![\"lincoln-in-the-bardo\"](\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Lincoln-in-the-Bardo.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAs 2017 draws to a close, we look at the novels that had us hooked from the first page!<\/p>\n
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This year\u2019s Man Booker Prize winner, George Saunders\u2019s Lincoln in the Bardo<\/em> looks at former president Abraham Lincoln and the grief he suffers upon the death of his son William \u201cWillie\u201d\u009d Wallace Lincoln. The \u201d\u02dcbardo\u2019 refers to the intermediate space between life and rebirth. Saunders learned that Abraham Lincoln would visit the crypt where his son was temporarily interred after his death to hold his child. The image stuck with Saunders, who then turned it into the award-winning novel.<\/p>\n Ward\u2019s third novel is a heart-breaking tale of a drug-addicted mother, a jailbird father and the two children who suffer these consequences received rave reviews this year, and even bagged The National Book Award. The gripping story tells a sad tale of racial issues in America, as the parents of the story are in an interracial relationship. Leonie, the drug-addicted and violent mother is black whereas her felon husband is white.<\/p>\n Strout\u2019s latest novel Anything is Possible<\/em> is a collection of short stories looking into a number of different lives, of people who are struggling to understand themselves and others too. It\u2019s a rollercoaster of emotions so grab the tissues! Stories include Lucy Barton\u2019s (subject of Strout\u2019s previous novel I am Lucy Barton<\/em>) who returned to her home town after a 17-year absence to see her siblings. You\u2019ll be hooked on the distinctive life stories Strout has created.<\/p>\n Lee\u2019s novel looks at the difficulties faced by immigrants \u201d\u201c in this story, Koreans who have fled to Japan. Pachinko<\/em> looks at four different generations of a Korean family, beginning in their homeland in the early 1900s and moving through to Japan in the 1980s. It teaches us a lot about the relationship between the two nations, and the hardship faced for immigrants. It\u2019s a struggle to put this book down!<\/p>\n Even if you aren\u2019t an avid reader, you\u2019ll have heard of Salman Rushdie. If you haven\u2019t picked up any of his books yet, The Golden House<\/em> is the place to start! Set in the point of view of aspiring filmmaker Ren\u00c3\u00a9, who is a neighbour and confident to Nero Golden and his children. He chronicles the goings on by the Goldens \u201d\u201c murder, betrayal, quarrels and the high life they lead. Dive in; it\u2019s one of Rushdie\u2019s finest.<\/p>\n
\n![\"sing-unburied-sing\"](\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Sing-Unburied-Sing.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSing, Unburied, Sing \u201d\u201c Jesmyn Ward<\/h3>\n
\n![\"anything-is-possible\"](\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Anything-is-possible.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAnything is Possible \u201d\u201c Elizabeth Strout<\/h3>\n
\n![\"pachinko\"](\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Pachinko.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPachinko \u201d\u201c Min Jin Lee<\/h3>\n
\n![\"rushdie\"](\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/rushdie.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Golden House \u201d\u201c Salman Rushdie<\/h3>\n