21st Century Literature discussion

From your 2021 readings, share with us:
- One book that surprised you
- One book that disappointed you
- One book that deserves more attention
(These are books you read in 2021 but they don’t have to have been published in 2021.)

Fun question, Marc!

- One book that surprised you
Bug by Giacomo Sartori, trans. from the Italian by Frederika Randall. It was a delight to find this pell-mell, strange, & wonderful tale (which is beautifully translated).

- One book that disappointed you
Wil Usdi: Thoughts from the Asylum, a Cherokee Novella by Robert J. Conley. The writing was boring & average, while the story itself made for uncomfortable reading in 2021 (for various reasons).

- One book that deserves more attention
Smoke City by Keith Rosson. Absolutely loved this book. I became an instantaneous fan of Rosson.

Fun answers, Stacia!

For me...

- Surprise: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. I just didn't expect to enjoy, much less be this charmed, by Strout's book.

- Disappointment: The End of the Alphabet by Claudia Rankine. I have loved the other works I've read by her, but this one didn't gel with me at all. I feel like I let her down.

- Deserves more attention: Suite for Barbara Loden by Nathalie Léger. For a book I thought wonderfully defied easy categorization and was incredibly well-written, it still has under 1,000 ratings.

Great questions, and some very interesting answers. Mine are:

Surprise - Optic Nerve by María Gainza. I had no idea how much I was craving art until I read this fascinating story told through a selection of paintings.

Disappointment - Invisible by Paul Auster. Reading this not only turned me off to the book but to the author. I mean completely--door shut, not going to happen.

Deserves more attention - I'm choosing a book read by this group earlier in the year, The Second Coming of Mavala Shikongo by Peter Orner. I really enjoyed this. It got some good reviews, but it seemed to just disappear, forgotten, which is a shame because I found it fresh and different with an interesting group of memorable characters.

Marc, Suite for Barbara Loden has crossed my radar a few times. I will have to check it out. Kathleen, I have been wanting to read Optic Nerve. I almost put Mavala Shikongo on my list too because I absolutely loved it when I read it for the group read. Each chapter felt like a tiny masterpiece to me.

Biggest surprise - Carmel Doohan's Seesaw. I knew I would like it but I didn't think I would like it THAT much!

Disappointment - Definitely Ali Smith's Summer

Deserves more attention - Kylie Whitehead's Absorbed

Kathleen, I almost put down Auster for the disappointment and then I remembered 1) my expectations were low, and, 2) I will deny having read him. :D
Optic Nerve is on my TBR list.

Stacia, The White Dress is another good one from her, but I think the Loden one is the standout from that pseudo-trilogy.

Definitely feeling the same about the Smith book, Robert. I still enjoyed it as I seem biologically incapable of disliking a Smith book thus far, but it fell short of my expectations.

A book that surprised me:
The most welcome surprise was probably just how good A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa turned out to be - I am often disappointed by books that are so prominent in my Twitter feed, and I follow Tramp press.

A book that disappointed me:
Given how much it was hyped (and its cover price), it has to be Klara and the Sun. Another book I have heard good things about that felt rather shallow to me when I finally got round to reading it was Darkmans by Nicola Barker.

One that deserves more attention:
The Tomb Guardians by Paul Griffiths, like last year's Mr Beethoven, definitely deserves an audience outside the small world of British indie presses.

Hugh I felt a small but welcome release of guilt for the way I've kept Darkmans on my shelf since forever without reading it, only to hear from you now that maybe that's ok. Thanks!

Most welcome surprise:

The Man Who Lived Underground by Richard Wright.

It's incredible. It deserves more attention. But so does:

The Orphanage by Serhiy Zhadan.

I'm not going to say any book "disappointed" me ever again because it implies the author has signed some kind of contract with me as an individual reader, to fulfill my expectations, but one I definitely felt "baffled" by was Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr.

The three books I chose all share the similarity of having authorial sincerity and all left me with a feeling that I knew the authors better after having read their books.

Chouette Claire Oshetsky First, this surprised me for, "making it new," as Dickinson said. Second, because it is so good and fun to read for lit lovers. Bravo!

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois Honorée Fanonne Jeffers This novel disappointed me since I could not equate the quality of the writing with the glowing reviews I read of the book. Eventually I succumbed to the heartfelt sincerity and love the the author imbued her work and I guess that is worth a star or two since I gave the book five.

Glorious Frazzled Beings Angelique LaLonde These stories delighted me. Like Chouette, the author's originality, her choice of topic and her way of investigating that topic felt fresh. Not all of the stories worked but the several that did, worked wonderfully and the others that filled the volume still helped complete a picture of the author once the reader was finished. I hope some of you take the time to read her stories.

Surprised me (and deserves much more attention) -- Zorrie by Laird Hunt. This was one of the 2021 National Book Award finalists for fiction. I had never heard of the author. The book is simply a beautiful study of a woman's life -- absolutely loved it. Note: I also agree with Hugh that The Tomb Guardians deserves much more attention. It would be my runner up in this category.

Deserves more attention -- The Employees by Olga Ravn. This was my favorite on the Booker International shortlist. It was translated by Martin Aitken. It is very short - interviews of humans and humanoids - on spaceship circulating a planet with unusual life. It was written in conjunction with an artist for the artist's museum exhibition. It is simply brilliant. Note: I also agree with Hugh that The Tomb Guardians deserves much more attention. In fact, after seeing that it has only 12 ratings (compared to 1299 for The Employees, I must make it my choice here. It is wonderful.

Disappointing -- Gosh, this one is difficult. I think I have to go with Bewilderment by Richard Powers. I gave it 5 stars but it was not what I have come to expect from Powers. Still it is an excellent book, just not what I expected!

My biggest surprise was Lote by Shola von Reinhold. Firstly, a surprise that I would choose to read this given its themes and a surprise also in how much I thoroughly enjoyed it.

My biggest disappointment was Accordion Crimes by Annie Proulx (an author I admire so much) but this was so loaded with detail it became a real chore by half way through.

And give more attention to Luckenbooth by Jenni Fagan – not always comfortable reading but extraordinary.

My biggest surprise was In Search of Lost Time- I really had low expectations starting it for the third time, but it blew me away.

Biggest disappointment was The Queen's Gambit. My niece was talking it up so much, and I discovered I have no interest in chess.

More attention: Strange Beasts of China.I just loved the magical realism.