This year has seen the release of numerous sensational new titles, from old favourites including Jennifer Egan and Taylor Jenkins Reid, to fresh voices, such as Hanna Bervoets, Catherine Prasifka and Diana Reid.
Here, we lay out our top fiction reads for the year. You can check out our list of non fiction top picks here.
Seeing Other People by Diana Reid
I love Diana Reid’s writing and Seeing Other People hit the mark once again. I read this novel really quickly over one weekend and as someone who doesn’t have a sister of my own, I was fascinated by the dynamic between sisters Eleanor and Charlie. I also love any novel set in Sydney, and this book captured the city so beautifully. – Madeline Hislop
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel
I can’t get enough of Emily St John Mandel’s writing and this was no exception. It’s basically a twisty time travel, sci fi novel that’s really lyrical and atmospheric. If you want a book that reads like a broken puzzle slowly piecing itself together until it fits perfectly into place at the end then this is for you. – Brianna Boecker
None of this is serious by Catherine Prasifka
This a contemporary novel that follows a young woman living in Ireland, navigating an increasingly online and uncertain world. There’s a lot of sharp witty observations on relationships, friendships and family. – Brianna Boecker
One Hundred Days by Alice Pung
Trigger warning: Emotional abuse. It took every last of me to power through this novel. It was a challenging read, as Pung did such a phenomenal job at capturing the claustrophobic atmosphere and sense of struggle of the protagonist. While I was disturbed by the domineering and coercive behaviour of Grand Mar, this is a really great story that explores a very complex mother/daughter dynamic, and the blurred lines between love and control. – Allison Ho
We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets
My 2022 goal of reading more translated fiction got me onto this gem. It’s just a bit over 100 pages long, which is my favourite kind of book (I prefer shorter novels). The story is told from the perspective of a young queer woman who gets a job as a content moderator at this platform that is Facebook-adjacent. Some of the things she sees is horrifying, so you need to be okay with reading about really awful things. I am obsessed with work-novels, especially stories that centre the relationship between a woman and her feelings about her work and workplace. Bervoets’ voice is hilarious, sharp and so biting, I loved this book so much. – Jessie Tu
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin
This is one of the best books I’ve read, like, ever. It’s snappy, light, shockingly tender and gorgeously written. It’s the story about two lonely people who find true love through their passion for video gaming, and by true love, I mean, friendship – which is the most pure, unselfish though borderless and under-celebrated kind of love we have. Zevin has crafted a story that will make your heart and soul expand in new and unimaginable ways. – Jessie Tu
Notable Mentions:
Diary of a Void, by Emi Yagi
This one is an instant classic – funny, sharp, and for lovers of writers like Sayaka Murata and Toshikazu Kawaguchi.
Marshmallow by Victoria Hannan
This is Hannan’s second book, after her brilliant debut, Kokomo, which we loved. This one is kind of adjacent to Christos Tsiolkas’ The Slap, only the characters we meet are a little younger, and marred by a different kind of trauma.
All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami
If you loved Kawakami’s first two books, Breast and Eggs and Heaven, then you’re going to love this one. Once again, we meet women who are misaligned with society’s expectations of what a woman should be. Once again, it’s a deceptively easy read, though Kawakami’s style is wrapped in layers of intelligence.