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The 10 best books that came out this year

Literary editor, Sarra Manning, on the books that got her through the darkest days of 2020 …

best books 2020
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What a year! What a no good, lowdown, terrible year it’s been. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t suffered or grieved for what life was like in the Before Times. But, as ever, reading has been my solace and my escape from grim reality and though it’s sucked beyond the telling, when it comes to really good books, 2020 has been an outstanding year. It was an almost impossible task to pick my absolute favourite novels, but I’ve narrowed it down to these ten little beauties.

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1 Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
waterstones.com
£8.99

When Emira, a young black woman, is wrongfully accused of kidnapping her wealthy white bosses’ daughter it triggers a cataclysmic series of events for both women. Debut novelist, Kiley Reid, has a fresh, urgent voice and Such A Fun Age is an era-defining novel.

2 Grown Ups by Marian Keyes
waterstones.com
£20.00

Follow the Casey clan over six months of holidays, birthdays and a disastrous murder-mystery weekend and realise that, like most families, they’re far from perfect. Funny, thought-provoking and hitting you right in the feels, Marian Keyes does it again.

3 This Lovely City by Louise Hare
HarperCollins Publishers waterstones.com
£12.99

In 1948 Lawrie Matthews disembarks the HMS Windrush in a London still reeling from the aftershocks of war and hostile to its newest citizens. Evie has lived in London all her life, but the colour of her skin has always set her apart until she and Lawrie meet. Set against a backdrop of Soho jazz clubs and narrow South London streets, This Lovely City paints a vivid picture of what life was really like for the Windrush generation.

4 Pretending by Holly Bourne
waterstones.com
£14.99

Still bearing the scars of a damaging, abusive relationship, April finds it impossible to meet a man who isn’t completely awful. But when she pretends to be Gretel, a manic pixie dream girl with zero f***s to give, dating becomes easy and even enjoyable when she starts seeing the unsuspecting Joshua. Pretending is Holly Bourne at her best; a funny, feminist and challenging story, which will make readers feel validated and seen. What an accomplishment for a novel.

5 The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Brit Bennett waterstones.com
£12.99

Desiree and Stella, the Vignes twins, run away from the small, suffocating Southern town of Mallard when they’re sixteen. Ten years later Desiree returns with her daughter, but Stella, passing as a white woman, has carved out a new life as the perfect wife and mother and can never go home again. Spanning forty years The Vanishing Half is a rollicking good read about family, identity and belonging, and deserves to win all the awards.  

6 Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers
waterstone waterstones.com
£14.99

It’s the late 1950’s and Jean Swinney is stuck writing household tips for the local paper and caring for her demanding mother. But when she begins to investigate a curious claim of virgin birth from a young Swiss woman, Jean grows close to Gretchen and her family, and her small, narrow life expands and blossoms. This is a dazzling, exquisitely written story of how happiness and even love can find us when we least expect it.

7 V for Victory by Lissa Evans
Lissa Evans waterstones.com
£14.99

Fall in love with the inimitable Vee Sedge: Hampstead landlady and keeper of many secrets. The Second World War is limping to an end and Vee’s lodgers can’t wait for the unrelenting misery and horror to be over. But when Vee witnesses a road accident, it brings a charming American soldier into their lives, much to the dismay of Vee’s ‘nephew’ Neil. V For Victory is acid-drop funny and an absolute balm for the soul.

8 Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
Maggie O'Farrell waterstones.com
£20.00

Maggie O’Farrell returns with her first historical novel, Hamnet, which explored the true story behind Shakespeare’s most famous play. Before there was Hamlet, there was Hamnet, Shakespeare’s twin son, his sister Judith and their mother, the otherworldly Agnes, who we know better as Anne Hathaway. Weaving fact with rich imagination, Hamnet is a visceral, lushly drawn story that brought this family and their greatest tragedy to life.

9 Here is the Beehive by Sarah Crossan
waterstones.com
£12.99

Here Is The Beehive, written in blank verse, is the lyrical account of an adulterous affair and its brutal aftermath and I raced through it in one breathless sitting. You’ve really never read a book quite like this one.

10 The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Richard Osman waterstones.com
£10.99

Four sprightly geriatric sleuths at a bucolic retirement village meet every Thursday to pore over old cold cases. But when a local builder is bludgeoned to death, they’re soon on the hunt for his killer in this delightful novel with a high body count and oodles of charm. No wonder it’s become a runaway bestseller.

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