SydNovak

Books I’d Read if I Was Sitting by the Pool this Summer

A 1950s Existential Poolside Drama

“The Most” 

By Jessica Anthony

This novel takes place over the course of 8 hours while a washed up tennis star turned house wife contemplates her life choices as she sits in her apartment complex swimming pool. Her husband has a similar existential crisis triggered by her peculiar behavior. Set in 1957, the main character has traded her promising tennis career for a lazy insurance agent and living out her life with a disappointment that pulses throughout their home. 

A Humourous Exploration of Grief

“Death Valley” 

By Melissa Broder

Taking place in a Best Western in the California Desert, a woman flees to escape to escape the grief of a dying father and her chronically ill husband whom she is the primary care giver for. Exploring nearby hikes and trails, the author cleverly analogizes grief as wandering through the desert. This was an expertly written novel with humor, creativity and poignancy. 

Historical Fiction with a Dark Twist

“The Glutton”
By A.K Blakemore 

This one will take you back in time to the French Revolution for a story of a peasant boy afflicted with an all consuming appetite- that doesn’t even stop at murder to satiate his hunger. Told from the outsiders, a circus-like band of performers who live at the margins of society- themes of poverty, desperation and chaos carry this one from start to finish. 

A Sharply Satirical Mexican Novel

“Paradais”

By Fernanda Melchor

Inside a luxury housing complex, two teenagers sneak around and get drunk. Franco, a resident fantasizes about his neighbor while Polo dreams of quitting his groundskeeping job and escaping the narco controlled neighborhood he lives in. A commentary on Mexican society and criticism of the racist, classist and hyperviolent norms amongst men. 

Okay, Fine, One Romance Novel…

“Normal People”
By Sally Rooney

Fine! We will put one romance novel on this list. As far as romance goes though this is pretty unconventional. It is not at all the love at first sight cliche but a slow-burn, hot and cold, will they won’t they. The general consensus of the main characters are that they are both weird and probably no one else would tolerate dating someone who is such casual friends with their ex who is still a close confidant, secret keeper, and sometimes enemy. Oh and it’s set in the U.K. so you can read it with a British accent. 

My Favorite Thriller

“Every Last Secret”
By A.R. Torre 

Ugh I could genuinely recommend this book to people for the rest of my life. When a friendly neighbor becomes obsessed with Kat’s life, husband, and everything she has, her husband calls her paranoid. She builds a friendship with her new neighbor, but at its core, the bond is toxic, jealous and greedy. IS she paranoid? Is her new friend just  jealous? Or is she ready to take what she wants from Kat?