2017 round-up: books

There were a lot of big novels published in a year where the news was pretty bleak. Whether it was travelling to another world to escape, or holding a mirror up to the one we live in, there were plenty of worthwhile and important stories to be read and listened to. 

 Kazuo Ishiguro, author of Never Let Me Go, won the Nobel Prize for literature; John Green made a come back with Turtles All The Way Down, his first published work since 2012; Philip Pullman returned to His Dark Materials universe with La Belle Sauvage, the start of the new The Book Of Dust trilogy; and Adam Kay, junior doctor turned comedy writer, shared the diaries of his time working in the NHS in This Is Going To Hurt

The Hate U Give 



In a year where #BlackLivesMatter got more momentum, footballers in the States kneeled to protest police brutality, and more horrifying stories emerged of the mistreatment of people of colour by authorities, this book felt more important than ever. 

Anyone that dismisses Young Adult fiction is not worthy of your time. There is an art to explaining complicated subjects in a way that teenagers can read, whilst making sure it is authentic and not patronising. And often, YA explains bigger issues in a much better way than convoluted authors writing novels in an attempt to make them sound smart.  This is an example of Young Adult fiction outshining any other takes on the issues of police brutality, race and family in America.  

Starr straddles two worlds, that of the majority white private school she goes to where she dates another student, and the life she lives with her loving family in an area that is exposed to gang rivalry. When she witnesses her unarmed cousin being shot by a police officer after being pulled over, these two worlds become even more alien to each other. 
The book is a fascinating look at the lessons she’s been taught from the different influences in her life and how these impact the decisions Starr has to make after the incident. There’s a scene where she looks back at what her parents have taught her in case she ever meets a cop - “Keep your hands visible. Don’t make any sudden movements” - showing that the price to pay for existing as a black person in America is to be taught how to interact with law enforcement for your own safety.



The book is being turned into a film starring Amandla Stenberg, which has just wrapped up production - let's hope they can do the story, and the characters, justice. 

The Power


(yes technically this came out in 2016 but it won the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction in 2017 so it's being included) 

Again, a hugely topical book in a year that started with the Women's Marches that took place across the globe, and ended with the momentum of the #MeToo movement highlighting the sexual harassment that  many women have endured over decades.  

The Power is about an awakening within women the ability to shoot electrical jolts from their fingers, which in turn shifts the balance of power from men to women as they take charge and make use of their new found gifts. 

The Power is such a fantastic commentary on what it often feels like to exist as a woman, and flips it around to put  men in their position. Reading this book made me be able to imagine what it would feel like to feel as powerful as a man.. To know that, if I had that feeling of being strong and powerful, what I could be capable of. 

The letters to and from the editor at the start and the end of the novel are genius - and you know that this kind of criticism is the exact type that the author has endured herself, just switched around for impact. 

All I would ask of the author is to explore the same universe but with intersex, trans and non-straight women. I feel like that would be a natural sequel to the world she has already created and would offer really interesting and alternative insights into how the skeins work and how the relationships would be different within non-straight couples. 

This book has also been bought up, this time to be created into a TV series, so look out for it on your screens (hopefully) soon.

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