The 20 best fiction books of 2015
“Go Set a Watchman” by Harper Lee
“After You” by Jojo Moyes
The sequel to Moyes’ bestselling “Me Before You,” this novel picks up with protagonist Louisa Clark in the wake of losing Will Traynor, the quadriplegic man she spent six transformative months caring for and falling in love with.
In the midst of her grief, an accident lands Lou back home with her family, and things get even more complicated when an abandoned teenager named Lily shows up on her doorstep.
“The Royal We” by Heather Cocks
When Bex Porter leaves the US to attend college at Oxford, she never expects to live down the hall from Prince Nicholas, the next heir to the British throne. Even less expected, Bex falls in love with Nick and finds herself entangled in the complicated world of high society.
From attending glamorous events to dealing with the difficult secrets of the famously private royal family, Bex must put everything that defines her on the line for the man she loves.
“A Little Life” by Hanya Yanagihara
This novel follows the lives of four male friends — Willem, an actor; JB, an artist; Malcolm, an architect; and Jude, a lawyer — who meet in college and move to New York City post-graduation. As the years pass, the story narrows in on Jude and his struggle to overcome his traumatic past.
Brutal at times, “A Little Life” provides a powerful depiction of both deep tragedy and unbreakable friendship.
“My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry” by Fredrik Backman
When 7-year-old Elsa’s grandmother — who doubles as her best and only friend — dies, she leaves behind a trove of letters for her granddaughter. The notes send Elsa on a grand adventure, through which she learns about life, death, and accepting yourself as you are.
“Fates and Furies” by Lauren Groff
A New York Times bestseller and finalist for the 2015 National Book Award, “Fates and Furies” follows the marriage of Lotto and Mathilde over the course of 24 years. Wed at only 22-years-old, the couple starts out fresh-faced and glamorous, but things soon start to unravel.
Told from both Lotto and Mathilde’s perspectives “Gone Girl”-style, the story proves a powerful page-turner.
“Inside the O’Briens” by Lisa Genova
Joe O’Brien lives a picturesque life: He’s a respected police officer, married to his high school sweetheart, and the father of four adult children. But after he begins losing focus, losing his temper, and losing control of his movements, Joe discovers he has Huntington’s, a fatal neurodegenerative disease with no cure.
The story follows his family’s battle with the diagnosis as told through the perspectives of Joe as well as his 21-year-old daughter Katie, who has a 50% chance of developing the disease as well.
“Girl at War” by Sara Novic
In 1991, 10-year-old Ana Juric struggles to survive in Yugoslavia after civil war breaks out, ending the safe world she once knew. Ten years later, she’s a college student in New York who can’t escape the memories of her childhood — so she decides to return to Croatia for the first time in a decade.
“Girl at War” seamlessly switches back and forth between Ana’s past and present, exposing just how inextricable we are from our pasts.
“Our Souls at Night” by Kent Haruf
In it’s essence, “Our Souls at Night” is a novel about happiness — happiness in the plain, everyday, ordinary sense. But it starts with two people who are unbelievably lonely.
Widow Addie Monroe and widower Louis Waters have both lived in the small town of Holt, Colorado, for decades, since long before their spouses passed. They come together in the twilight of their lives, sharing pleasure, pain, and the raw emotions of being human.
“Trail of Broken Wings” by Sejal Badani
After years away from a home she left on purpose, Indian American photographer Sonya returns when her father falls into a coma. She reunites with sisters Trisha and Marin, and the three remember the violence and racism that perpetuated their childhoods.
As their father remains unconscious and the women grapple with their pasts, years of secrets begin to boil over.
“The Sound of Glass” by Karen White
When Merritt Heyward learns that she inherited the family home of her late husband, she packs up her life in Maine and moves down to South Carolina in hopes of starting over there.
However, Heyward’s life quickly becomes more complicated than ever when her stepmother and 10-year-old half brother show up at her door.
“Kitchens of the Great Midwest” by J. Ryan Stradal
After his wife left, Lars Thorvald raised his daughter, Eva, alone, quietly instilling in her his love for food and cooking. Now the hottest chef in the Midwest, Eva’s complex and quasi-secret dinner parties cost thousands of dollars per head and command a wait list years long.
Each chapter of “Kitchens of the Great Midwest” highlights a particular dish and character, telling Eva’s story through the very foods that not only define her but our culture at large, as well.
“First Frost” by Sarah Addison Allen
Each of the Waverly women possess a special gift: Claire is a brilliant chef, her sister Sydney’s charm is irresistible, and Sydney’s daughter Bay inherently understands everything’s place in the world. But when a mystical stranger shows up in their sleepy small town and challenges the bonds and history of their family, the women must learn to rely on each other in ways they never have before.
Esoteric without being overly farfetched, “First Frost” tackles a theme that resonates universally: the importance of family.
“The Secret Wisdom of the Earth” by Christopher Scotton
After witnessing the death of his brother, teenager Kevin Gillooly and his mother leave their home in Indiana to spend the summer with Kevin’s grandfather in a small coal town in Kentucky.
The story is told from the perspective of a much older Kevin as he reflects on the profound and life-altering summer where he learned about grief, hatred, prejudice, and friendship.
“Did You Ever Have a Family” by Bill Clegg
In a single tragic moment, an explosion on her daughter’s wedding day takes the lives of everyone close to June Reid: her ex-husband, her boyfriend, her daughter, and her daughter’s fiance.
The novel follows June as she drives across the country in search of a solution to her grief as a host of voices — including everyone from June’s boyfriend’s outcast mother to the wedding florist — share their connections to those who were lost.
“When the Moon is Low” by Nadia Hashimi
When the Taliban rises to power in Afghanistan and kills her husband, Fereiba is forced to take her three children and flee the country, journeying toward safety at her sister’s home in England.
Along the way, Fereiba is separated from her teenage son, Saleem, but continues onward with her daughter and baby while Saleem gets caught up in the underground network of undocumented Afghans roaming across Europe.
“A Spool of Blue Thread” by Anne Tyler
Gradual, yet powerful, this novel follows a family through four generations, always linking back to their quaint Baltimore home.
The story centers on the lives of the Abby and Red Whitshank and their four grown children, providing glimpses into the love and joy, as well as the heartbreak and jealousy, that binds a family for life.
“The Perfect Son” by Barbara Claypole White
Obsessed with perfection and haunted by past abuse from his father, Felix Fitzwilliam takes nearly no interest in forming a relationship with his son, Harry, who struggles with Tourette’s syndrome, anxiety, and other mental disorders.
But when his wife, Ella, Harry’s primary caregiver, undergoes a heart attack, both Felix and Harry must learn how to bend and adapt or risk watching their family swiftly deteriorate.
“Signs Preceding the End of the World” by Yuri Herrera and Lisa Dillman
In this short novel, heroine Makina is smuggled across the US-Mexican border with two secret messages in tow: a plea from her mother for her brother to return home and a suspicious package from an infamous drug lord. Makina’s journey tackles the physical and emotional reality of what it’s like to cross the border, exploring the true price of a “better” life in the US.
Originally written in Spanish by Yuri Herrera, Lisa Dillman brilliantly translates the story into English.
“Purity” by Jonathan Franzen
Purity Tyler, more commonly known as Pip, is drowning in student loans, putting in long hours at a job she hates, and has only a loose grip on her own identity — largely thanks to her mother cutting ties with all of their relatives before Pip was even born.
But when German peace activists offer Pip an internship that would teach her to manipulate the dark web, Pip sees it as an opportunity to finally uncover all the secrets her mother has been hiding.
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