Fiction Edition 2

What I've been reading

My renewed enthusiasm for novels continues. Five recommendations from recent reads.

…Mike

Maria Reva. Endling (2025). A fully engaging metafictional novel that includes snail rescues (many), Ukrainians (of all sorts), Russians (really of only one sort), and a bridal agency (!). That Reva is a Ukrainian Canadian is a decided bonus. Long listed for the 2025 Booker; a 2025 GG finalist.

Richard Powers. The Overstory (2018). First novel I’ve read by Powers. You must love such a beautifully written book where the main characters are trees. An exceptional achievement. Shortlisted for the 2018 Booker; winner of the 2019 Pulitzer.

Souvankham Thammavongsa. Pick a Colour (2025). I’m a complete fanboy about Thammavongsa: poetry, short stories, and now a novel. She can do no wrong. Giller winner in 2024; shorted in 2025.

Ian McEwan. What We Can Know. (2025). I’ve read a lot of McEwan, often with mixed feelings, longing for the wonder of Atonement to return. This one does it. A satisfying narrative with probing reflections on historiography and how we know what we know. And it’s about a poem!

Madeleine Thien. The Book of Records (2025). Admittedly a difficult novel because of its structure, narrative technique, and overlapping perspectives. But like Pick a Colour, this book is about the immigrant/migrant experience so relevant to a world in flux. Don’t be deterred.