Welcome to the next instalment of Karissa Reads Books 2018 Literary Awards! Today’s category covers authors with an established body of work (ie: more than one published book) but someone I’ve never read before. Basically, if I read a book and promptly added that author’s complete works to my To Read list, they get a nomination.
Honourable Mention:
Brother– David Chariandy (McClelland & Stewart, 2018
A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute (Vintage International, 2018)
And The Winner:
Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng (Penguin Press, 2017)
After seeing this book all over the internet, I thought it was another fluff read. Instead, I was blown away by the plotting, the pacing, and the characters. It was a thoughtful, multi-faceted exploration of motherhood and relationships and I am eager to read Ng’s other work.
Karissa Reads Books 
I think you’d love her first one, too!
I plan to read it! For some reason, our local library only has this one but not her first so I may have to buy it myself but based on Little Fires I think it will be worth it.
Like you, I thought it was just another of the many “psychological thrillers” of the day, so I’m intrigued to see you rate it more highly than Chariandy and Shute! I may have to reconsider and add it to my list after all…!
It’s much more than that! There’s a lot about mother-daughter relationships in it that likely contributed to my response (especially since one of the daughters is named Pearl) but I think it’s an excellent book.