Paradais by Fernanda Melchor, translated by Sophie Hughes, is my favourite book of 2022. Her previous novel, Hurricane Season, also published by Fitzcarraldo, was just as intricate and fascinating, a visceral representation of misogyny that culminates a tragedy; Fernanda Melchor was in the bookshop to discuss Paradais with Nicole Flattery; you can listen to the podcast here and engage with the discussion.
Equally satisfying, in this instance for the scope of the story – a captivating travel through political history and political thought from Spain to Colombia to China – Retrospective by Juan Gabriel Vásquez; a story of the colossal damage political indoctrination has caused at different point in the history of Latin America.
In a more gentle fashion, a beautiful new title by Juan Pablo Villalobos Invasion of the Spirit People tells the tale of Gastón, his friend and his dog as they face xenophobia and growing tales about aliens while trying to cope with their personal tragedies. Irene Solà's wonderful title When I Sing, Mountains Dance was a joy to read, unfortunately the hardback is out of print but you can pre-order the paperback here and enjoy it in spring. I love scary books, and two this year have been, for different reasons quite chilling: Stranger to the Moon by Evelio Rosero and Baron Bagge by Alexander Lernet-Holenia. Another scary book, but this time with a great sense of fun: I thoroughly enjoyed The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, you can still order in hardback or in paperback from January here.
From the publisher:
Translated by Sophie HughesInside a luxury housing complex, two misfit teenagers sneak around and get drunk. Franco Andrade, lonely, overweight, and addicted to porn, obsessively fantasizes about seducing his neighbor – an attractive…
From the publisher:
Translated from the Spanish by Anne McLean“One of the great novels to have been written in our language” Mario Vargas LlosaHe thought that memories were invisible like light, and just as smoke made light show, there must be a…
From the publisher:
Translated by Rosalind HarveyJuan Pablo Villalobos’s fifth novel adopts a gentle, fable-like tone, approaching the problem of racism from the perspective that any position as idiotic as xenophobia can only be fought with sheer…
From the publisher:
Translated by Mara Faye LethemWhen Domenec – mountain-dweller, father, poet, dreamer – dies suddenly, struck by lightning, he leaves behind two small children, Mia and Hilari, to grow up wild among the looming summits of…
From the publisher:
A chilling allegorical novella by the masterful Colombian writer who poses timeless questions about violence and subjugation, power and freedom.Imagining the darkest of power imbalances in a dystopian world, in which the most vulnerable are…
From the publisher:
A beautiful collection of paintings, drawings and reflections on creatures, our constant companions, from the masterful narrative artist Shaun Tan.A creature does not necessarily represent one thing or another; it just is. A mysterious…
From the publisher:
Translated by Richard and Clara Winston'A masterpiece' Stefan Zweig'Compelling ... intense ... blending military narratives, paranormal experiences and erotic obsessions' TLSBaron Bagge, a cavalry officer during the First World War,…
From the publisher:
Longlisted for the Booker PrizeWinner of the Desmond Elliott PrizeShortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the YearShortlisted for the Goldsmiths PrizeLonglisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize'Original, memorable, shimmering'…
From the publisher:
PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE NIGHT WATCHMANIn this stunning and timely novel, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich creates a wickedly funny ghost story, a tale of passion, of a complex marriage…
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