Reading fiction allows us to take in some of the richest experiences of our lives—letting us travel to places far and wide from the comfort of our warm and dimly lit rooms.
We get to witness the sounds and sights of war, tragedy, and trauma, while also experiencing love, magic, and happiness. One moment, we’re in the middle of a Shakespearean-era ball and the next, we’re helping Sherlock Holmes trace down clues for his latest case. In short, fiction helps us take our minds off the lives we are living and take up a new narrative.
Now that the year 2019 is coming to an end, we’ve compiled a list of our best fiction picks of the year:
The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins
The Guardian has labeled this a “a stunning debut” for Collins. The story is set in the 19th century, and revolves around the life of Frannie Langton.
Langton is a prisoner who has been accused and tried for a murder that she doesn’t remember committing. Frannie’s story is strikingly similar to Jane Eyre’s. She has been through her fair share of horrifying experiences and suffering. The character is clever and yet caged, owing to how she was never allowed to exercise her cleverness.
Collins’ gothic take on how Frannie came out of her suffering and beat it is remarkable. Unlike the contemporary definition of goth, the story has no ghosts or vampires—but it still makes you shiver at times.
The Porpoise by Mark Haddon
Mark Haddon is not new to the game. Back in 2003, he rose to popularity with his bestseller, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.’ His new work is nothing like what he has written before. It’s action-packed, violent, and at the same time, thrilling.
The story revolves around the life of Philippe, who loses his pregnant wife in a plane crash and becomes paralyzed as a result of the grief.
The baby, however, is safely delivered and is left to survive the hardships of life alone. Growing up, Angelica has all the luxuries of life and is yet lonely and isolated.
All her life, she tries to break free from the cage that her life is and fights her way out. There are clashes, combats, assaults, and murders. The story of how Angelica fights the odds keeps you glued to the pages till the very end.
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