1. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein - The best part of the The Art of Racing in the Rain? Enzo, our narrator, the most insightful and expressive all year. The weird part? Enzo is a dog. Sure, the idea seems kitschy, but it's a device that works remarkably well through-out this inspirational, silently heart-breaking novel. A philosopher at heart, with a nearly human soul (according to him), Enzo has educated himself about the ways of the world by watching television extensively. Through his owner, Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition. On the eve if his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling the life and memories of his owner family: Denny's wife, Eve; their daughter, Zoe; and by extension the other members of the family who come into focus due to a series of unfortunate events. Having learned what it is like to be compassionate, Enzo cannot wait to come back as a human in his next life. Deeply funny, and a tear-jerker of the highest order, The Art of Racing in the Rain is the most captivating and beautiful book of 2008, and an illuminating look at the absurdities of human life, as only our closest non-human friend could tell it.
2. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri - As she did in her Pulitzer Prize-winning debut of short stories, The Interpreter of Maladies, and her first and only novel, The Namesake, Ms. Lahiri writes about immigrants from India, and their American-bred children who straddle the two cultures, but belong to neither. These Indian parents want the American Dream for their kids- namebrand schools, prestigious jobs, a roomy house in the suburbs- but are cautious about pitfalls in this land, and are usually isolated due to their difficulties with the language and customs. Written with poise and breath-taking elegance, Lahiri uses her lapidary eye for detail to conjure up their daily lives with extraordinary precision- what she makes possible in a mere 15 pages, other writers often take 500 to flesh out. Lahiri knows what makes a story work, and she cuts to the chase, excising all the fat and frippery, giving us sharp insight and vivid descriptions. There is an almost palpable sense of loss coursing through these stories, an indication that Lahiri is cognizant of the wages of time, and understands too the missed opportunities that plague her characters.
3. Home by Marilynne Robinson - Robinson must be the only writer alive today who does not feel pressured by the hands of time- at 65, Robinson has written 3 novels in nearly as much deacade, and 2 works of non-fiction between 1989 and 1998. Any fan of hers know though, that what Robinson lacks in proliferation, she makes up for in depth and quality. In 2004, after a 24 year wait after her first novel Housekeeping, Robinson published her Gilead about a church minister in Gilead, Iowa, winning the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in the process. Now, 4 years later, she returns to Gilead, telling the same story of the church minister, through different eyes. Recently shortlisted for the National Book Award, the novel presents Robinson at her poetic best, with the usual character insight, fluidity of prose and cornucopia of metaphors.
4. The Host by Stephenie Meyer - Some writers have all the luck as their name alone, attached to almost anything, can ensure commercial success. Stephenie Meyer is the perfect example of this- her Twilight series is the most popular teen series this decade, after Harry Potter, but unlike Rowling, Meyer has sought to expand her horizons, writing her first "adult" novel in the form of The Host. The story centres around Wanderer, a member of an alien species that takes possession of human minds and bodies. Nearly all of humanity have succumbed to these alien beings, but Wanderer's host, Melanie, is an especially strong human being who will not go quietly. Suffice it to say, this is science fiction for those who do not like science fiction, as the book is imbued with drama, sensuality and romance. Still, the book is frightening and utterly believable in its portrayal of a non-human society taken over by these creatures. Meyer's writing is subtle and never flashy, an the plot moves sure-footedly in unexpected ways. Oh. More great news- the ending seems to be the perfect set-up for a sequel. Be prepared to lose precious hours of sleep.
5. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga - Having won the Man Booker, Adiga has cemented his place as one of the most exciting new writers to have emerged in the past decade. Telling the story of Balram Halwai, born into the dark heart of India, the book highlights his ascent from lowly driver to eventual murderer. Balram's eyes penetrate India as few outsiders (and narrators) can: he sees the call centres and the cockroaches, the ancient and internet cultures, the buffalo and the white tiger. At once shocking and uproarious, The White Tiger possesses not one swirl of sari or whiff of curry spice, but cuts deep to the injustices and poverty faced by many unknown citizens. In an almost anarchic, satirical tone reminiscent of Chuck Palahniuk and Junot Diaz at their best, the novel is an original, incendiary tour de force, announces Adiga as one to watch.
6. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski - Much has already been made of this novel, the first from heretofore unknown Wroblewski. Written over the course of ten years, the novel is a great, big, mesmerizing, 600-page wallop of a book. Filled with sign language, ghosts, dogs, murder, mystery and the great outdoors, Wroblewski freely borrows from the greats before him- William Shakespeare, Rudyard Kipling, Stephen King- infusing their trademark elements into his own story. The narrative centres itself around mute Edgar, who has an uncanny ability to communicate with dogs, and his family which, over generations, has strived to establish (through an amalgam of breeding, training and mysticism) the perfect breed of companion dog. The novel is a coming-of-age tale, that pays rapt attention to the power and intricacies of communication; and despite its unhurried, free-wheeling progress, the book still manages to guilelessly captivate with its sometimes beautiful prose. Readers with no interest in dogs or Oedipal complexes, can still find much to delight in. Pick the book up and expect to feel very reluctant to put it down.
7. Song Yet Sung by James McBride - Best known for his memoir The Color of Water, Remiscent of Harriet Tubman, McBride's protaganist here is Liz Spocott, who like Tubman, becomes a visionary after being bashed in the head. Liz's vatic dreams start on page 1 and continue straight into the future, providing a sort of prophetic view of 21st century gangsta culture. With one of the best opening sequences in any novel this year, the action quickly starts with a breakout of slaves imprisoned in a tavern operated by a roguish woman named Patty Cannon, a historical figure presented under her real name. From this point onwards, McBride engages us in an such an excellent adventure story, that one risks turning the pages so quickly, missing the richness of the writing. The subject matter is heavy, but the tone is dispassionate, so the book never comes off as bitter. Turning much racist mythology on its head, McBrie presents a historically-sound tale and exploration of slavery and its effects.
8. Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan - Born in southern Nigeria, ordained Jesuit priest Ikot Akpan Eda presents chilling, heart-breaking themes and character arcs in this, his first book, a collection of 5 stories. First published in The New Yorker's Debut Fiction issue in 2005, "An Ex-mas Feast" tells of a family having to sniff shoe glue in lieu of an actual meal. "Fattening For Gabon" tells of a brother and sister coping with their uncle's attempts to sell them into slavery, while "My Parents' Bedroom" illustrates a girl's shattered innocence in the face of civil unrest in Rwanda. Each story creates a microcosm of life in Africa, issues that its denizens would call reality. In clear, unadorned prose, Akpan presents his faceless, sometimes nameless child protagonists in the face of absolute horror, and awe is sometimes the only appropriate response to Akpan's creations. In lesser hands, the book would have been heavy-handed, preach-y and depressing, but with Akpan's clear vision, the novel emerges as one of the year's most striking debuts.
9. When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris - Sedaris has now hit mid-life, and with ...Flames, more than with any other of his collection of essays, he has started to question his own mortality, Sure, the side-splitting humour remains along with a plethora of curious characters (the golden-aged. foul-mouthed neighbour who forces Sedaris to retrieve her dentures from a planter outside their building; a stinky baby-sitter named Mrs. Peacock who lies face down and forces him and his siblings to rake her with a back-scratcher; the human skeleton hanging from the bedroom ceiling that suddenly starts to speak), but there's pathos here, more obviously abundant than in his previous works. The last essay entitled "The Smoking Section", cut into three sections, is the book's highpoint, detailing how Sedaris tried to quit smoking- he smoked Kool Milds for about 30 years, and his mom died of lung cancer. Sedaris knows that death always wins, but in quitting, the fighting spirit shows that there should be more excellent work to come.
10. The Same Earth by Kei Miller - Recently launched at the Calabash Festival, Miller's first novel has enjoyed runaway success locally, and international acclaim. Inter lapping stories surrounding the residents of a smalltown rural Jamaican community, The Same Earth is reminiscent of Alexander McCall Smith, and Andrea Levy, imbued with Toni Morrison's rhythm for language. At once an indictment of smalltown religion and an expose on how it feeds hypocrisy, ignorance and even violence, Miller has presented one of the funniest books of the year, and raised the standard for local novelists
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