17 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2020
In the Land of Men by Adrienne Miller
Topping both Esquire and Vogue’s most anticipated book lists for 2020, Adrienne Miller introduces an intimate memoir into the literary world of the nineties as a woman. Miller builds on her telling #MeToo article, first featured in Vogue in 2018, by delving deeper into her experiences as a young, female editor, touching also on her personal and professional relationship with David Foster Wallace. Intelligent and inspiring, In the Land of Men is a promising read for all ambitious women.
Read more on this book here.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
For lovers of Maggie’s story in Three Women, My Dark Vanessa is likely to strike the same chord through the exploration of a young girl’s love affair with her teacher. Russell presents a haunting inquiry into the nature of relationships and power struggles, and questions how our society determines where the line of self-agency is drawn. The debut acts as a promising start for the author whose work has been praised by Stephen King as ‘a package of dynamite’.
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Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh
Moshfegh’s much anticipated Death in Her Hands is likely to pack the same punch her previous works are known to hold. Recognized for her off-beat characters and gripping storylines, Moshfegh tackles horror for the second time since her initial debut with McGlue. Paired with her classic dark humour and fast-paced writing, Death in Her Hands already appears to be an exciting read for loyal fans and new readers alike.
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The Lost Book of Adana Moreau by Michael Zapata
The Shadow of the Wind meets Exit West to bring together a timeless story of love, family, and unity through a lost manuscript. Zapata’s debut is layered with the intricate workings of multigenerational characters and detailed backstories, making for a complex and thoughtful read. A 2020 book not to be missed by those who love a winding and multifaceted story.
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Things in Jars by Jess Kidd
A dark Victorian tale mixing mystery, a female heroine, and the supernatural, makes Things in Jars the perfect read for those who love getting lost in haunted fantasies. Fans of The Essex Serpent will appreciate the similarities between the two, as Kidd delves into a world of mythical folklore with a touch of Gothic romanticism.
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Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
If the quirky title isn’t enough to interest you, Shuggie Bain looks to be a heart-wrenching tale into the life of a “sweet and lonely boy” born into a life of struggle and grief. As he is exposed to his mother’s drug addiction and her difficulty to care for him, Shuggie must try to find a place for himself in the hollows left by life. With Douglas’ work compared to that of Hanya Yanagihara, Shuggie Bain is sure to pull on heartstrings.
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Real Life by Brandon Taylor
A novel high-strung with intimacy and violence, Real Life follows an introverted African-American who finds himself in a Midwestern University town, in a pool of colleagues and friends who are more different to him than alike. An encounter with a straight man forces him to look deeply at the scars left by old wounds, and question whether true healing is ever possible.
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Cleanness by Garth Greenwell
Following his well-received debut, What Belongs to You, Greenwell seeks out a story centred in politics, disquiet, and self-discovery in Cleanness. Readers are invited to journey with a gay American teacher, whose stories are told in non-chronological order, as he pursues love in a deteriorating political climate. With The New York Times already deeming this book “an instant classic” , it’s a book that deserves a pre-order.
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Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
With Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, being so well-received, many readers are eagerly anticipating Transcendent Kingdom which brings to life another moving immigrant story. Set in Alabama, Gyasi displays her knack for raw, emotional writing as she delves into the world of depression, addiction and grief, through Stanford student, Gifty. Gyasi’s own well tuned experience of being an Alabama-residing Ghanian herself has the power to make this read another bestseller.
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Verge: Stories by Lidia Yuknavitch
A well-known voice in the sphere of American fiction, Lidia Yuknavitch makes an exciting return with a set of short stories based on the outcasts, the marginalised, and the oppressed. Weaving through stories on the likes of trauma victims, janitors, and grief-stricken men, it’s understandable why this read is already being considered a book of heroic grace, landing a spot as one of Vogue’s most anticipated reads of the year.
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Days of Distraction by Alexandra Chang
2019 saw the rise of melancholy novels narrated by young women such as The New Me, and My Year of Rest and Relaxation, and the trend continues with Alexander Chang’s Days of Distraction. Navigating her way through questions on belonging, race, and relationships, a young woman attempts to find answers by forging a path outside of her usual understanding.
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The Everlasting by Katy Simpson Smith
An inventive and courageous body of work, The Everlasting is a book of historical fiction that spans across four centuries in the city of Rome. Over two thousand years, Smith grapples with themes of rebellion, religion, and love, as she follows the lives of her intricately formed characters. Described as a quadruple love story with a touch of the mystical, fans of The Song of Achilles shouldn’t miss this read.
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Topics of Conversation by Miranda Popkey
Making her debut with a gripping tale on the female experience, Miranda Popkey earns herself a place amongst the likes of Rachel Cusk, Sally Rooney, and Lydia Davis. Centered on conversations between women, Topics of Conversation is oozing with moving reflections on what it means to be a woman through shame, love, infidelity, motherhood, and everything in between.
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Pew by Catherine Lacey
Another 2020 read recognised on Vogue’s anticipated books list, Pew is a gripping query into the reality of human morality through an unidentifiable figure inhabiting a small American town. Truly forging the modern trends of neutrality in gender, race, and identity, Lacey uses this figure and its observations to question, what is it that makes us human?
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Godshot by Chelsea Bieker
Labeled a masterpiece of an epic journey, Godshot centres on the life of a young girl, Lacey, in a drought-ridden town of California. As the residents seek salvation through a suspicious religious cult, Lacey looks elsewhere, through books, through the land, through her mother, to find the answers she and the town struggle so desperately for.
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Keep Moving by Maggie Smith
Smith makes her return with an encouraging set of truths and guidance in Keep Moving. Speaking on courage, creativity, and resilience, Smith’s latest read is comprised of quotes and essays to keep you going through-out the new year.
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Boys of Alabama by Genevieve Hudson
Listed as The Oprah Magazine’s "31 LGBTQ Books That'll Change the Literary Landscape in 2020” and Lit Hub’s "Most Anticipated Books by LGBTQ Authors For the First Half of 2020,” Genevieve Hudson brings us a coming-of-age novel told with magical realism, in Boys of Alabama. Max, a sixteen year old, sensitive teen, newly arrived in Alabama from Germany, falls in love, questions his faith, and navigates a strange power. Evoking Dorothy Allison, Lambda Award finalist Genevieve Hudson offers a nuanced portrait of masculinity, immigration, and the adolescent pressures that require total conformity―in short, a twenty-first-century South that would have been unimaginable to the late Harper Lee.
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About Roumina
PARSAMAND
Roumina is a journalism and finance student from Melbourne, Australia. She is a filler of journals with words and drawings, and an obsessive reader. Always happy to chat books, pet dogs, and drink tea. You can find her on Instagram at @nami.reads
