Literary Gems

I have been in a bit of a reading slump lately. I have still been reading but I am having trouble feeling overly enthusiastic about what I have been reading. Usually to get over this, I would read something more plot heavy – something that is marketed to the masses, is relatively easy to read, and doesn’t require too much thinking. I usually don’t review or recommend this type of book here. These books sell themselves, and don’t need me to push their cause! Literary fiction usually isn’t the thing to get me out of a slump, but some books in this genre are very addictive! I don’t do things the easy way – I have just embarked on reading some of the Booker Prize longlist and I have challenged myself to finish the short list before the winner is announced in late November. I am hoping that I manage to get through them all, and write a review/prediction before the winner is announced. It may all depend on when they are available at my library. (If you happen to have a copy of Western Lane by Chetna Maroo and are happy to lend it out, let me know!)

Are you a reader of literary fiction? I know some people are put off from being forced to read such books while in school. Like with any books, not every book is going to appeal to every person. Quite often if I recommend literary fiction to people, more often then not they don’t seem to enjoy it. It is always harder to recommend books when you don’t know what someone is into. If you are into literary fiction, these recommendations are for you!

First up this week we have In Memoriam by Alice Winn. This is Winn’s debut novel and was released earlier in 2023, and read by me in September 2023. This book is about two young men who (secretly) fall in love while at boarding school in 1914, and who decide to join the war efforts for different reasons. While at boarding school, they read the In Memoriam tributes to those soldiers who have died, almost romanticising death for your country. This story is violent, raw, beautifully written, and heart breaking. This book has a perfect balance of plot, character development, and masterful prose.

As I was writing this, I thought to myself, “surely this book will win awards.” As it turns out, it did win the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize for 2023. I will be following Winn’s writing career with interest. I am sure this won’t be the last award for this book.

Next up we have Wifedom by Anna Funder. Although not technically literary fiction, this book is almost a literary fiction/biography/memoir/non fiction hybrid. This book follows the forgotten story of George Orwell’s wife Eileen O’Shaughnessy, and how her literary work shaped Orwell’s. Using newly discovered letters from Eileen to her best friend, Funder recreates the Orwells’ marriage. Through this, Funder questions what it takes to be a writer and what it is to be a wife. If you are a lover of literary feminist work, this book is for you. I loved this one. I borrowed it from the library, but there were many passages I wanted to mark and read again. I may have to get my own copy.

Finally this week we have Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai. This book is about the Vietnam War told from the perspective of the Amerasian children left behind in the wake of the US Army when their soldiers returned home. This book is about family secrets, hidden trauma, and the overriding power of forgiveness. This book is set in modern day US and Vietnam, and also transports us back to the Vietnam War.

“In 1969, sisters Trang and Quỳnh, desperate to help their parents pay off debts, leave their rural village and become “bar girls” in Sài Gòn, drinking, flirting (and more) with American GIs in return for money. As the war moves closer to the city, the once-innocent Trang gets swept up in an irresistible romance with a young and charming American helicopter pilot, Dan. Decades later, Dan returns to Việt Nam with his wife, Linda, hoping to find a way to heal from his PTSD and, unbeknownst to her, reckon with secrets from his past.

At the same time, Phong—the son of a Black American soldier and a Vietnamese woman—embarks on a search to find both his parents and a way out of Việt Nam. Abandoned in front of an orphanage, Phong grew up being called “the dust of life,” “Black American imperialist,” and “child of the enemy,” and he dreams of a better life for himself and his family in the U.S.

Past and present converge as these characters come together to confront decisions made during a time of war—decisions that force them to look deep within and find common ground across race, generation, culture, and language.”

This book is probably more accurately described as historic fiction but it was so immersive and beautifully written, that I think it belongs in the literary fiction category.

Are you a reader of literary fiction? What is your favourite? Let’s chat about it in the comments, because life is too short to read bad books.