New Books that Cannot be Ignored
This is the time of year when I see list after list of “best historical fiction of 2025” or “best mystery Novels of 2025” or “Notable Books of 2025.” There are so many books published every week. Before we start looking back on the year, however, there are a few books I have not mentioned in the blog and want to point out below:
Remember John Irving? Prayer for Owen Meany, The World According to Garp, Cider House Rules? Now Irving revisits the orphanage in St. Cloud’s, Maine, and we meet Esther, a Jewish orphan. Dr. Larch is worried he cannot find parents to adopt her, but ultimately the Winslows take her into their home where they treat her as a real daughter! The story progresses involving the Winslow family and Esther until Esther is in her 80’s. A reviewer for the Guardian called the book ‘a disappointment,’ while another reviewer from the New York Times praised the writing and the sweeping story. He was not at all disppointed with Irving’s new novel.
Palaver: A Novel, was written by Book Award finalist Bryan Washington. The book is the story of a mother who unexpectedly pops in on her son in Tokyo a few weeks before Christmas. Not unsurprisingly, their reunion, after ten years of estrangement, was not an immediate reconciliation. But the mother stayed on in Toyko, and the duo slowly but surely began to understand and appreciate each other while dealing with their own challenges. Palaver was named one of The Washington Post’s Best Fiction Books of the Year.
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sonny is another book about relationships. Written by Kiren Desai, the story goes on for over 600 pages. Yes! Most reviewers, however, have not held the book’s length against it. Loneliness seems to be an epidemic among the old and the young and such a hindrance, not only to one’s happiness but also to one’s lifespan. Desai explores the theme of loneliness and shows the reader a case where being with others is not always an answer to loneliness. You may ask yourself if Sonia and Sonny are lovers. Do they find fulillment in one another? You will need to read the book, if you can last over 600 pages, to find the answers to these questions!
