People who love to read want to know which book is worth spending time on and which is not. Sometimes the author intrigues from the first lines, and then disappoints. Such works are not memorized and cause annoyance. And it happens that the book wants to reread, even when the plot is learned by heart. It becomes a bestseller, a source of inspiration for writers and the object of close attention of literary critics. So what works fall into such a category in 2023?

“Acts of Desperation”, Megan Nolan

This is the debut of the author, which turned out to be very successful. The book quickly became popular among readers. The novel is not characterized by a dynamic plot, intricate twists and turns, full of intriguing events. This is a confession of a young woman who fell into the snare of toxic exhausting relationships. The heroine meets a handsome intellectual who constantly slips out of her life. Nolan has subtly and thoughtfully described the characters of her characters. The process of disintegration of a young woman’s personality under the influence of emotional dependence on the man she loves seems irreversible. It is worth it to appear, as the heroine forgets about everything in the world and throws herself headlong into the maelstrom of pernicious feelings. However, she is well aware of what is happening to her and tries to understand why. How will this toxic, disturbing, despair-filled relationship end? Will they push the heroine into the abyss or will they give her the opportunity to be reborn, to find inner freedom?

“The Swimmers,” Julie Otsuka.

A heartwarming story about the pain of watching the slow passing of a loved one. The relationship between mother and daughter cannot be called too close. There is alienation, misunderstanding, even aggression. The usual drama that arises when children grow up and no longer need close contact with their parents. Alice’s mother, trying to maintain contact with her daughter, goes to the swimming pool with her. Swimming calms the woman, gives her moments of peace and the forgotten feeling of complete unity with her adult child. But one day a crack was discovered at the bottom of the pool. It seems to be nothing terrible, the problem is quickly solved. But for Alice the situation becomes tragic. It seems to her that without daily trips to the pool, life has lost its meaning. The woman loses touch with reality and ends up in a psychiatric hospital. The daughter suddenly realizes that she is losing a dear person, who seems to still exist, but is already leaving in some irretrievable distance. Leaks away like water in a pool with a cracked bottom …

“Aneantir,” Michel Houellebecq

This is a fantasy novel about events that take place in the year 2027. France is preparing for the presidential election. Paul Rezon works in the Ministry of Economy and actively participates in this preparation. The personal life of a man is developing unsuccessfully. In relations with his wife there is no love, coldness and misunderstanding. Paul has come to terms with this and went headlong into the election campaign. The course of events changes the news that the father of the hero had a stroke. Reason quits business, goes to his native house and radically changes his life. And in the world reigns a tense situation. Some unknown terrorist organization promises to destroy humanity. Special services of all countries are on their feet… The genre of the novel at first seems to be a family saga, but then it turns into a thriller. In the plot there is intrigue and subtle philosophy with reasoning about fate, which governs the life of man and can make him change.

“Prozac Nation,” Elizabeth Wurtzel

This is a cult bestselling novel that has gained a record number of readers. The plot centers on the lives of young people of the 80s, the generation of Kurt Cobain, Nirvana, and Suzanne Kaysen. The author frankly and to the point of pain piercingly describes his problems on the example of his own biography. Alcoholism, drug addiction, promiscuous sexual relations lead to loss of meaning in life and depression. The main heroine of the work passes this way and closes herself off from the surrounding world, its indifference and emptiness. This is the tragedy of many young people of that time. Rejected by society, they seek Nirvana and do not find it. The salvation seems to be Prozac, an antidepressant that many young people drink. And then commit suicide….

“Colony,” Audrey Magee

The action of the novel takes place in 1979 on a small island in Ireland. Life on it flows measuredly, without much upheaval and progressive trends. In the country begins a civil war, but on the island the news comes slowly. Then two travel enthusiasts get here – an artist from England and a linguist from France. The locals do not like the arrogance and feisty character of the guests, with whom no one wants to make contact. However, the life of the island begins to change, it becomes rapid, filled with unexpected and exhilarating events. In the plot of the novel a lot of lyrics, poetic descriptions of landscapes, against the background of which the action unfolds. The work belongs to the category of historical prose, but there is room for deep reflections on life and the multifaceted nature of human character.

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