7. Divergent by Veronica Roth (and Insurgent and Allegiant)
I am a sucker for Young Adult (YA) novels. There is something really fun and enjoyable about the innocence of youth and the captivating stories that make me feel like I'm 13 all over again. While I never actually want to be 13 again, it is fun to pretend sometimes. After reading Hunger Games, I desperately wanted a novel similar to indulge in. That is when I discovered Divergent. I would describe this novel as a nice mesh between Hunger Games and The Giver.
This novel follows Tris, a young girl living in the post-apocalyptic United States. She has come of age and now must undergo a series of tests that are intended to show her what she should be when she grows up. The society is split into factions that specialize in helping the country run. People are divided by their unique talents, gifts, and skills. While the tests can reveal what a talents a person has, the choice is ultimately theirs. Through Tris' choice, she shows her courage. She also becomes aware of the many problems her society has and is brought into a world she did not know existed.
This novel pinpoints the problems in society and the entire series reveals secrets that are a bit too close to home for comfort. I liked Divergent, loved Insurgent, and found Allegiant tolerable. It was a roller-coaster of emotions throughout this series, but I would highly recommend it to any lover of dystopian or YA literature.
6. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
When I picked up this novel, I had no idea what I was in for. In fact, I didn't even know what the book was about. A friend of mine had read it and rated it highly on Goodreads, so I marked it as "to-read". The ratings were good on Goodreads, so I decided to give it a try. I really didn't even know what the book was about when I started it, but the writing was so good I could not stop reading.
This novel is about life. That's about the only way to summarize it quickly. It is about an aging and ill man and his wife. The wife wants the couple's three children to bring their families home for Christmas and she strives to make this happen, as she believes it will be her husband's last Christmas. Through changing perspectives and multiple books within the novel, we get to follow the lives of the three children and the couple. There is nothing extraordinary about this novel, and each person's life is basically straight-forward and real. Each person has their own secrets, their own issues, and their own problems.
What I loved most about this book was that it made me think. I constantly questioned society and enjoyed the subtly with which the author examined controversial topics. This is one of those novels that after reading makes you want to go back to a simpler time. It makes you want to change all the things about yourself that you see in the main characters. These are the main characters' downfalls. If you want a book that makes you think, deals with controversy in a real and open way, this is the novel for you.
5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
A friend I trust recommended and loaned me this book, so I could not wait to read it. It only took me two nights to finish. There are certain topics in novels that I am intrigued by most: the holocaust, autism, and social justice issues like marriage inequality, GLBT, or religion. I like controversial topics to be explored in novels.
The Curious Incident tells the story of a dog who is murdered and a mother who disappears. The novel is told from the perspective of a teenage boy, who is autistic. There are so many wonderful things about this book. I love the curiosity and intellectual brilliance of the boy. He decides he wants to be a detective and solve the murder of his neighbor's dog, but in the process learns the truth about his own mother, which was kept from him by his father. This boy is fearless and does some very daring things throughout the novel. The pages of the novel are numbered in prime numbers because that is what the boy likes, and the novel is ultimately "written" by the boy as well. Some chapters are rich and poetic and some seem disjointed and incomplete due to the boy's attention when he wrote it.
What is fascinating is how Mark Haddon captures the essence of the boy. The spirit of him. I felt like I was inside his head and knew what he was thinking and why at all times. It's not every day you read a novel where you truly get to know the main character. I really got to know this boy and the depth of his emotions. Autism is prevalent in my family so I appreciate such a real approach to understanding how this affects not only the person with autism but the families as well. The story is not entirely happy and definitely makes you feel.
So far, we have seen my love for books that make me feel something and question humanity. Books 4, 3, and 2 coming up, then the BIG reveal of my Number 1 Book of 2013!
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