*The Miracles of the Namiya General Store* by Keigo Higashino. I’ve just finished this so it’s fresh in my mind. It’s a story about three delinquents who wind up in an old, abandoned store and they receive anonymous letters seeking advice from various people. It’s a touching story and a bit emotional. Really enjoyed it.
jazzynoise on
Of those I’ve read, my favorite with elements Magical Realism from the last 20 years is Junot Diaz’s *The Brief. Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao*. There’s a lot of history of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican-American experience, and especially the lives of a lovesick nerd (Oscar) and a much more experienced narrator with other issues (Yunior).
Close seconds are Jesmyn Ward’s *Sing, Unburied, Sing* (reminded me of Morrison’s *Beloved*, in that horrors of the past are told with the help of a ghost story), Mohsin Hamid’s *Exit West* (uses mysterious doors opening between places to show experiences of immigration), and Salman Rushdie’s *Victory City*.
WinterFirstDay on
The lesser known “Glamour” by Christopher Priest is practically cannot be described. It plays with characters just the same it plays with the reader. And maybe even with author.
Due-Secret-3091 on
I still love Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
Strange_Travels on
I very much enjoyed Salman Rushdie’s “Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights”. It’s a magical realist retelling of 1001 Nights.
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*The Miracles of the Namiya General Store* by Keigo Higashino. I’ve just finished this so it’s fresh in my mind. It’s a story about three delinquents who wind up in an old, abandoned store and they receive anonymous letters seeking advice from various people. It’s a touching story and a bit emotional. Really enjoyed it.
Of those I’ve read, my favorite with elements Magical Realism from the last 20 years is Junot Diaz’s *The Brief. Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao*. There’s a lot of history of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican-American experience, and especially the lives of a lovesick nerd (Oscar) and a much more experienced narrator with other issues (Yunior).
Close seconds are Jesmyn Ward’s *Sing, Unburied, Sing* (reminded me of Morrison’s *Beloved*, in that horrors of the past are told with the help of a ghost story), Mohsin Hamid’s *Exit West* (uses mysterious doors opening between places to show experiences of immigration), and Salman Rushdie’s *Victory City*.
The lesser known “Glamour” by Christopher Priest is practically cannot be described. It plays with characters just the same it plays with the reader. And maybe even with author.
I still love Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
I very much enjoyed Salman Rushdie’s “Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights”. It’s a magical realist retelling of 1001 Nights.
The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown
so far this is my favorite read this year.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156480764-the-book-of-doors
Obviously *100 Years of Solitude* needs to be mentioned, even if it’s not in the past 20 years.
But I thoroughly enjoyed *The People of Paper* by Salvador Plascencia. Very unique book, like nothing I’ve ever read
Piranesi – Susanna Clark. Might be my favorite novel of the last 20 years, but perfectly fits literary fantasy / magical realism.
Didn’t get great reviews but I loved Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian
Sing , Unburied, Sing – Jesmyn Ward
The Gray House by Mariam Petrosyan
Not sure if it counts but either The Hike by Drew Magary or The Library at Mt Char by Scott Hawkins