Readers on their favourite books of 2020: 'I’ve given it to everyone I know'
In Caste, Wilkerson explains why racism thrives and not just thrives, but is actively institutionalised and why white privilege must be recognised … reading Caste helped me see the inequities within MY own society, how many patriarchal cultures and religious blackmail are a serious detriment to the progress of African societies and how, if we do not change the system, we will continue to be disenfranchised and held back in chains forged by our own hands.Umaymah Abdullahi, Nigeria Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart Shuggie Bain takes the crown for me this year. I think about Shuggie and Agnes almost daily, and the cycle of poverty, addiction and abuse. I quit drinking in April during the initial lockdown and read it in September and it really struck a chord. It’s incredibly well written and devastating but beautiful at the same time.Jamie Klingler, Camden
A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll An absolutely fantastic debut about a neurodiverse girl seeking justice for the women of Scotland killed as witches. Both a really compassionate treatment of its subject and a cracking read I’ve given it to almost everyone I know from about 12 upwards (and without exception they’ve loved it too).Poppy Collinson, Edinburgh
A Tomb With a View by Peter Ross An inspiring journey around some of Britain’s cemeteries, bringing the dead who rest in them back to life. Fascinating stories and personalities, many of whom have been long forgotten provide an opportunity for reflection and, strangely perhaps, hope.
Equally inspiring are the tales of the people who care for the cities of the dead today, be they guides or relatives of those who have gone before who continue to honour them. A wonderful read that enlightens us about a journey we will all make one day.Jim Whyteside, East Renfrewshire
Boy Parts by Eliza Clark
This is an audacious debut, and wonderfully scabrous. It’s about a young female artist who photographs anonymous young men, and the book goes to some very dark places. Think Fleabag meets American Psycho. In terms of subverting the male gaze, it has echoes of The Collection by Nina Leger, but is a lot more fun.Gill Darling, Manchester
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
To have a book that points out that there is a way to combat global warming and then spells it out for you is not to be sneezed at – but to marry it up with a good story as well makes it really special. The first chapter in India during the heatwave is chilling, no pun intended. This is Robinson at top form.Graham Vingoe, Barnstaple
Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath by Heather Clark
It is 1,200 pages and not for the faint of heart. But what a wonderful biography. The amount of research by Clark is beyond belief and so beautifully written. The book encompasses the whole of Plath’s life and poetry and leaves one feeling very sad that she chose to end her life in such an awful way.David Abington, Isle of Wight
The Sisters Strange by John Connolly
A novella that the author wrote and posted in daily instalments during April and May as a way of saying sorry to readers for the late publication of his new book. I think he did a fantastic job. At times, it felt like watching a talented musician improvising something great from nowhere. He managed to keep me hooked throughout and gave me something to look forward to every day during dark times.
It clearly cost him and his support team a lot of effort, and the thought that a stranger was sacrificing time (and income) to make a gesture of solidarity helped me to be a bit more generous with my own time and patience. It’s the book that I think I will remember most, of the many that have helped me through this year.Kieron Spackman, Bilbao
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Best known for her quasi-historical fantasy Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, I was beguiled by her long overdue return. The unwitting eponymous protaganist (named after the 18th century Italian architect) unwittingly finds himself alone in a parallel and silent indoor world. Sound familiar? Clarke’s voice and pacing is assured and captivating. Like the real Piranesi, these visions will surely endure.Mark Thursten, Kingsdown
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
A brilliantly written novel, full of intrigue, admirable characters, and a fascinating tale. In a small village near New Orleans, not marked on any map, the residents are proud to notice that the population is becoming paler with each generation. The twins, Stella and Desirée, the colour of barely wet sand, decide to run away, a recurring theme throughout. The tale moves through America, from Los Angeles to New York and back again. A tender and thoughtful study of growing up as a black person, and how to reach your decision on how to become who you want to be.Kate Chapman, Germany
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
I loved the way the book marries fiction with reality. The focus on US politics has never been as prominent and so relevant this year, so reading this fictionalised biography of Hilary Clinton during the election campaign felt particularly appropriate. It provides not only a probing insight into the vagaries of US politics but also into the misogyny that still prevails in the lives of women today … Sittenfeld does not portray Clinton as a paragon but flawed and complex and capable of love and the will to do what she feels is right. I loved it.Teresa Curtis, Stockport
Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life by John Kaag
Kaag is one of those rare writers who can stylishly merge candid autobiography with philosophical ideas. Sick Souls, Healthy Minds is a worthy follow-up to his American Philosophy: A Love Story and Hiking With Nietzsche. Kaag shows how the founder of American pragmatism still has a lot to teach us about how to live. In the year of the pandemic, I found that James’s view that “zest” is the key to human meaning, and that it can be found everywhere – “in activity, perception, imagination or reflection” – definitely worth thinking about.Jerard Bretts, Milton Keynes
Real Life by Brandon Taylor
Real Life is glorious. The prose is so delicious that I found myself wanting to grab a highlighter pen. The story is a tangled intersection of sex and sexuality; race and class; the competitiveness of academia and the alienation of someone who’s running as fast as he can from his past and seemingly into the arms of his nemesis. Set in the biosciences building of a US university, the lyrical descriptions of lab techniques almost made me want to pipette and stain. As a scientist, reading a novel with the backdrop of a lab was one of my most blissful and educational reading excursions of 2020.Alison Iboro Offong, Birmingham
Cat Step by Alison Irvine
I am a slow reader, but Cat Step swept me along and I read it in a single day, which is very unusual for me. It was engaging, brutally honest about parenthood, charming and grim in equal measure. It also presented older people as actual people, with history and interests rather than just generic old folk. I couldn’t put it down and have bought copies for lots of people.Ellen Orrock, Edinburgh
Between Beirut and the Moon by Naji Bakhti
The manner in which this novel handles dark and traumatic events and places them under a comedic spotlight also took me by surprise. I felt that this was a book for everyone. Anyone who wanted to learn more about coming of age in Beirut, anyone who wanted to cry a little, reminisce, or even chuckle. It’s poignant but it doesn’t burden you with its emotional baggage, and so for me it takes the cake.Houssam Jouni, London
Humankind by Rutger Bregman
I read about this book in the Guardian. Reading it in lockdown, when kindness to others was more important than ever, everything just clicked – I came by the right book for the right reason at the right time. The message of hope it concludes with was also perfect, as it came just as lockdown was ending but long before any vaccine was in sight and with more deaths and suffering ahead, not to mention the impact Brexit will have. I’ve read quite a lot this year, but this was the book of the year for me in every way.Anonymous
A Ghost in the Throat by Doi
reann Ní Ghríofa
The book describes the search for the story behind an 18th-century poem, by a young female poet lamenting the violent death of her beloved husband. The author writes about her life, children, and her obsession with the poem and its forgotten creator. The book is really unique, enchanting, poetic and moving. I hope it will also be recognised as a work of great quality in countries other than Ireland.Gerry Ligtenberg, Ireland
Dead Famous by Greg Jenner
Everything you want from a history book during lockdown: incredibly funny, insightful, and full of fascinating human stories. Not your usual Tudors or Nazis but something that will be very new to everyone. An absolutely first-class book – the footnotes are particularly hysterical!Jennifer Warburton, Sale
The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
Picking a single book for the whole year is a difficult task, but nothing made me feel, think, and engage on quite as many levels as The Devil and the Dark Water. With subplots after subplots and layers after layers, this stunning historical fiction murder mystery will have you lying awake at night long after you have finished it. Every chapter was productive, every character essential, and every page pure brilliance. I can’t wait for his next book. No pressure, Stu.Erika, Brighton
Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami, translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd
This novel tells us so much about the situation of women who struggle with the question of motherhood. Do I want kids? Under which circumstances? Am I emotionally stable enough to do this? Most importantly the author asks: do women need men to fulfil their dream of becoming a mother? Have we reached a point where men become obsolete and women can rely, independently, on sperm banks? Can there be a generation of single women with children, leading a life without men, equally? Anonymous
Witness X by SE Moorhead
A cracking serial killer thriller with a sprinkle of sci-fi tech. Compelling, tightly plotted, a strong central character. Loved it! Has Netflix miniseries written all over it.Michael Sellars, Liverpool
The Cat and the City by Nick Bradley
As I look at the list of the books I have read during this dreadful year, I realise that the titles that stayed with me the most are those that have managed to transport me to another place or time. This was the case with The Cat and the City, in which Bradley conjures an image of Tokyo and its inhabitants just as I remember it from my past visit. You can tell that the author lived in Japan for many years. At a time when travel to Asia is virtually impossible, this book is the next best thing.Agata, Prague
Trio by William Boyd
Boyd has returned proving that he is the best contemporary storyteller. His characters are complex and nuanced, and Trio’s three main characters are no exception. Their three different lives (one led by self-discovery, another by vulnerability and the other by love and sentimentality) are interconnected, offering three different endings. The prose is lucid; the dialogue, superb. Trio is a book not to be missed.Luis Abbou, Brighton