As summer winds down and days start getting shorter, I’m looking forward to curling up inside with some good reads. Here are some of the best books of the year (so far), in no particular order.
Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis
This is a heartfelt but irreverent and sometimes scathing look at aid workers in the Middle East, seen through the eyes of a Western woman, Nadia, who works in international development and joins the UN in Iraq to “deradicalize” ISIS brides. The novel also examines the different reasons women become radicalized (which include the women who didn’t have a choice). However, sometimes the characters, like the aid workers, fell into stereotypes, and some of the radicalized women felt like caricatures. Younis was skilled at illustrating the nuances of Nadia’s reality because of what she witnessed throughout her career in international development.
Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa
Hunchback, written by Saou Ichikawa was originally published in 2023 in Japan. The English translation of the novel, by Polly Barton, debuted in March. The story follows a disabled woman living in a care home following the death of her parents. The novel illustrates the limitations of her life, as well as her economic privilege after her parents left her with full-time care and a significant amount of money. She expresses herself by writing erotica on the Internet, and finds a community where she can be herself without being defined by her disabled body. While parts of this book were difficult to follow at times, particularly the twist at the end, it’s an important book with a lot of heart in addition to societal commentary about disability rights, both in Japan and globally. Ichikawa herself has congenital myopathy and uses a ventilator and electric wheelchair.
The Immortal Woman by Su Chang
Highlighting a Canadian independent publisher, House of Anansi, with this wonderful and immersive tale of a mother and daughter in China and beyond. Chang crosses generations and oceans to deliver a nuanced and well-researched look at 20th century Chinese politics, what it means to be an immigrant, and how nationalism can positively and negatively impact generations. Chang’s immense amount of research is evident in how her descriptions of everyday life feel immersive and almost real. This is a moving, character-driven story of two women at its heart.
All the Parts We Exile by Roza Nozari
This memoir is by another Canadian author, detailing what it was like growing up queer and Iranian in the suburbs of Toronto. Readers follow Nozari’s struggles with her identity and her difficult relationship with her mother. From Canada to Iran, we see her exile parts of herself, her family, and her history, only to reunite with her mother and reconnect with herself as she learns more about feminism, her family history, and how they shape who she is. Watching as Nozari slowly came to see her mother as an adult, rather than a parent on a pedestal, was a cathartic experience and something most daughters can relate to as they come of age. This is an immensely moving memoir that I highly recommend.
Sisters of Fortune by Esther Chehebar
Described by the publisher as a Jewish Jane Austen, this book follows three Syrian Jewish sisters in New York as they each struggle to find husbands (despite actually trying) and make their way in the world. I really loved this book and kept telling my friends as I was reading it how little we discuss Mizrahi Jews in North America. From their grandmother speaking in Arabic, to the wonderful descriptions of food, Chehebar is using language and food to immerse the reader in a world they might not be familiar with.
Red Clay by Charles B. Fancher
Based on the author’s own family history, this is an epic tale of the American South during Reconstruction, as enslaved people struggle to make their own way in the world. The book follows Felix Parker, the main protagonist, and Adelaide Parker, the now elderly woman whose parents enslaved Felix and his family until slavery was abolished. Balancing both of these family stories is tough, but Fancher is a deft author and keeps the reader engaged at every turn while not shying away from the harsh realities of this history. A difficult but necessary read about American history and its lingering impact.
Girls Girls Girls by Shoshana von Blanckensee
A Jewish take on San Francisco, this book follows two high-school grads who road trip across the country to be out as lesbians in San Francisco in 1996. This novel celebrates the queer community, found family, and Jewishiness, while also delving into the struggle of finding yourself and your people in a new place. I particularly enjoyed the sense of community from the strip club where the friends get lucrative jobs. Between their job and their gross apartment they discover from a stranger in a donut shop, you can really feel the gritty side of San Francisco throughout the novel. I am glad I could bear witness to this piece of queer history. I also loved the Jewish representation throughout the novel, from the use of Yiddish, to the mentions of holidays, to the beautiful statement from the protagonist’s bubbie that there are so many ways to be Jewish.
Punished by Ann-Helén Laestadius
This is the second in a trilogy of books by Laestadius that depict different aspects of life and history of the Indigenous Sami people in Sweden. Punished follows a number of characters as they reflect on the traumas of their time at a government boarding school as Sami children. For those of us in North America, this is an eerily similar history to our own treatment of Indigenous communities, making it a critical and relevant read. There are many aspects of trauma highlighted in this book that raise ethical questions about what survivors of abuse and trauma are entitled to. It also shows us how compounding abuse can impact a life. A difficult but necessary look at the recent past.
Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan
Poet and tech company worker Max starts dating Vincent, a corporate lawyer and cis-man who loves Max and isn’t afraid to show it—but he has a secret from his university days that might threaten the very foundation of their relationship. Dinan is talented at portraying complicated characters making questionable choices. Even as people show the worst parts of themselves, the narrative offers empathy and nuance. In the current cultural climate, this is an important look at how trans people just want a safe landing place and the chance to build their own life.
Liquid: A Love Story by Mariam Rahmani
This is a fantastic coming-of-age novel that follows an unnamed bisexual Iranian woman who splits her time in Los Angeles and Tehran deciding if she should commit to finding a wealthy spouse. She is so dedicated to the plan that she sets up a spreadsheet to track the 100 first dates she has decided she needs to go on to find someone. She is doing all of this with the reluctant support of her very devoted male best friend. The best part of this book for me was her time in Tehran during her father’s illness. She falls for his female neighbour, and it’s a wonderful and little-seen look at the vibrant underground queer scene in Iran. While you know where the story is going to end up the whole time, it’s still a compelling, hilarious, and sometimes painful journey to get there.
As summer winds down and days start getting shorter, I’m looking forward to curling up inside with some good reads. Here are some of the best books of the year (so far), in no particular order.
Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis
This is a heartfelt but irreverent and sometimes scathing look at aid workers in the Middle East, seen through the eyes of a Western woman, Nadia, who works in international development and joins the UN in Iraq to “deradicalize” ISIS brides. The novel also examines the different reasons women become radicalized (which include the women who didn’t have a choice). However, sometimes the characters, like the aid workers, fell into stereotypes, and some of the radicalized women felt like caricatures. Younis was skilled at illustrating the nuances of Nadia’s reality because of what she witnessed throughout her career in international development.
Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa
Hunchback, written by Saou Ichikawa was originally published in 2023 in Japan. The English translation of the novel, by Polly Barton, debuted in March. The story follows a disabled woman living in a care home following the death of her parents. The novel illustrates the limitations of her life, as well as her economic privilege after her parents left her with full-time care and a significant amount of money. She expresses herself by writing erotica on the Internet, and finds a community where she can be herself without being defined by her disabled body. While parts of this book were difficult to follow at times, particularly the twist at the end, it’s an important book with a lot of heart in addition to societal commentary about disability rights, both in Japan and globally. Ichikawa herself has congenital myopathy and uses a ventilator and electric wheelchair.
The Immortal Woman by Su Chang
Highlighting a Canadian independent publisher, House of Anansi, with this wonderful and immersive tale of a mother and daughter in China and beyond. Chang crosses generations and oceans to deliver a nuanced and well-researched look at 20th century Chinese politics, what it means to be an immigrant, and how nationalism can positively and negatively impact generations. Chang’s immense amount of research is evident in how her descriptions of everyday life feel immersive and almost real. This is a moving, character-driven story of two women at its heart.
All the Parts We Exile by Roza Nozari
This memoir is by another Canadian author, detailing what it was like growing up queer and Iranian in the suburbs of Toronto. Readers follow Nozari’s struggles with her identity and her difficult relationship with her mother. From Canada to Iran, we see her exile parts of herself, her family, and her history, only to reunite with her mother and reconnect with herself as she learns more about feminism, her family history, and how they shape who she is. Watching as Nozari slowly came to see her mother as an adult, rather than a parent on a pedestal, was a cathartic experience and something most daughters can relate to as they come of age. This is an immensely moving memoir that I highly recommend.
Sisters of Fortune by Esther Chehebar
Described by the publisher as a Jewish Jane Austen, this book follows three Syrian Jewish sisters in New York as they each struggle to find husbands (despite actually trying) and make their way in the world. I really loved this book and kept telling my friends as I was reading it how little we discuss Mizrahi Jews in North America. From their grandmother speaking in Arabic, to the wonderful descriptions of food, Chehebar is using language and food to immerse the reader in a world they might not be familiar with.
Red Clay by Charles B. Fancher
Based on the author’s own family history, this is an epic tale of the American South during Reconstruction, as enslaved people struggle to make their own way in the world. The book follows Felix Parker, the main protagonist, and Adelaide Parker, the now elderly woman whose parents enslaved Felix and his family until slavery was abolished. Balancing both of these family stories is tough, but Fancher is a deft author and keeps the reader engaged at every turn while not shying away from the harsh realities of this history. A difficult but necessary read about American history and its lingering impact.
Girls Girls Girls by Shoshana von Blanckensee
A Jewish take on San Francisco, this book follows two high-school grads who road trip across the country to be out as lesbians in San Francisco in 1996. This novel celebrates the queer community, found family, and Jewishiness, while also delving into the struggle of finding yourself and your people in a new place. I particularly enjoyed the sense of community from the strip club where the friends get lucrative jobs. Between their job and their gross apartment they discover from a stranger in a donut shop, you can really feel the gritty side of San Francisco throughout the novel. I am glad I could bear witness to this piece of queer history. I also loved the Jewish representation throughout the novel, from the use of Yiddish, to the mentions of holidays, to the beautiful statement from the protagonist’s bubbie that there are so many ways to be Jewish.
Punished by Ann-Helén Laestadius
This is the second in a trilogy of books by Laestadius that depict different aspects of life and history of the Indigenous Sami people in Sweden. Punished follows a number of characters as they reflect on the traumas of their time at a government boarding school as Sami children. For those of us in North America, this is an eerily similar history to our own treatment of Indigenous communities, making it a critical and relevant read. There are many aspects of trauma highlighted in this book that raise ethical questions about what survivors of abuse and trauma are entitled to. It also shows us how compounding abuse can impact a life. A difficult but necessary look at the recent past.
Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan
Poet and tech company worker Max starts dating Vincent, a corporate lawyer and cis-man who loves Max and isn’t afraid to show it—but he has a secret from his university days that might threaten the very foundation of their relationship. Dinan is talented at portraying complicated characters making questionable choices. Even as people show the worst parts of themselves, the narrative offers empathy and nuance. In the current cultural climate, this is an important look at how trans people just want a safe landing place and the chance to build their own life.
Liquid: A Love Story by Mariam Rahmani
This is a fantastic coming-of-age novel that follows an unnamed bisexual Iranian woman who splits her time in Los Angeles and Tehran deciding if she should commit to finding a wealthy spouse. She is so dedicated to the plan that she sets up a spreadsheet to track the 100 first dates she has decided she needs to go on to find someone. She is doing all of this with the reluctant support of her very devoted male best friend. The best part of this book for me was her time in Tehran during her father’s illness. She falls for his female neighbour, and it’s a wonderful and little-seen look at the vibrant underground queer scene in Iran. While you know where the story is going to end up the whole time, it’s still a compelling, hilarious, and sometimes painful journey to get there.