The best books of 2014

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]f you feel that 2014 went by too quickly, you’re not alone. It’s not always easy to find the time to settle down with a good book, especially when there were so many great ones published last year! If you’re looking for a little inspiration or want to try something new, check out our favourite reads of 2014. From tender Coming of Age Young Adult romance to edge-of-your-seat thrillers, we’ve got something for all tastes…

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To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

“My letters are for when I don’t want to be in love anymore. They’re for good-bye. Because after I write in my letter, I’m not longer
consumed by my all-consuming love…My letters set me free. Or at least they’re supposed to.”

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean keeps a bundle of love letters in a hatbox. They aren’t letters that someone has written to her; they’re letters that she’s written and never sent. Lara Jean has had a crush on her sensible older sister’s boyfriend for years, but when she discovers that her letters have accidentally been sent, her life is turned upside down.

Shy, romantic and impractical, Lara Jean is the opposite of ass-kicking heroines like The Hunger Games’ Katniss and Divergent’s Tris, but that’s what I liked so much about her. Girls don’t have to be strong to be worth reading about. Lara Jean is very flawed and somewhat immature, but that’s what made her development all the more interesting to read about.

Gentle, endearing and highly readable, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before takes an intriguing concept and runs with it, spinning a poetically-written tale about first love, complicated family relationships and loss. It’s a well-worn narrative, but Han’s quirky, unmistakable writing style makes it feel gorgeously fresh. I’m not overly sold on the idea of sequels, because this book feels comfortable as a standalone title. However, if you’re in the mood for a little light reading, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a great choice.

Emily Rose Nabney

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The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri

Without a doubt, for me the best book of last year was Jhumpa Lahiri’s much anticipated fourth book The Lowland which was finally printed in paperback by Bloomsbury back in April. Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize,  it is a story of epic proportion spanning two generations, two continents and two brothers. Subhash and Udayan Mitra whose daily lives are overshadowed and still interconnected through the physical separation.  The novel’s backdrop is the Naxalite uprisings of the sixties in Calcutta and the revolution.  Lahiri combines the personal and the public which becomes inseparable for one of the brothers.

Already a well-known short story writer, this is Lahiri’s second novel.  Her first book, The Interpreter of Maladies, won The Pulitzer Prize and is now being adapted for the screen.   The finely crafted writing in her short stories is sustained in The Lowland.  The prose is sharp but carefully weaves the characters and their internal experiences and suffering.

Lahiri’s writing is beyond that of the many stories of the immigrant experience

The Lowland, like her other writing, is about the lives of middle class established Indians in America, but it still manages to be ground-breaking. Gauri is the widowed wife of the brother caught up in the political situation.  She is a mother, but does not conform to the role prescribed to her and abandons her young child and rejects her role in the family home which she leaves.  Lahiri’s style of storytelling is impossible to imitate; her writing is constantly refreshing and left me anticipating more.

Lubjana Matin-Scammell

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Far From You by Tess Sharpe

It has been three years since Sophie Winters escaped a near-fatal car accident which left her permanently disabled and addicted to pain medication; it has been just over nine months since she last used; and it has been four months since her ‘best friend’, Mina, was murdered right in front of her eyes. Tess Sharpe’s debut novel, Far From You, deals with incredibly heavy subject matter for such a light read.

At first glance, Far From You seems to be a murder mystery. The police believe Mina’s death is the result of a drug deal gone wrong, but Sophie knows better, and is determined to find the killer herself. However, as the narrative cuts backwards and forwards between different times, delivering snapshots of Sophie and Mina’s complicated relationship, the genre blurs. It is undoubtedly a crime thriller, but it’s also the story of two girls realising that they are in love with one another – a story made all the more compelling by the tragic knowledge that it will end in murder.

As Young Adult novels go, this one is spectacular

The themes of Sophie’s chronic pain, disability, and addiction, along with her bisexuality, are all beautifully handled. More significantly, these create the integral backdrop to the novel without being the main focus – genre fiction often fails to represent marginalised groups, so to see a crime thriller with such a protagonist is a welcome change.

Out of the books that I read in 2014, Far From You is the one that’s kept returning to my mind since its publication in March. While being an accessible and easy read, it is nevertheless fully engaging and satisfying. I will certainly be looking out for more from Tess Sharpe in the new year!

Carmella Lowkis

What was the best book you read in 2014?

Let us know in the comments below or @boarbooks!

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Image Credits: Header (MorBCN/Flickr), Image 1 (goodreads.com), Image 2 (allbookedup2014.blogspot.com), Image 3 (goodreads.com)