My Favourite Books of 2014

Admittedly, it's been a while. I've been brimming with ideas for this here blog but with the avalanche of commitments that rudely fell upon me at the beginning of September (e.g. big-scary-final-year-student-things-gross), The Old Curiosity Blog was set aside reluctantly. Determined to get back into the swing of things, I thought I'd write a little something about my favourite books of 2014 (with a particular focus on new books that have been published in 2013/14).

Consider this a shortlist of my favourites - the books that made me laugh, think, and admire the writers for their ability to create characters with voices that launch off the pages.

1. Mr. Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo

With her acting background and experience as a poet, Evaristo's mix of lively, vibrant dialogue and beautifully lyrical moments makes Mr. Loverman a striking read. This novel follows Barrington, an elderly member of the Caribbean community of Hackney, living with his religious wife of 50 plus years, who has kept a secret for most of his life. He is homosexual, and has been having an affair with his soulmate, Maurice, since childhood.

I fell in love with Barrington - for his wit, for his ability to shock, for his way of talking - and I read this novel with a pang of sadness in my stomach that I would eventually have to finish it and leave Barrington's colourful world behind. That said, there are moments in the book where Barrington can strain your willingness to love him - Evaristo does not create a victim of circumstance. She makes you question the impact of Barrington's double life on his wife, and her missed opportunities at receiving love.

2. Mrs Hemingway by Naomi Wood

Although I've never read Hemingway, my nosey nature drew me to this book. It cleverly traces the pattern of mistress to marriage to mistress to marriage throughout Ernest Hemingway's life, giving voice to the women who had all, at one point, become Mrs Hemingway. For Hadley Richardson, the first Mrs Hemingway, I felt a surge of sympathy; so much so that when I read about Fife (Pauline Pfeiffer, the soon-to-be Mrs), I wanted to protect Hadley from the oncoming heartbreak. It's a feeling that does not last; each woman that comes into Hemingway's life charms you and makes you want to guide them away from the inevitable damage their marriage will bring. Wood's novel made me question my loyalty to these characters; am I cheating on the current Mrs Hemingway by warming to the woman that will take her place?

3. Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham

This is a book that has received a huge amount of hype, and I'm glad to say it has not disappointed. It croons Dunham's voice, and her ability in the HBO series Girls to depict the unsettling to the hilarious comes through in this book. Not That Kind of Girl should spark questions in the reader and bring out conversations to share with others. What I have "learned" from the book is a whole other matter (and a whole other blog post, coming soon).

4. The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

Speaking of books with a hype, The Miniaturist has dominated this year's bestseller lists and was recently announced as the Waterstones Book of the Year. Early on in the summer break from university, I was doing work experience placements in the publishing industry, and there seemed to be a buzz about this book in the various offices I worked at. Curious, I started reading the book on the commute to and from London. The Miniaturist transported me away from the those boring commutes.  It maintained mystery, and as a reader I felt the same sense of eagerness  to unlock the secrets of the Miniaturist as the protagonist, Nella. At times I felt the repairing of Nella and Johannes' relationship was rushed in the scheme of the novel, and I felt the reveal of the Miniaturist's circumstances could have gone further.

5. All the Days and Nights by Niven Govinden

Over the summer I was asked to review Govinden's latest novel for the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize, and you can read the article here. All the Days and Nights tells the story of a dying artist and her muse-and-husband in the final months of her life; we see their relationship strain under the pressures of illness and her obsession to make art, and his escape to track down the portraits he sat for over the course of their marriage. I have included it on this list because I happened to read this book at a difficult point in my year, and this novel guided me through the difficulties of grief. I guess it proved that sometimes it's the time in your life in which you read a book that makes it all the more special.