6: Tomorrow, Sex will be good again by Katherine Angel
This non-fiction work is an exploration of female sexuality by Katherine Angel and an outstanding work covering societal and historical issues. Angel guides the reader through a lot of different topics on how the female body was perceived, sexualised and owned under the thousand’s year-old patriarchy.
She especially focuses on contemporary times and how the female body and female sexuality is scrutinised more than ever. Here, dark topics are addressed such as rape and abuse.
Bringing together a lot of themes and issues, Angel portrays a layered picture of female sexuality, how the perception of the female body changed over time, and how women are constantly struggling to reclaim the rights of their own bodies.
5: The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
From a very serious topic on sexuality, The Pairing offers a light and very sexy approach on sexuality, however also including serious themes of love, consent and happiness.
This novel is about Theo (non-binary) and Kit (bisexual man), who have been best friends since they were children. Eventually, they come together and lead a very chaotic but passionate relationship. And because of their chaotic behaviour and miscommunication, they break up big time only to be reunited years later on a trip through Europe (France, Spain and Italy) where they meet again by chance.
On this trip for food lovers, they explore the finest dishes Europe has to offer, including good wine. Of course, trouble is preprogrammed. They rediscover their feelings for each other, but yet again, unclear communication stands in the way. McQuiston creates a story full of humour and Shakespearean misunderstandings, but its deeply layered and very sensual prose lets the reader be part of two very complex and struggling characters of the 21st century.
4: Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang
While Yellowface can be regarded as a satire and is most of the time hilarious, it is nonetheless (as satires usually are) addressing very serious themes. This novel is all about structural racism (white lies) and the visibility of Asian people, or, to be precise, Chinese English people.
Athena Liu is a Chinese English bestselling author, and her long-time university friend June is a failed writer and very jealous. When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own work under the ambiguous name Juniper Song. And here, the madness begins.
This novel is a humorous social commentary on social media, how quickly a person can be cancelled online but especially about race and how brutal the publishing industry can be, especially when you are not white.
Kunag really proves her talent as a writer in this story, creating a character you hate and feel sorry for and can’t stop laughing about. The madness and fear spiral the main character falls into is comical and a tragedy and simply an outstanding reading experience.
3: Divine Might by Natalie Haynes
Haynes’ non-fiction work Divine Might explores the roles of female deities in Greek mythology. Here, she shows her expert knowledge on all things Greek mythology but also connects the universal stories with contemporary themes and issues.
Feminism is a big part of every chapter, each one dedicated to a different deity or group of divine women, such as Hera, Artemis, Athena, or the Furies. If you know and love Greek mythology, this is a book for you.
Haynes uncovers a lot of issues of the past that still resonate into the present. In this way, she shows how human and relevant the stories of ancient Greece are.
2: The Offing by Benjamin Meyers
This is, above all, a very wholesome novel with wonderful prose. In The Offing an unlikely platonic friendship develops between a young man and an older woman. She lives in a little house in the north of England and teaches him about gardening and cooking. In this way, she conveys knowledge and wisdom and gets him thinking about all sorts of things in life.
It’s especially the dialogue that is most intriguing in her work. Reading their conversations feels like being in a room with two very interesting people and listening to their conversation.
1: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Rooney’s fourth novel combines the brilliancy of her first two novels, Conversations with Friends and Normal People. Her prose excels, and the perspectives and writing styles she switches between are perhaps the most authentic I have ever read.
Her fourth novel really cements her as one of the greatest authors of the 21st century. Besides, it is also the story itself that is fresh and a change for her. This time, her two main characters are two brothers who couldn’t be more different. They grief their recently deceased father and handle (or not handle) the loss of his passing.
Rooney manages to be sensitive in her writing but also shows the reader a realistic and very complicated bunch of characters who deal with all sorts of things in life. It is perhaps the best novel published in 2024.
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