“Severance” by Ling Ma

“Severance,” published in August 2018, is eerily evocative of the COVID-19 pandemic that followed two years later. The book follows Candace Chen, a young woman who is a first-generation immigrant living and working in New York, through a post-apocalyptic tale of the fictional Shen Fever pandemic. Entirely isolated in New York, she documents the city’s abandonment as an anonymous photo blogger. The prose and details are lucid and frightening, while beautifully balancing the pandemic against the backdrop of her Chinese parents and the plights of growing up as a child of immigrants. 

“Bunny” by Mona Awad

“Bunny” follows Samantha, a student at a small and selective MFA writing program. She seethes with repulsion at the rest of her fiction-writing cohort, particularly at a group of obscenely wealthy girls who call one another “Bunny.” One day, to her surprise, she receives an invite from the Bunnies to join them in their off-campus writing workshop. The rest of the novel follows Samantha’s growing involvement with the group and the gruesome consequences of their friendship. Mona Awad’s fluid prose drips with sarcasm and discomfort, fully leaning into the magical and the absurd while establishing an allegorical satire of the creative writing world. Awad writes about the nightmares and horrors of the female experience with sophistication and sympathy, cementing “Bunny” as a nightmarish, twisted fairytale of loneliness, friendship and imagination.

“I’m Thinking of Ending Things” by Iain Reid

Perhaps one of the most frightening modern horror novels, “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” follows Jake and his unnamed girlfriend, on a road trip to his parent’s house. Through this simple but harrowing premise, the novel explores the human psyche, free will, relationships and consciousness, as it becomes clear to Jake’s girlfriend that everything is not as it seems in their relationship. Iain Reid crafts an atmospheric thriller through chilling prose and imagery that seeps into your space. Now a Netflix original movie, “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” is deeply suspenseful and unrelentingly uncomfortable.

“Ghosts” by Dolly Alderton

“Everything I Know About Love” author Dolly Alderton’s semi-autobiographical book follows Nina Dean, a millennial and successful food writer who makes her first foray into the world of dating apps. She meets a dashing, handsome man named Max, with whom she shares unbelievable chemistry and similarities. All goes well until he says “I love you,” then ghosts her completely. Alderton’s prose is dialogue-heavy, vibrant and fluid, with short chapters that render the narrative cinematic and well-paced. “Ghosts” is a shining light in the romance genre that sets new standards for what romance novels can be.

“Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee

“Pachinko” is a sprawling, multi-generational, historical novel about a Korean family who immigrated to Japan in 1933. It begins with Sunja, a teenage girl enamored with a rich man in her seaside hometown in Korea. She gets pregnant, discovers her lover is married and then refuses his money in favor of a kind minister on his way to Japan. Sunja’s rejection of her home and the money from her son’s father instigates a series of events that resounds across four generations. Min Jin Lee writes with a fluid, accessible simplicity that gives the novel a movie-like quality. The book consists of short chapters that keep you wanting to wolf down the plot and the fates of her complicated characters. 

“Almond” by Won-Pyung Sohn

“Almond” follows Yunjae, a young boy born with a brain condition that inhibits his ability to feel certain emotions like fear, anger and empathy. He lacks friends, though is fulfilled by a peaceful home life above his family’s used bookstore with his mother and grandmother who are accommodating of his condition. On his 16th birthday, a violent tragedy strikes, leaving Yunjae alone to cope with his loss in silence. Unfortunately adding to his troubles, a new student and bully swoops in to make his life harder. This book was unexpectedly intense and, in turn, blissfully surprising in its bittersweetness. The story finds a perfect balance between tragedy and hope, with short chapters that make it a fast and gripping read. “Almond” presents a beautiful and thought-provoking story of friendship, loss, and life’s many twists and turns.

Contact Lulu Chatterjee at [email protected].