Following is my list of the five best new books I read in 2018. Unlike other lists, it is not necessary that these be new books, just that it be the first time I have read the books.
As most who know me, I love reading biography and memoir about music and musicians. I feared that I already knew too much about Petty from the fantastic Runnin' Down a Dream documentary and thought the book might just be a rehash. While certainly, much of the basis of that story was there, the book supplements the rock doc nicely. I particularly enjoyed reading about the early days of touring, Tom's friendship with Stevie Nicks, how touring with Bob Dylan as his backing band made Tom and the Heartbreakers a better-performing band years into their fame, and yet another recounting of the formation of the Travelling Wilburys. Petty's humble beginnings and utter failings at school made him destined for one of two things: a life of nameless sub-mediocrity or rock and roll fame. There was to be no middle ground. It is impossible not to like someone who battled the oppressive record industry for the rights to his art at a time when record executives were king. As Petty discovered about taking control of his destiny in his artistic and personal life, "It's Good to Be King."
To Kill a Mockingbird might never have been written were it not for this book. McCullers captures the south in the mid-20th century in a way I had only experienced in Harper Lee's classic previously. The book is masterfully crafted, weaving in and out of the lives of Singer, a deaf-mute; Biff Brannon, the owner of a local restaurant; Dr. Copeland, an African American doctor, Mick Kelly, a bright teenage girl; and Jake Blount, the town drunk. I particularly found the lives of Mick Kelly and Singer fascinating. Mick reminded me much of Scout Finch, though her bildungsroman moment occurs a little later in her teenage years and her revelation seems much less inspirational and more in-line with the ideals of practicality and realism. Singer becomes the character on which the whole novel hinges, as other characters unexpectedly find solace in the company of the man who can't speak back nor fully understand what it is they are trying to communicate. The novel is rich in themes relating to misunderstanding and psychological isolation. Certainly, the novel stands as a classic of the 20th century.
A significant portion of my summer was spent wending my way through Margaret Atwood's Madaddam Trilogy. As with all tales in which some of the characters are left out in the dark for significant amounts of time, I grew impatient with some of the plot lines but became invested enough with the rest of the characters to continue reading in order to discover what became of the characters about which I was left in suspense. The setting is yet another dystopian world in which a pandemic has wiped out the majority of the population and destroyed the technological advances of mankind in the process. My favorite book in the series is the first, in which the protagonist, called Snowman, recounts the story of how he meets Oryx and Crake and how this apocalyptic wasteland has come to be. The second book concerns itself with Toby and Ren, who tell their stories through alternating and intersecting perspectives. They tell of their lives before the "end of the world" and after the events at the end of Oryx and Crake have taken place. The characters from the first book "drop in" for continuity and to set up the third book in which the tale of all of the principles draws to a close. Atwood masterfully creates an entirely different dystopia than in Handmaid's and constructs differing messages. One of my few quips was some of the technology in book one seemed to really be outmoded or on its way out even while Atwood was writing it. It may have been a slight oversight in her research or just a mere blip caused by the quick-changing technologies of the 1990s when she was writing. The author is primarily concerned with environmental responsibility as well as introducing many questions about issues that arise from problems of overpopulation. I spent a few months immersed in this dystopian desert.
As of a few years ago, I had dabbled in comics, having always been a fan of the Marvel and DC animated, then live action films and series as I grew up, from watching the old-school 1950s and 60s animated Superman on VHS to waking up early on Saturday mornings to watch Spiderman and X-Men, then finally to the explosion of Marvel in theatres and The Walking Dead universe on AMC. I made the decision to delve into The Walking Dead graphic novels (still slowly making my way), but it wasn't until I read the Scott Pilgrim series that I gave the genre any serious consideration, as the series showed me how the medium could communicate the story and message in an entirely unique way. O'Malley's masterpiece invited me to explore more, so in recent years, I have dove in. Fast-forward to a comic shop in Santa Fe. Liz picks up Y:The Last Man because of the blurb on the cover: "The best graphic novel I've ever read." by Stephen King. She buys it, and it sits for a few months before I pick it up and read it. Halfway through, I am sold and order the next one on Amazon. The story begins when every male (of every species) on the planet dies, just drops dead, except for a man named Yorick and the capuchin he is training. This story is the best dystopian fiction I have read since the first time I read The Handmaid's Tale. It may, dare I say it, be better. The story is packed with pop culture and literary allusions, including the Shakespearean names of the protagonist and his sister, Hero. The twists and turns, and cliffhangers sometimes required that I close the book and savor the suspense that I know I would have had to suffer were I a reader waiting for the next issue to come out. Vaughan explores what a world without men and traditional masculinity might look like. What is human nature? What is man nature? As well as a questioning of what is too far when it comes to science? The storytelling is so cinematic that a graphic novel was the only choice for telling the story, so cinematic, that I couldn't believe that someone hadn't nabbed up the movie or television rights to this amazing story. Last week, I googled the series and lo and behold, FX is in pre-production on a series. I am cautiously optimistic. I wish one of the streaming services had done it instead, as the binge-worthiness is certainly there, but I will hold my breath and hope for the best. The graphic novel is leaps and bounds better than The Walking Dead series. If that is some kind of Church of the Holy Comics sacrilege, feel free to excommunicate me. I will gladly leave the congregation if I can take my collection of Y: The Last Man with me.
A masterpiece. There is no other word to describe the craftmanship Walker imposes on the reader through the voices of her characters in The Color Purple. I was already familiar with the story, not through the film, as might be expected, but through the Broadway musical, which I saw several years ago in New York, so I knew the story would pack a punch. Walker's choice to narrate the story through a series of letters written by a barely literate and often ignorant narrator yet still manage to clearly communicate plot and theme to the reader demonstrates such adept writing that it baffles my mind as to how she accomplishes the task. So much of the story seems to be mirrors of other parts, for example, Celie and Mr. _____'s relationship and Harpo and Sofia's relationship (complete with Shug Avery and Squeak subplots). These stories are the same but opposite in many ways. For example, Mr. is obviously overbearing and dominant over Celie, whereas Shug Avery has absolute control over her relationship with Mr.; whereas Sofia exudes none of Celie's subordinance, which causes Harpo to seek out Sofia's foil, Squeak. This book is one of those that contains absolutely no superfluities. Every word, moment, symbol, and device is purposefully and poignantly crafted. The book is already calling my name for a reread. It is the kind that invites me back in to find new and illuminating truths-- a lifetime mentor text-- a workshop in writing fiction.
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