Top 10 Fiction Novels You Should Read in 2021 by Alyssa Bratto
Photography by Cullan McNamara
Alyssa Bratto | Alyssa does a great job of introducing herself in the context of this article below: “I’m not a writer, publisher, editor, or creator of anything that has to deal with literature or media. I just really enjoy reading.” And that’s exactly why she was asked to contribute. She’s an avid reader and prefers books that are different from what’s normally included on the CullanMcNamara.com Top 10 lists. This is finally time for all you fiction-fans to shine. Enjoy!
Overview
If there’s one thing people know about me, it’s that I love to read. I was recently asked what my hobbies are, and reading popped into my head as what I really devote most of my free time to. My shelves are piled high with stacks of ‘To Read’ and ‘Already Read’ that I refuse to get rid of. At any given time, I have at least five books in my possession that I have not read yet; the possibility that I could run out of something to read is just not a problem I intend to have.
I’m not a writer, publisher, editor, or creator of anything that has to deal with literature or media. I just really enjoy reading.
I’ll read just about any genre, but I mostly like fiction. I crave being transported to a world I know isn’t real but can still feel like it is. And to know that someone was talented enough to make it all up amazes me.
You’ll discover in this list that I tend to lean toward psychological thrillers. Anytime there’s a mystery, untrustworthy narrator, or an ending you can’t see coming, I am all for it. So here are my top picks for both lovers of fiction and those simply wishing they had someone to tell them what to try.
10. See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt
Warning: This book may not be for everyone. It is centered on one of the most interesting and debated crimes in American history: the Lizzie Borden axe murders. Most people know the premise of the unfortunate incident that took place in Fall River, Massachusetts in 1892. This book is the loosely-based historical crime fiction that tells the possible background story of what really happened that day in the Borden household.
Honestly, it made my list because of the imaginative and creative outlook of a day that most of us wouldn’t think twice about, but maybe now will.
“I could tell the officer all of this because it was the truth. All of this happened in the house at some stage. Should it matter when it happened?”
9. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Historical fiction is typically not my favorite. This book showed me otherwise. Set during WWII in Europe, we get to experience two different stories taking place: Marie-Laure’s struggle as a young, blind girl in France and Werner Pfennig’s tragic upbringing in Germany. I would normally shy away from war novels, as sometimes the reality of the peril that unfolds can really bring me down.
However, this book doesn’t just cover the war, but it dives into how the lives of all people can change in an instant, and the right circumstances just might save lives.
“So how, children, does the brain, which lives without a spark of light, build for us a world full of light?”
“Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever.”
8. Skin by Roald Dahl
When most of us hear Roald Dahl, we think of his classic stories like Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and James and the Giant Peach.
Skin is actually not one novel but a collection of stories that are a bit darker than our childhood favorites. Sinister and eerie, these shorts are intriguing in the most creepily splendid way that makes you go back for more. If you’re looking for some shockingly twisted stories to breeze through, look no further than this.
“She seemed to be coiled in herself, as though with a secret she was jealously guarding.”
7. Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
This was a book that I read in just about five days. I know you’re probably tired of me writing about psychological thrillers but that’s just too bad because this one is so expertly written that I couldn’t put it down. The story is told in a few very creative ways. Possibly the most strange is that the main character is in a coma. Trying to piece together the events leading up to her unfortunate catatonic state, the amount of twists and turns will leave your head spinning.
“It can be dangerous to ask a question when you already know the answer.”
“People think that good and bad are opposites but they’re wrong, they’re just mirror images of one another in broken glass.”
6. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
I really don’t care that this book can be classified under young adult fiction or children’s literature. So can Harry Potter and look at just how much of the world enjoys that series.
To me, The Westing Game is the ultimate classic mystery. It has the same vibes as the Clue board game (or the 1985 Clue movie, which is just the most wonderful film) or even the modern day movie Knives Out.
I feel like everyone was assigned to read this book in middle school, but I urge everyone to try reading it again as an adult.
Sixteen people are gathered to hear the reading of Samuel Westing’s will (he was a millionaire of course) and that’s when the games begin. The crazy cast of characters and hidden surprises in this book just might make you feel like a kid again.
“You, too, may strike it rich who dares to play the Westing Game.”
“Life, too, is senseless unless you know who you are, what you want, and which way the wind blows.”
5. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Dark Matter is a novel I had on my bookshelf (from a wonderful bookstore Up North) that I delayed opening. I believe I was thinking I wouldn’t like it as much because it was definitely more science-fiction based than spooky or psychological. It only took me only about four days to read the last sentence after I opened it.
Crouch takes the overplayed concept of an alternate reality and really pushes it to become something easily understood. Yes, there is the background of using actual physics to make it happen, but it’s done in a way that focuses more on human behavior and less about the actual science of it.
A man wakes up after being jumped into a world that is not his own. This story explores the depth of human connections and our capacity to make our own choices for what we believe.
“It’s terrifying when you consider that every thought we have, every choice we could possibly make, branches off into a new world.”
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.”
Experience the new page-turning travel book!
Attempting Local: A Year Abroad in Galway, Ireland (Paperback Edition)
by Cullan McNamara
4. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Let me start by saying that the book is not the same as the Netflix series. Although the show is based on some of the major themes of the book, I highly recommend reading the original if you’re interested in American gothic horror.
The Haunting of Hill House book does not center on a family but rather on four brave souls who volunteer to live in the mansion and provide scientific proof of the possible supernatural happenings there.
In my opinion, this novel is a wonderful example of an early psychological thriller but may take a little extra time and effort to really understand Jackson’s unique writing.
“Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and it might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.”
“‘Fear,’ the doctor said, ‘is the relinquishment of logic, the willing relinquishing of reasonable patterns. We yield to it or we fight it, but we cannot meet it halfway.’”
3. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
This is one of the few fiction novels I like that is not about a mystery or people going missing; it’s about romance.
The author takes something magical and science-fiction like and creates a very real kind of logic to it. It is the hopeless love story of two people that just can’t seem to stay together, given that one of them time travels involuntarily. It is both emotional and unpredictable in the most honest of ways. Although I do think it has a great story line, it is not one that should’ve been converted to the silver screen (sorry, Rachel McAdams; I still like you.)
So if you’re more of a romance reader, this third pick is for you.
“The best love is the kind that weakens the soul, that makes us reach for more. That plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds.”
“Chaos is more freedom; in fact, total freedom. But no meaning.”
2. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
This was another book I picked up from that bookstore Up North, near my cottage. It was in my bookshelf for a while after that actually. I had put off reading it because I was, for some reason, convinced it wouldn’t be that good. Wow was I wrong.
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is an extremely intricate story that ties in the elements of an old-time murder mystery and a sci-fi thriller together. The main character must do one thing - find out who Evelyn Hardcastle’s murderer is and try to stop them. My favorite part is that there is a very strict timeline, and there are limited resources to work with… not to mention that we are just as lost in the dark alongside the narrator trying to figure it all out.
Every aspect is so well woven together, it makes reading to the very last page a suspenseful delight.
“Too little information and you’re blind, too much and you’re blinded.”
“How lost do you have to be to let the devil lead you home?”
1. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Sharp Objects is probably my favorite book of all time, as I have re-read it multiple times (which is something I almost never do - not enough time for all the other books out there.)
It tells the story of a young woman trying to keep her job of writing for her big city newspaper. She returns to her hometown in nowheresville, Missouri to cover the unsettling disappearances and murders of a few young girls in the community. The dynamic relationships between all the different characters is what really made this story rise above Flynn’s other wonderful novels for me. Especially when the protagonist is pretty much an antihero and you’re not sure you actually like her.
Get ready for a thriller that you won’t guess the ending of.
“Sometimes if you let people do things to you, you’re really doing it to them.”
“It’s impossible to compete with the dead. I wished I could stop trying.”
Bonus! Favorite Non-Fiction Books:
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan
The Road Back To You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by Ian Morgan Cron
buy local
Please remember to buy local. When purchasing one or more of these books, shop at a local bookstore, if you can, or directly from the author’s website. Enjoy!
FURTHER READING
10 AMAZING NOVELS THAT SAVED MY LOCKDOWN(S) by Abi Prowse
TOP 10 TRAVEL & OUTDOOR BOOKS TO READ IN 2021 BY CULLAN MCNAMARA
Hey, everyone! Cullan here, founder of… well… CullanMcNamara.com. First of all, thank you to the incredible Alyssa Bratto for contributing the wonderful Top 10 list! Make sure to check her out on Instagram for more book recs.
Secondly, I hope you appreciated the guest content and a fresh point of view 😊
Now I have to ask, do you have your own Top 10 Books list you want to contribute? 📚 If so, reach out today! I’d love to feature more readers and creators here, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Happy reading!
- Cullan
“Cullan McNamara is a photographer, videographer, writer, and musician. Back in 2016, he was hired to film and photograph a client’s nine-day hiking trip through Colorado, and he’s been traveling and creating ever since. He now works as a freelancer in the United States. Catch his work on Instagram and YouTube, or check out his podcast [and book], Attempting Local: A Year Abroad in Galway, Ireland.”
— ViaggoMagainze.com