New York Times (NYT) book review reporters selected the 10 best books (5 novels and 5 non-fiction) published this year.
On the 28th (local time), NYT announced that the best novels published this year were Paul Murray’s ‘The Bee Sting’ and Nana Kwame Aje-Brenya’s ‘The Best Star among Chained Prisoners (Chain Gang)’. ‘Chain-Gang All-Stars’, ‘Eastbound’ by Mylis de Carrangal, ‘The Fraud’ by Zadie Smith, ‘North Woods’ by Daniel Mason 5 books were selected.
In the non-fiction category, △Jonathan Rosen’s ‘The Best Minds’ △Ilyeon Woo’s ‘Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey From Slavery to Freedom’ △ Kerry Hawley’s ‘Bottoms Up And The Devil Laughs’ △John Vaillant’s ‘Fire Weather’ △Patricia Evangelista’s ‘Some People Need To Kill’ Five films were selected, including (Some People Need Killing).
First of all, Paul Murray’s ‘Bee Sting’ is a novel that depicts the tragic story of an Irish family struggling against crisis. NYT commented, “This is a book that shows the amazing love and resilience of one family even when the world is falling apart.” This book was also in the final round of consideration for this year’s Booker Prize, a literary prize awarded to the best English novel.
‘Chain Gang All Stars’ by young black author Nana Kwame Aje-Bregna is a social satire novel in which death row inmates duel on live TV for a chance at freedom.
‘Heading East’ by Mailis de Carrangal, a leading French writer, tells the story of a young Russian conscript on the Trans-Siberian train. Critic Ken Kalfus said, “This vast space and the anxiety of existence on the train emphasize the importance of solidarity between human beings,” and “In times of war, this solidarity can bring liberation and salvation.”
In addition, ‘Scam’, which looked at the social problems of an era through an Englishman accused of impersonating an aristocrat, and ‘North Woods’, which depicts American history against the background of a house that has been in the same place for 300 years, also received favorable reviews.
‘The Best Heart’, selected in the non-fiction category, deals with complex policy issues and ethical obligations of the community based on the story of a man who stabs his pregnant girlfriend to death with a kitchen knife and is then transferred to a mental hospital. The NYT commented, “This book is a deep indictment of a society that prioritizes profit, quick fixes, and happy endings over long-term treatment.”
‘Master, Slave, Husband, Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom’ by Korean-American Ilyeon Woo (Woo Il-yeon) is a non-fiction book set in the U.S. state of Georgia in 1848. It depicts the process of a black slave couple’s search for freedom by disguising themselves as a white plantation owner and her husband as his slave in order to escape from a plantation.
In addition, ‘Raise Your Glass, and the Devil Will Laugh’, which tells the story of a whistleblower, ‘A Wildfire-Prone Day’, and ‘War on Drugs’, which unravel the causes of forest fires and climate change based on the 2016 Canadian forest fires. ‘Some People Need to Murder’, which tells the story of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who executed a huge number of people by executing a large number of people, was also selected as a non-fiction work.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.