The 2010s: A Critic’s Picks Of The Top 10 Novels Of The Decade
10 buzzy books that made it onto our critic’s list of favorite novels from the decade
Despite the advancements of digital technology, the publishing houses and books continue to flourish. Sometimes, it’s a matter of embracing the “beast,” and knowing that if content is still king, it may be a matter of diversifying the manner in which said content is delivered to the “reader.”
For some reason, it’s crime fiction that leads the way in traditional fiction book sales; and that’s meant a number of so-called crime/mystery writers have entered the mainstream on the strength of their revenue-drawing power. And at times, more serious writers have straddled the genre, using the detective novel structure to weigh in with social commentary.
Young adult literature is the other surprising contender for keeping the publishing world afloat. Cutting across a range of genres within the category, young readers have ironically been keeping several authors in demand—even fueling the movie industry with tried and tested stories.
Me, I’m just happy that novels and the publishing companies are still surviving. And here’s my personal list of the novels I’ve enjoyed over the last decade—and yes, do be forewarned that I have a penchant for social satires and dark comedies.
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A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (2010)
Interconnected stories and narratives, traveling through space and time, with so much to say about society and the world today—as seen through the eyes of an aging punk rocker and his klepto employee.
Philip Cu-Unjieng | Photo Credit: Knopf Doubleday
The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (2011)
One of my favorite authors for several decades now, this was Barnes at his briefest, yet finest. Dealing with aging, memory, and regret, it’s magic is how it lingers in the mind, long after you’ve closed the book.
Philip Cu-Unjieng | Photo Credit: Alfred A. Knopf
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (2011)
If science fiction and the world of video games rank high in your life, then you’ll love this futuristic, yet nostalgic, adventure. Forget the film (even if it is a good effort), the book is the real deal!
Philip Cu-Unjieng | Photo Credit: Crown Publishing
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (2012)
This was the grumpy old man/widower brought to vivid life and bestowed with compassion. It’s the attention to detail, and how the vignettes seemed to flow, that made this such a shaggy dog charmer.
Philip Cu-Unjieng | Photo Credit: Simon and Schuster
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (2012)
Flynn may not have invented the unreliable narrator, but the Amy Dunne she creates here is the updated version who surprised practically everyone when the twist in the story came. Copycat novels ensued, but this is the sinister original.
Philip Cu-Unjieng | Photo Credit: Crown Publishing
Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple (2012)
Narrated by the 15-year old daughter, this chronicles the disappearance of Bernadette right before the family trip to Antarctica. Brilliantly, it’s a comedy, while talking about what is sad and desperate in modern life.
Philip Cu-Unjieng | Photo Credit: Little, Brown and Company
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (2013)
Noted for its unusual narrative structure, this novel was all about possibility and what if. Our main character dies a stillbirth, then reappears in the next chapter having survived the stillbirth. Numerous iterations of the “life lived” then follow.
Philip Cu-Unjieng | Photo Credit: Reagan Arthur Books
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (2014)
When talking of historical fiction dealing with World War II, this novel will be part of the conversation. In 2014, it might have been asked what more could be said, but this one surprises with its humanity and compelling characters.
Philip Cu-Unjieng | Photo Credit: Scribner
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen (2015)
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, this is an espionage thriller that says a lot about the duality of the immigrant experience; and how it’s so easy for the West to misrepresent the cultures of others.
Philip Cu-Unjieng | Photo Credit: Grove Press
Less by Andrew Sean Greer (2017)
Here is the ultimate comic novel about being an aging writer, and being gay in the world of publishing. Filled with absurdity, heartache, and laugh-out-loud moments as the story takes us from literary retreats to festivals and book tours.
Philip Cu-Unjieng | Photo Credit: Little, Brown and Company
Honorable Mentions:
Little by Edward Carey (2018): Gripping historical fiction of an ambitious orphan who becomes Madame Tussaud.
Swamplandia by Karen Russell (2011): Set in Florida, a hilarious family saga of alligator wrestlers.
The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar (2018): The historical novel gets a surreal update with this story of passion and obsession, set in 1780’s London.
The Children Act by Ian McEwan (2014): McEwan in fine form with complex characters dealing with state vs religion, in the medical care and survival of a minor.
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