I know, I know, there's still a few weeks of August left so I shouldn't bury summer before it's dead. But let's be real, those of us who don't have unlimited vacation time are starting to get back to work.
I'm no exception, and returning to London has given me the opportunity of reflecting on the best books I read this summer (reviews to come on some of the bad eggs I unfortunately picked up as well!)
Without further ado, here are the 5 books I loved on my summer travels.
Colm Toibin, House of Names
For the entirety of the month of May, when this book came out, I was bombarded with articles gushing about how incredible Toibin's writing was, and rolled my eyes at every single one of them. As a literature snob, I wasn't ready to pick up an English-language retelling of Clytemnestre's story and enjoy it. When I finally did, though, I was struck by the incredible power of Toibin's story, the poignancy with which he gives life to the queen and her children and the humanity he gives each and every one of them.
By following each of the characters' perspectives, on themselves and on each other, the author forces us to confront this age-old story of infanticide, regicide and matricide (the -cide suffix really punctuates the amount of violence involved, doesn't it?). A must-read that'll take you on an emotional journey you couldn't expect.
Joy Williams, Ninety-Nine Stories of God
Short stories can leave you wanting more, but Williams' one to two-page anecdotes have the self-contained aspect of a grandma story and a wit that'll have you smiling despite yourself.
Her nonsensical, at times novellas are each little gems of caustic, tongue in cheek humor. The short format, although unusual, makes it a perfect travel or commute read, although your fellow passengers might wonder why you're smirking to yourself. Blink and you'll miss the phrases that rock each story on its head.
Junot Diaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
If you're going to read one book this summer (or even this year!) make it this one. The tragic story of Oscar Wao, a hopelessly romantic Dominican boy growing up in New Jersey.
There is no one factor that makes this book as poignant and raw as it is - the mix of voices, the closeness with which Diaz takes us into the world of the De Leon family from which Oscar came and the sharp humor with which the author passes commentary on his characters do it.
If you won't take it from me, take it from the numerous prizes the book has won: winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award, it certainly deserves its praise.
Paul Torday, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
I'm very late to the party on this book, which apparently became a classic before I even knew about it. Torday's novel recounts the tragi-comic story of a scientist determined to help a Yemeni sheikh bring fishing, a sports he fell in love with in the UK, back to Yemen.
With its mix of bureaucratic humor (the interdepartmental memos circulated between government agencies ring hilariously true) and the audience hearings bringing together the pieces of the story, Torday's debut novel is a decidedly British and tongue-in-cheek masterpiece of humor.
Milan Kundera, The Farewell Party
One of the last novels Kundera wrote in his native Czech, The Farewell Party follows the author's usual tragi-comic spin on seemingly insignificant stories.
In a spa town somewhere in Czechoslovakia, eight individuals are brought together by several life-changing events, and the story that unfolds beautifully brings out the comedy in the characters' tragic stories. A bittersweet tribute to love and change.