My Favorite Novels of 2023
One of the great pleasures of being a writer and working with writers is that reading is very much part of the job, and one of the great disappointments is that I can never read as much as I want to read.
I read a number of wonderful books in 2023, both in physical form and via audiobook, but there are two standout novels for me—books that I can’t stop thinking about and recommending to others at any chance I get. And so now, I recommend these books to you.
I read Lauren Groff’s Matrix and liked it, but I loved her latest,The Vaster Wilds (reviews). It’s a tale of survival yet by the end (and I hope I’m not giving too much away), it’s not so much about the character’s survival but the reader’s own. How on earth did Groff pull that off? Pure wizardry. I am in awe.
You might read the jacket copy of Sequoia Nagamatsu’s How High We Go in the Dark (reviews) and think, “Oof, a novel about a pandemic? Too soon!” (Note: I’m calling this a novel, though technically it’s a collection of short stories.) If you have the nerve for reading about a brutal near future where the primary businesses and occupations cluster around the funerary, I recommend this wholly. I especially enjoyed how the author depicted marketing efforts around the death business. (I worked in marketing in a previous professional life it so much of it rang eerily true!) The end of the book is expansive and will leave you thinking, “Oh wow, what if…?”
Few books are for everyone, and I would say these books, especially, are not for everyone. But take a look and if you do read one or both, I’d love to know what you think! And if you’d like to see what else I read and enjoyed in 2023, check out this wrap-up on Instagram.
I’m starting off the year listening to Rebecca Makkai’s riveting and thought-provoking I Have Some Questions for You (reviews) and reading an advance copy of Jonathan Buckley’s Tell. Both authors are experts at their craft and their books are a pleasure to read. Makkai’s novel hinges on a complex and intriguing plot that asks big questions about our obsession with true crime, while Buckley’s slim novel is character-driven and deeply psychological, looking at how we make stories, about ourselves and other people.
May all the books you read in 2024 be excellent ones! 🥂
