeland. “The line that now separates me from my former self is the chasm that I remain unable to bridge,” Khaled reflects.
Matar’s creation of Khaled as a “superfluous man” places him in a position that is somewhat detached and observant, though deeply affected by the events around him. Khaled thus becomes a bridge between the past and the present, embodying the timeless struggle of intellectuals who find themselves caught between action and contemplation, change and tradition, belonging and alienation.
The Washington Post describes it as, “a profound celebration of the sustaining power of friendship, of the ways we mould ourselves against the indentations of those few people who fate presses against us”.
On the joy of language Martyr!, by Kaveh Akbar
Iranian-American writer Kaveh Akbar’s notable works include his poetry collections Calling a Wolf a Wolf, Pilgrim Bell and Portrait of the Alcoholic. His debut novel, Martyr!, is the story of an Iranian-American dealing with loss and trauma. As a young child, he lost his mother when her plane was shot down in 1988 by the US military over Tehran and his dad recently passed away from a stroke after a life working on a chicken farm in Indiana.
Narrated in the first person by this young man, who is a recovering addict and alcoholic, much like Akbar, he has set himself the task of writing a book about martyrs to make sense of his past, while exploring the possibility of becoming a martyr himself.
The novel explores themes of art, death and sobriety. Sprinkled with humour throughout, it’s not as depressing as it sounds.
According to a review by Booklist, “Poet Akbar is an almost deliriously adept firsttime novelist, writing from different points of view and darting back and forth in time and into Cyrus’ satirical dreams and the lives of Iranian poets from Rumi to Farrokhzad. Akbar creates scenes of psychedelic opulence and mystery, emotional precision, edgy hilarity and heart-ringing poignancy as his characters endure war, grief, addiction and sacrifice, and find refuge in art and love. Bedazzling and profound.”
Brutality, tenderness and resilience Hard by a Great Forest, by Leo Vardiashvili
Georgian bore writer Leo Vardiashvili and his family fled Georgia’s post-Soviet regime when he was 12, and now lives in England. His debut novel, Hard by a Great Forest, explores the impacts of war and displacement on a family.
The narrative follows the life of Saba, who as a young boy escapes the turmoil of Georgia with his elder brother, Sandro, and their father, Irakli. They find asylum in England, but the shadow of their past and the homeland they left behind continues to loom over them.
Years later, the memories of his late wife and the nostalgia for his homeland compel Irakli to return to Georgia. Saba and Sandro, now grown men, await news from their father. However, shortly after arriving in Georgia, Irakli vanishes. The only clue he leaves behind is a cryptic message: “I left a trail I can’t erase. Do not follow it.” Saba retraces his father’s path, leading him to the core of a long-standing conflict that has scarred generations and torn apart his family.
The journey is an emotional rollercoaster of brutality and tenderness, reflecting the pain and the resilience inherent in the human spirit. Vardiashvili delves into the profound effects of war on individuals and communities, capturing the relentless determination of people to endure, remember and rebuild.
The Washington Post describes it as “a heartbreaking debut novel [that] lays bare the effects that displacement can have over generations and illuminates the resilience of those who have suffered and still found their way to happiness”.
Intimate signals from our age of crisis Pharmakon, by Teju Cole
Pharmakon” is an ancient Greek term signifying both remedy and poison, reflecting the duality of substances that either heal or harm. It’s also the title of Nigerian-American writer, photographer and art historian Teju Cole’s latest novel, which is a collection of subtle unsettling photographs accompanied by 12 short stories.
The photographs were taken around the world and continue the author’s unique perspective from Fernweh (2020), a book of images taken over a period of six years in Switzerland.
Through his writing and photography, Cole explores themes of identity, culture and politics through the lens of his transnational experiences.