7 Books, 7 Unique Stories, 7 Authors To Look Out For

I kickstarted my 2022 with these amazing books

At the beginning of the year, I went book shopping thrice and also became a library member at the British Council since I wanted to explore new genres and authors.

I am getting more into fiction and it only blows my mind every time I read a new story. It makes me wonder how authors are able to pen down such intricate and thought-provoking stories.

‘Loveless’ by Alice Oseman

There were a few authors whom I wanted to read this year, one of whom is Alice Oseman. I started with her novel ‘Loveless’ and oh my! I’m so glad I did! It is such a treat to oneself. After a long time, I read such a funny, honest and relatable story. I had heard a lot about asexuality and this book defined it in such a unique way that it instantly became one of my favorites this year.

Alice Oseman is also the reason why I was waiting eagerly for the Netflix series ‘Heartstopper’ which I finished watching the day it was released. And oh my gosh! I felt so many emotions, all at once, while watching the show. It literally made me feel butterflies in my stomach.

I binge-watched it during the night since I couldn’t stop gushing over the characters and their chemistry with each other. Also, I had an intense liking for the character, Jason, as he was so understanding, reliable, and a good friend to Georgia and Pip. Alice Oseman makes her characters so relatable and lovable. I’m a fan! So yes, Alice Oseman is now one writer whose all books I’m going to read ASAP!

‘Everything I Never Told You’ by Celeste Ng

The Lee family’s favorite child is dead and how. Celeste Ng’s writing is simple, moving, and keeps us on our toes. There were so many instances in the book where I felt so empty and sad. The book follows the Chinese-American Lee family and how they struggle with racism, death, and grief.

I have never read a novel of this kind and it touched upon diverse topics and how the Asian American family dealt with alienation, achievement, race, gender, family, and identity.

A major theme in Everything I Never Told You is Chinese immigrants. From James’ parents to James’ children, Ng never stops talking about the immigration issue. According to the novel, James’ parents are able to relocate to California because they adopt pseudonyms and pretend to be the son of a Chinese immigrant who arrived in America at a young age.

Most Chinese immigrants travel to California while Norwegian, Italian, and Russian immigrants move to Kansas, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Because these Chinese immigrants with pseudonyms are easily identified in Chinatown, they try to blend in with the crowd and avoid standing out.

The marriage of James and Marlyn is the central theme of the novel. No one thinks James marries a white girl since he is a Chinese American. Marlyn’s mother even tries to encourage her daughter not to marry James because their union is illegal in most Virginia villages in 1958. In the story, Ng also recounts a white man who marries a black lady in Virginia.

After four months of marriage, they are arrested. This couple fought for the legality of their marriage for four years, but after eight years, the court approved their marriage. Their relationship, on the other hand, will take a few more years to be recognized by their family. In Everything I Never Told You, Ng explores the difficulty of interracial marriage.

Lydia’s death is caused in part by the stress caused by her family’s environment and her parents’ unrealistic expectations. No child in Everything I Never Told You grew up in a healthy family. James grew up in a family where both of his parents lacked legal status in the United States, therefore their lives were filled with uncertainty.

Marlyn was born into a single-parent household, and her mother was a typical housewife who hoped Marlyn would grow up to be a woman like her. Marlyn had already left her husband and children with Lee’s family. Because their parents were preoccupied with Lydia, Nath and Hannah were never looked after by their parents, causing Lydia to be uncomfortable and stressed.

It can be an uncomfortable read during some points of the novel but the author’s writing is immaculate and thus, it is a must-read.

‘Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine’ by Gail Honeyman

This book is a heart-warming and well-written piece of fiction. This is again a book I cannot recommend enough. The unexpected ‘reveals’ in the story will make you sit on the edge of your seat. Some stories are meant to stay with you for the rest of your life and enrich your life.

Eleanor is a well-read and articulate woman. However, because she had lived alone her entire life, she was socially awkward. She’s true to herself, and because she doesn’t have a filter, she ends up blabbering about what’s on her mind. This puts her in an unusual spotlight and makes her a source of amusement among her employees.

Given the number of books about dementia, memory loss, and other mental health issues, it is surprising that it has taken profound loneliness this long to take center stage. I’m at a loss for words to describe this unputdownable story. It’s funny, sad, charming, and quite realistic in terms of her everyday behaviors as a girl.

Throughout the novel, Eleanor has a significant metamorphosis that benefits her and makes her a better person. You’ll empathize with her on various aspects of her personality, even if she feels untidy and destroyed.

‘The Bookseller of Kabul’ by Åsne Seierstad

The Bookseller of Kabul is a non-fiction book about a bookseller, Shah Muhammad Rais (whose name was altered to Sultan Khan), and his family in Kabul, Afghanistan, written by Norwegian journalist Asne Seierstad and released in Norwegian in 2002 and English in 2003.

There are numerous graphic descriptions of women being subjected to violence. In a park, a teenage girl meets a boy and they just sit. They seldom speak because she is so scared. Still, because she has been observed by a family member, this puts her in a lot of difficulties.

Her siblings and father battered her nearly to death before forcing her to marry. Another woman “commits” a similar “crime,” and her brothers, with her mother’s agreement, suffocate her after a severe beating, several days of isolation, and tremendous humiliation.

Sultan, the protagonist, who describes himself as a liberal and a man of literature, considers his wife as a “fuck-clean-cook” object. Also, as soon as she becomes too unattractive for him, Sultan, a 50-year-old man, gets himself a teenage wife, who is between 12–15 years old, which is disturbing.

‘Kabul Beauty School’ by Deborah Rodriguez

Deborah Rodriguez travelled to Afghanistan in 2001, shortly after the Taliban fell, as part of a group providing humanitarian relief to the war-torn country. She was enthusiastically sought out by Westerners in need of a nice haircut and Afghan women who have a long and proud heritage of having their own beauty salons once her occupation became known. As a result, an idea was born.

The line between teacher and student blurred quickly within the small haven of the beauty school, as these vibrant women shared their stories and their hearts with Rodriguez: the newlywed who faked her virginity on her wedding night, the twelve-year-old bride sold into marriage to pay her family’s debts, the Taliban member’s wife who pursued her training despite her husband’s opposition.

This vibrant memoir is full of dark humorous incidents, such as when a customer who had never seen a blow dryer mistook it for a pistol and bolted from the salon chair screaming.

‘The Silent Patient’ by Alex Michaelides

There’s something immensely fulfilling about reading a novel that allows you to form your own opinions about what happened while also transporting you on an unforgettable and twisted roller-coaster that shakes you to your core. You also wonder how far the author would go and admire them for pushing boundaries and avoiding well-worn roads.

I’ll be honest, I’m a little afraid of Alex Michaelides right now. I’m sure he’s a wonderful person, but it doesn’t change the fact that he has a mind that can give me or any other reader nightmares. He reminds you that the world is a safe place — it was designed to support communities — but that anyone can be triggered at any time and shatter your safe haven.

I can’t and won’t tell you anything about what happens in this novel except that the narrator, a psychotherapist, is attempting to persuade a disturbed patient at a psychiatric facility to open up about her history and the events that caused her to murder her husband. It’s completely messed up. Stay far, far away if you believe the world is made out of unicorns, rainbows, and sunshine. It will not only tease you, but it will also betray you.

‘Once Upon A Time In The East’ by Xiaolu Guo

When Xiaolu Guo is seven years old, she meets her parents for the first time. They are unfamiliar to her. Her parents give her to a childless peasant couple in the mountains when she is born. They leave Xiaolu with her illiterate grandparents in a fishing town on the East China Sea when she is two years old and malnourished on a diet of yam leaves.

Guo has finally found his voice. Once Upon a Time in the East is straightforward and honest. Her time in Beijing and London after arriving there in 2002 is also documented in the memoir. It is a fantastic memoir written by a remarkable woman. She discusses alienation and determination, grief and art, growing up and discovering herself, and everything in between.

I loved this book and I’m looking forward to reading more books by Xiaolu Guo. Also, I’ll be reading memoirs too more often. Let me know your favorite reads of 2022.