Here Is What You Have Been Waiting For, Darlings--MY List!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           Now, when I say "Best Fiction," I am following the template of "The New York Times," by eliminating the titles to five.  Were there room for more I can think of several books that might have turned up on my list, like "The Marriage Portrait," by Maggie O'Farrell, or "Tomorrow And Tomorrow And Tomorrow," by Gabrielle Zevin.  So, sticking with five, these are the books that swept  me away in 2022.

                                                                                 

                           1. "Demon Copperhead," by Barbara Kingsolver--Without question, the Book Of The Year!!!!!!!!!!!!  I will admit I was nervous when I first heard about it--could even Kingsolver pull off such a feat?  Tampering with Dickens?  Well, she does a beautiful job of honoring its source and moving the story forward.  Those who know "David Copperfield" will recognize characters and incidents instantly, while those unfamiliar with Dickens may be inspired to read him--which they should!

Having just read "David Copperfield" last year, the timing for me was perfect for this.  But how would I know it would be so perfect?  Read it, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

                                                                                 

                                       2. "The Whalebone Theatre," by Joanna Quinn--One thing "Demon Copperhead" did not have, because it could not, was the romanticism of Dickens.  Joanna Quinn's debut novel, "The Whalebone Theatre" evokes a sense of Victorian-like romanticism, akin to what A. S. Byatt did in "The Children's Book."  It tale of three siblings, through the Twenties to World War II, is lyrical and heartbreaking, and I wanted more when it ended.  For readers who need a novel to get lost in, this is it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                                    

                                    3. "Nightcrawling," by Leila Mottley--Set in Oakland, CA, but might as well be The Bronx, or any American urban sprawl, this tale of a young girl on her own and a boy abandoned by his mother trying to survive the cruelty and hardships of the situation they are in through no fault of their own hits hard with relevance.  It is grim and gritty at times, but unflinching in its realism.  Not for the faint of heart, but those who desire something serious.

                                                                                

                         4.  "Lessons In Chemistry," by Bonnie Garmus--Far from being the frivolity its cover suggests, this is an insightful, empowering story of  a woman who wanted to be a chemist in the Fifties, when the idea of women in science was a joke.  She took that, and ran, evolving into a combined chemist and chef, ultimately becoming a kind of precursor to Julia Child.  Funny, heartbreaking, yet hopeful, this was a delightful surprise, and features one of the most loving canine characters in literature.  For those scientific and not.

                                                                            

                                      5.  "Trust," by Hernan Diaz--How much more can be said of this novel that divides people so?  I happened to love it, and its blend of narrative and socio-political and literary references just grabbed me, as I think it will many readers.  A delightful surprise, in a year filled with surprises.

                                    So, that is how I saw the best of fiction in 2022.  Let me know what you think, what you would include, and remember it's what makes a horse race, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      Only make sure you are the one who wins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!