Literary Fiction¶
Contemporary works exploring the human condition.
❤️When We Cease To Understand The World, by Benjamin Labatut (2025)¶
Literature collides with Science as the author probes the edges of human understanding during the Second World War. Blending fiction with real events turns out to be a marvelous choice.
The Saint of Bright Doors, by Vajra Chandrasekera (2025)¶
A surreal, shifting novel that is part Rushdie, part Kafka. A character's fate and choices diverge and converge in unexpected ways. Highly recommended.
Narcopolis, by Jeet Thayil (2025)¶
An opium-filled ode to old Bombay, full of highs and (mostly) lows. Shades of A Scanner Darkly and Trainspotting but with a more Indian vibe.
Bewildered, by Richard Powers (2025)¶
The life of an astrobiologist and his son in a world blind to the impact of climate change. Very well written but quite bleak.
The Secret History, by Donna Tartt (2025)¶
A dark, fascinating novel about a group of elite students obsessed with ancient Greek language, philosophy and ritual.
Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro (2024)¶
I was an Ishiguro fan after Remains of the Day, and this book is almost as good.
A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan (2024)¶
Time weaves its way through several interconnecting stories. Reminded me a bit of Cloud Atlas.
The Dead, by James Joyce (2020)¶
Short and bitter-sweet story.
Nabokov: The Mystery of Literary Structures, by Leona Toker (2020)¶
A detailed look at several of Nabokov's books. A fruitful area to get lost in.
❤️Luzhin's Defense, by Vladimir Nabokov (2020)¶
What can I say? It's Nabokov and Chess and obsession, in language and form that only he can create.
Despair, by Vladimir Nabokov¶
Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout (2020)¶
Well-written, poignant stories of old age, depression, families and so on, centered around an outspoken, strict school teacher.
Shakespeare, by Bill Bryson (2021)¶
A slim book, what I liked most was how the times and place were brought to life.
One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez (2023)¶
A dreamy, looping novel. Found the recurring names confusing -- but it was clear this was intentional.
To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf (2023)¶
My first Woolf novel. I liked the rich inner monologues of the characters.
Under the Skin, by Michel Faber (2023)¶
I don't read horror usually but I really enjoyed this one. There are larger and deeper themes that make it a deeper book than it appears.
❤️The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro (2023)¶
A butler whose mission is to serve a worthy master reminisces about his life's journey.
What We Can Know, by Ian McEwan (2026)¶
A thoughtful look at how history remembers its heroes. In the near future, a historian looks at an 'Immortal Lunch' hosted by a poet.