As the calendar flips to a new year, I like to reflect on the books that I read the previous year. Below are the titles, all published in 2013, that resonated most strongly with me.
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
This lyrically-written, intricately-plotted novel presents strong characterizations of ordinary people caught in the middle of a brutal war. The author sets this story in a small, rural village in Chechnya during the region's civil war with Russia.
Eight-year-old Havaa is witness to the abduction of her father by Russian soldiers. Her neighbor, Akhmed, a kind, though incompetent doctor, rescues Havaa and delivers her to a nearby bombed-out hospital. He hopes to persuade Sonja, the hospital's only remaining surgeon, to care for her. Sonja, however, is preoccupied with treating the area's sick and injured and desperately worrying about her missing sister, Natasha. While the main focus of this novel is five eventful days in 2004, the story shifts back and forth in time, allowing for a more complete understanding of the complex relationships among characters.
Heartbreaking and occasionally brutally violent, this novel is ultimately and surprisingly hopeful. I cannot get it out of my mind.
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
In March 1929, a servant girl, Agnes Magnúsdóttir, is sentenced to death by beheading for the brutal murder of two men in a remote part of northern Iceland. Agnes awaits execution in the cramped home of a local farmer, his wife and their two daughters. The family must also extend their hospitality to include a young priest whom Agnes has chosen as her spiritual confessor. As the priest converses with Agnes, their discussions reveal the complicated story of Agnes's life.
This is a beautifully written novel based on true events. I particularly admired the evocative descriptions of the isolated Icelandic landscape and 19th-century Icelandic life.
Rose under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
Written for a mature young adult audience,
Rose under Fire is a remarkable story of courage, survival, sacrifice and friendship in the midst of some of the most brutal conditions imaginable. Wein return to a European World War II setting with this companion novel to the previous work,
Code Name Verity (2012).
Rose, a young American pilot, volunteers for duty in England and is assigned to ferry military planes from one location to another. On a mission from Paris to England, Rose is spotted by German planes and forced to land in enemy territory. She is taken prisoner and ultimately transferred to the infamous women's concentration camp at Ravensbrück. This novel tells Rose's harrowing story from inside the camp.
How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny
This is Louise Penny's ninth book in the Chief Inspector Gamache mystery series. The unforgettable, quirky characters, quaint Québec village setting and intricate plot make this a wonderfully satisfying read.
Armand Gamache has a new murder to solve. Constance Pineault, the only surviving member of a set of quintuplets who were national celebrities when they were young, has been found dead in her Montreal home. Pineault had ties to a resident of the village of Three Pines, returning this story to the same setting and characters that appear in several other titles in the Armand Gamache series. In this book, Gamache must also navigate some very serious problems within the Homicide Division of the Sûreté du Québec.
This series is best read in order, as this ninth novel references plot elements from previous books in the series. If you are new to Louise Penny's novels, begin with
Still Life, the first book in the series.
I listened to the audiobook version of this title, which was masterfully read by Ralph Cosham. Cosham has narrated all of the titles in the Inspector Gamache series, in what has become a winning author/narrator pairing.
The Edgar awards and the Agatha award nominations have been announced and there is much rejoicing for mystery readers.
The Agatha award nominees were just announced and here's the full list. The awards will be given out at the Malice Domestic conference on May 3, 2014.
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