2024 Reads: Great Stories for Difficult Times

What can we say about 2024 and the times we live in? We live through so little that can qualify as reassuring or hopeful.

Amidst global conflict and turbulence, election upsets, unmitigated corporate power and influence, the realignment of a new world order: 2024 has brought its heavy load of uncertainties.

And if all that seems distant, consider the real-life impacts of crumbling education and health care systems, total lack of support or care for the children, elderly, or the injured and ill around you, risks to long-term good employment brought about by trade wars or artificial intelligence. The chaos and angst in our lives is not isolated from what happens across the world.

Celebration is hardly a tone to strike as we ring in the new year.

In spite of this, when the ground shifts beneath our feet, it may be well advised to dance.

This year, there have been a few fleeting moments of reading, chances to pauses and reflect, to silence the chaos in order to hear the voices of talented authors, story-tellers, and narrators of truth.

After skipping 2023 (oops!), I have prepared my annual compilation of books - the books I would recommend or discuss with you anytime.

Here are the stories that kept me going in 2024.

Books worth their weight in hype

I don’t often read the most popular books of the moment, but when I do they are mostly written by amazingly talented women writers.

Obviously, I read Intermezzo by Sally Rooney. It is the author’s most specific, profound and sensible novel yet. A complex story of two brothers grieving their father in their very own seperate - and yet collective - way. Plenty of references to the game of chess and a lot of internal dialogue.

All Fours by Miranda July was a novel that exceeded any sort of expectations. The novel is about a woman who decides to take a trip alone to New York City, without husband and child, and ends up taking many surprise turns. It was the book of the summer and it was a wild ride.

I was finally introduced to Rachel Kushner’s pen through Creation Lake. For Kushner afficionados, this may not be her best work and I’d love to discuss this point with those who are familiar with her work. For me, this story of a young American woman spy who infiltrates a group of radical left-wing environmentalists - mostly men - in France had all the makings of an excellent novel. With a main character named Lucien Dubois, this novel had my name written all over it - literally. A 2024 favourite read for sure.

Books that top the list

In no particular order, books in English I found noteworthy or would recommend.

Cherie Dimaline is an all-time faourite Indigenous author from the Georgian Bay area. Her latest, VenCo, which I knew I would read as soon as I could get to it, tells the story of a collective of witches recruiting their newest member. Need I say more - it’s funny and magical and I hope there will be a sequel.

In the “up for debate” category, I read Orbital by Samantha Harvey well before it ended up on all the year-end reading lists. Six astronauts are in orbit around the Earth and see different faces of our planet throughout the day. They share their thoughts and preoccupations. Sure, it’s a cool space-oriented novel, but nothing much happens and I have yet to be convinced it’s a good book.

I was shook by Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These - a short and punchy novel that you shoudl just go pick up now. It’s a Christmas tale set in Ireland in the 80s and opens with a reference to the Magdaleine Laundries, which should give you a hint. I read it twice: first on book, second on audiobook. Outstanding and heart-wrenching. Also a Netflix series now.

I read My Life in France by Julia Child, a rare nonfiction pick, following a friend’s recommendation. Three cheers to Julia for being so fun, earnest, and in love with food and cooking. Read it if you’re a foodie and cannot get enough of butter-based sauces and adventures in Paris or Marseille.

My last book of the year was Enlightenement by Sarah Perry. It’s a strange story, but one I could not put down. The novel is set in a Baptist community in Essex, The main character, there by happenstance, is intimately involved in the ongoings of the community and its inhabitants, but also investigates the moons, the stars, and a mysterious character who lived there years before. A better book about space, comets, orbits and celestial bodies if you’re into it.

French novels that left a mark

My most recommended book of the year was Le Mage du Kremlin by Giulianio Da Empoli, which is widely translated into many languages and easy to find. This political thriller brings us on the inside of a Russian oligarch and was first published as the world’s attention turned to Russia as the Ukraine war started. A true riveting political page-turner.

Caroline Dawson is an author who grew up in Quebec after her family arrived as Chilean refugee in the 80s. Her book, La ou je me terre, is a devastating retelling of her arrival as a child, the integration of her family, the casual and blatant racism they faced, and her attempt to reconciale French and Spanish and her many cultural identidies. This book is unlike any other and is a beautiful and difficult read made even more heart-wrenching by the fact that in 2024, the author succombed to cancer. Caroline Dawson est a lire et a relire.

Veiller sur elle by Jean-Baptiste Andrea is a beautiful novel spanning the life of an Italian sculptor and the quirky love of his life. A must-read if you love Italian art, culture, scenery and food, but to my knowledge is not yet translated into English.

Finally, a highly awarded novel called Triste Tigre by Neige Sinno. A very difficult read about the author’s experience of sexual assault in her youth. A sad and difficult book read just before the Gisele Pelicot trial started in France, ushering a public and necessary discussion about rape culture in France. This discussion - since there is no real debate here - is in full display.

Man Booker Prize Winners

I gravitated to a few Booker winners from previous years, and always find to enjoy these awardees compared to other prizes - maybe just as a coincidence.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Sanders was a weird, chaotic and non-linear story that builds from the death of Abraham Lincoln’s son. The book mixes historical documents with an internal dialogue in and out of consciousness. Strange and intriguing.

Milkman by Anna Burns was a wonderful discovery! It had been on my list for a long time. This story of Ireland in the troubles, a young woman trying to make her way through friends, lover and family, told with a singular and decisive voice. I could have kept on reading well beyond the end of the story.

Finally, The Promise by Damon Golgut was a surprised read only by accident. A multi-generational story of a promise carried on for years. A quick read that raises this book to the level of classic, and which I loved to discover.

While I always strive to read a little more, the books I read this year allowed me to discover talented authors from so many places, and punch through the noise to hear their stories. They allowed me to pause and take a rest from the ever present difficulties of these times we live in. They reminded me that stories - real or imagined by those who remember to hope - are a source of truth. We have always needed stories to keep us going, and we will surely need stories in 2025.

Happy New Year and happy reads for this year and beyond.