StjärnaBabel (2022) by R.F. Kuang. I'm quite ignorant regarding the whole Dark Academia trend but I immediately could tell how desperately it needed this book. A postcolonial critique of western universities that questions the politics of translation and comes up with a brilliant form of magic. Its radical conclusion is consistent with the perfidious power play the protagonist and his friends are subjected to and the story feels highly topical right now.
Derrida (2010) by Benoît Peeters. Few writers have shaped the way I think as much as the French philosopher Jacques Derrida and learning about his life from this engaging biography has been a pleasure. Now Derrida himself would be the first to question the distinction between biography and fiction, yet Peeters does an amazing job in making you feel like you encounter the actual person. I was in awe and - by the last chapter - in tears.
A Snake Falls to Earth (2021) by Darcie Little Badger. To me this will always be the prime example of Indigenous Futurism. The story of a Lipan girl fearing for her grandmother's land and a snake from the spirit world who have work together to save a species from extinction is different from any other YA book I've ever read. It refrains from solutions through violence and displays an attentive care for nature which I loved.
#ASnakeFallsToEarth #DarcieLittleBadger #HeikeLovesLists #BestBooks2022
Nova (1968) by Samuel R. Delany. Shame on me for discovering this stunning classic only recently. A bunch of misfits and weirdos follow a futuristic Captain Ahab on a quest for revenge which is going to lead them through the galaxy and right into an exploding sun. Immensely self-aware characters ponder on the mythical qualities of their pursuit, making this short space opera feel both like a greek epic and a great American novel. Amazing.
Borne (2017) by Jeff VanderMeer. A tender biohorror masterpiece about love and loss and the struggles of maintaining a relationship when a childlike new party disturbs the balance. I'm in awe of how neatly the allegory for motherhood fits into the vivid scenery, never overshadowed by VanderMeer's outbursts of creativity that created the most memorable monsters. I liked Annihilation just fine, but this is the book that I'll come back to.
Never Say You Can't Survive (2021) by Charlie Jane Anders. Turns out, autobiographical writing advice from one of my favorite authors was what I needed to finally allow myself to pour my sorrow into text and strategically build a new coping mechanism. It even comes with small exercises. There are many books about becoming a better writer, but this one's also about getting better *through* writing and that's so important!
#NeverSayYouCantSurvive #CharlieJaneAnders #HeikeLovesLists #BestBooks2022
The Past is Red (2021) by Catherynne M. Valente. Voltaire's Candide is indeed a suitable point of comparison for this satirical novella and as a huge Leibniz fan I don't say this lightly. A hilariously optimistic rapport of the end times when the last humans live on an island of floating garbage. Narrated by Tetley, the most hated person on the island, it teaches a form of radical grattitude which I desperately needed in 2022.
#ThePastIsRed #CatherynneMValente #HeikeLovesLists #BestBooks2022
Mexican Gothic (2020) by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Few manage to still capture the essence of what makes gothic horror fun. Here, the genre's subversive core is laid bare. A decaying house, a creepy family obsessed with genetics and an outsider who tries to save someone from their clutches, all those classic elements have a lot to say about race, class and even colonialism, making this familiar story feel brand new.
#MexicanGothic #SilviaMorenoGarcia #HeikeLovesLists #BestBooks2022
She Who Became the Sun (2021) by Shelley Parker-Chan. In a genius twist this reimagines the rise of the Chinese emperor Hongwu as a genderbending epos about a girl who takes on her dead brother's identity. It goes dark places and in refusing to be the shining hero's tale people might expect gets all the more intriguing. It also does a deep dive into the performative aspects of masculinity, which I found absolutely amazing.
#SheWhoBecameTheSun #ShelleyParkerChan #HeikeLovesLists #BestBooks2022
Light From Uncommon Stars (2021) by Ryka Aoki. This warm melange of science-fiction and fantasy with an avid interest in both cultural and gender identity feels absolutely unique. The dynamic between Katrina, a trans girl dreaming of a musical career, and her violin teacher who sells her students' souls to the devil, is thrilling and Aoki's use of food as a major theme creates an intimate love letter to the San Gabriel Valley.
#LightFromUncommonStars #RykaAoki #HeikeLovesLists #BestBooks2022
