19 best fiction books of 2021 to add to your reading list
Top 19 Fiction Books of 2021 to Enhance Your Reading List
Prepare to immerse yourself in captivating worlds with these must-read literary gems.
Songs In Ursa Major by Emma Brodie
Genre: General Fiction
It’s the summer of ’69, a time of Woodstock, bell-bottoms, and psychedelic prints that could blind you. Jane Quinn, a stunning blonde musician, stumbles into the right-place-right-time scenario when her band, The Breakers, gets signed to a major record label.
Music has always been Jane’s world. Her mother was a successful songwriter before vanishing a decade ago, and it’s all Jane has ever wanted to pursue. When she meets Jesse Reid, the heartthrob of the day, the stage is set for a fiery romance. The public eats it up, and record executives exploit their love for album sales.
But life at the top isn’t all glamour. Jesse’s partying ways expose Jane to the dark side of the music industry: drugs, exploitation, and deceit. In an era before the #MeToo movement, sexism and sleazy record execs run rampant. Men like Jesse are shielded, while independent women like Jane face mistreatment.
Amidst this, Jane’s dysfunctional family and hidden secrets threaten to derail her career and relationships. First-time author Emma Brodie draws inspiration from the ’70s love affair between James Taylor and Joni Mitchell, crafting characters as explosive as their real-life counterparts.
It’s a slow-burning novel that strikes all the right chords. Emma’s publishing industry background shines through in her ability to create complex, relatable characters and a gripping narrative. Put on James Taylor’s Sweet Baby James or Joni Mitchell’s Blue, pour a drink, and dive into this poignant and electrifying novel set in a fascinating musical era.
Loop Tracks by Sue Orr
Genre: General Fiction
Can one mistake define your entire life? Sue Orr’s brilliant novel invites us to ponder this question. It’s 1978, and Charlie is supposed to be flying to Sydney for an abortion. But a decision she makes shapes the rest of her life, as well as the second half of the novel, set in present-day Wellington during last year’s lockdown and general election. This book lives up to the hype.
Should We Stay Or Should We Go by Lionel Shriver
Genre: General Fiction
When insomnia strikes, you might clean out the hot water cupboard, binge-watch TV shows, or scroll through social media (not recommended). But one of the best ways to cope with sleeplessness is by reading a Lionel Shriver novel. The British-American author writes with such brilliance that you’ll be engrossed all night, forgetting about your lack of sleep.
Lionel’s 18th novel, sharing its title with a famous Clash song, kept me company during a recent bout of insomnia. It’s 1991 in South London, and nurse Kay and her doctor husband Cyril have just returned from Kay’s father’s funeral. After witnessing her father’s 14-year health decline, the couple contemplates the futility of aging.
They make a pact: on Kay’s 80th birthday in 2020, they’ll end their lives to avoid the indignities of old age. But as time passes and their final day approaches, doubts creep in. Lionel introduces Sliding Doors-style scenarios, imagining different outcomes for their plan. For instance, Kay has second thoughts but is killed by a speeding van, or their estranged adult children send them to a retirement village. There’s even a chapter where the couple enters a cryogenic deep-freeze.
It’s a wickedly fascinating read, not as depressing as it sounds, touching on issues like Brexit, immigration, political correctness, and Covid. In a youth-obsessed world, it’s refreshing to read about aging, society’s treatment of the elderly, and how to live a long life while going out in style.
In less skilled hands, this narrative could easily fall apart. But Lionel, who also wrote the gripping We Need to Talk About Kevin, delivers a masterclass in dark humor and irony. If she isn’t on your radar, she should be.
Mrs March by Virginia Feito
Genre: General Fiction
When actress Elisabeth Moss buys the film rights to a book and plans to star in it, you know it’s going to be good—and it is. The titular Mrs. March lives a privileged life in New York’s Upper East Side as the wife of a successful novelist. But when something happens to unravel her tightly controlled world, paranoia and psychic breakdown ensue. It’s a harrowing yet whip-smart read.
Nancy Business by R.W.R McDonald
Genre: General Fiction
I missed The Nancys, the winner of the 2020 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel. My loss. But you don’t need to have read it to enjoy the sequel, again set in Otago, where lovable characters Tippy, Uncle Pike, and Devon re-form their detective agency, The Nancys, when a mysterious explosion kills three people. This sweet, funny novel is like riding a roller coaster while hopped up on sugar.
