“Smaller and Smaller Circles”
by F.H. Batacan
Two Jesuit priests investigate a serial killer in Manila who is murdering poor, young boys living on the outskirts of a town dump. When the local law enforcement decides the murders are not a matter of urgency, given the low social status of the victims, Father Gus and Father Jerome, a forensic anthropologist and a psychologist, gather the clues left by the vicious murderer. Winner of the Phillipine National Book Award. This is a fantastic start to what I hope will be an ongoing series!
“Make Your Home Among Strangers”
by Jennine Capó Crucet
I have declared 2015 the Year of the Debut Novel because there have been so many amazing ones. Case in point: this contemporary tale of being a minority in America, and the difficulties of choosing between your family and your dreams. Lizet is the first in her family to complete high school, but her immigrant parents are furious when she wants to go to college, too. What follows is a look at the social and emotional turmoil caused by her decision to leave her family behind in Miami.
“In the Language of Miracles”
by Rajia Hassib
Fans of “Everything I Never Told You” by Celeste Ng should check out this unflinching, heartfelt novel about Egyptian immigrants and their American neighbors living in New Jersey. The families have been friends for a decade, but their lives are upended when each of the families lose their eldest child in an accident. Told a year after their deaths, “In the Language of Miracles” follows the Egyptian family’s struggle to hold on to what they have left as they try to rebuild their lives after the tragedy.
“Let Me Tell You: New Stories, Essays, and Other Writings”
by Shirley Jackson
Forget Dr. Seuss and Harper Lee: this is the previously unpublished work that I am most excited about this year! “Let Me Tell You” gathers previously uncollected stories and essays from one of the queens of American literature. Jackson passed away in 1965 and you may be familiar with some of her works, such as “The Lottery,” “The Haunting of Hill House,” and “We Have Always Lived in the Castle.” Rabid fans don’t want to miss this, and for people unfamiliar with her work, it’s a good place to start. It gives readers a glimpse of both her witty non-fiction and her creepy tales.
“You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine”
by Alexandra Kleeman
Another first-rate debut novel, this is a wildly imaginative look at womanhood and modern culture. A, B, and C live in an unnamed city. A is fixated on society’s unrelenting beauty standards and reality television and spends time scheming ways to get her 15 minutes of fame. B is trying to overlook her boyfriend C’s pornography addiction, and instead turns to a new religion for guidance. This may well turn out to be the best book published this year. (See also: “Speak” by Louisa Hall and “The Library at Mount Char” by Scott Hawkins.)