Books
The 18 Best Fiction Books Out This Month Include Some Majorly Creepy Thrillers
You've just said goodbye to 2017 (and not a moment too soon!), and now it's time to say hello to 2018 and how ya doin'? to all the amazing new fiction books coming out in January.
This January, I know you're looking to find some new books that will keep you hooked page after page. Luckily, this month is bringing some amazing books from beloved authors. Nnedi Okorafor, Jojo Moyes, and even the late Denis Johnson all have books coming out that you're going to want to pick up ASAP. But on top of those favorites, this month is brimming with debut authors whose fresh voices are sure to make this year sizzle. And, a few celebrated international authors will be making their U.S. debut — and you certainly won't want to miss their books.
From love stories that take surprise twists and turns to mysteries that excavate secrets and scandals, January's books are certain to keep you on your toes. This month, and in the year ahead, I hope you get to revel in the heart-pumping thrill of falling in love with a new book.
So, let's all celebrate 2018 with a new book (or two). Here are the best fiction books of January 2018:
'Halsey Street' by Naima Coster (Jan. 1; Little A)
When Penelope reluctantly returns to her family home in Brooklyn to take care of her father, she finds her neighborhood has been gentrified. As she struggles to cope with the changes to her childhood home, she receives a postcard from her mother, Mirella, who abandoned the family in order to "reclaim her roots" in the Dominican Republic years ago. This book switches between the perspectives of Penelope and Mirella, and offers an incisive, empathetic look into one family that's been torn about by incidences of their own making and influences beyond their control.
'Mouths Don't Speak' by Katia D. Ulysse (Jan. 2; Akashic Books)
After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Jacqueline journeys from Baltimore to her homeland to mourn the loss of her presumed dead parents. What she finds is a country dramatically differently from the one she left 25 years earlier.
'The Woman In The Window' by A.J. Finn (Jan. 2; William Morrow)
Praised by Gillian Flynn, Joe Hill, and Louise Penny, The Woman in the Window is sure to be one of this year's most addictive and beloved thrillers. Anna Fox hasn't left her New York home in 10 months. Instead of venturing into the outside world, she watches it from her window. But her world order vanishes in an instant when she sees something she shouldn't.
'A State of Freedom' by Neel Mukherjee (Jan. 2; W.W. Norton and Company)
Another amazing read from Neel Mukherjee (author of the phenomenal The Lives of Others), this book is finally coming stateside after dazzling readers abroad. A State of Freedom follows five very different characters in contemporary India as they each question their place in life.
'The Wife Between Us' by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (Jan. 9; St. Martin's Press)
As you can probably guess from the title, this book centers on dangerous love triangle between a man, his wife, and another woman. But don't assume anything else about this twisty novel.
'The Immortalists' by Chloe Benjamin (Jan. 9; G.P. Putnam's Sons)
In 1969, the four Gold children visit and psychic and learn the exact date of each of their deaths. A few of them believe it; a few of them don't. But what is certain is that this reading changes the course of all four of their lives.
'Neon in Daylight' by Hermione Hoby (Jan. 9; Catapult)
Set in in New York in 2012, Neon in Daylight follows Kate, a young woman who has just immigrated to NYC from London, and finds herself peculiarly attached to a man and his teenage daughter.
'The Perfect Nanny' by Leila Slimani (Jan. 9; Penguin Books)
This novel — a runaway hit in France — is coming to the United States this month, and it's sure to take this country by storm, too. Written by Leila Slimani — the first Moroccan woman to win France's most prestigious literary prize, the Goncourt — The Perfect Nanny begins with the death of a baby. From there, the book pushes backward and examines the conflicting, intertwining lives of two parents and their seemingly perfect nanny.
'The Widows of Malabar Hill' by Sujata Massey (Jan. 9; Soho Crime)
Set in Bombay in 1921, Perveen Mistry has just become one of India's first female lawyers. But when she notices something strange about one of her clients' wills, her investigation leads her down a path that eventually ends with murder.
'Binti: The Night Masquerade' by Nnedi Okorafor (Jan. 16; Tor.com)
If you haven't fallen for the Hugo and Nebula award-winning Binti series yet, you're going to want to get on it as soon as possible. The Night Masquerade is the extraordinary final installment, in which Binti returns to her home planet, only to discover that it is being ravaged by violence.
'Everything Here Is Beautiful' by Mira T. Lee (Jan. 16; Pamela Dorman Books)
After the death of their mother, sisters Miranda and Lucia are forced to make life-altering decisions to make sense of their new reality — especially when Lucia begins to hear voices.
'The Largesse of the Sea Maiden: Stories' by Denis Johnson (Jan. 16; Random House)
Finished shortly before his death in May 2017, The Largesse of the Sea Maiden is the final short story collection from legendary author Denis Johnson. This is an essential read by a much-missed literary master.
'Red Clocks' by Leni Zumas (Jan. 16; Little, Brown and Company)
In this near-future dystopian America, abortion is illegal, in-vitro fertilization is banned, and single women cannot adopt. In this oppressive world, four women (and one figure from the past) navigate identity and motherhood and struggle to answer their own questions about what it means to be a woman.
'Anatomy of a Scandal' by Sarah Vaughan (Jan. 23; Atria/Emily Bestler Books)
An eerily well-timed novel, Anatomy of a Scandal is an incisive examination of a rape accusation from the perspective of two different women: Sophie, the wife of the accused, and Kate, the lawyer of the victim.
'Ms. Ice Sandwich' by Mieko Kawakami (Jan. 23; Pushkin Press)
Among many other awards, Haruki Murakami listed Mieko Kawakami as his favorite young writer, so you're obviously going to want to snatch up Ms. Ice Sandwich, her first book translated into English. This is a lovely coming-of-age story about a boy who becomes obsessed with a woman who sells sandwiches.
'This Love Story Will Self-Destruct' by Leslie Cohen (Jan. 23; Gallery Books)
On the surface, this book is the tale of Eve and Ben, two 20-something New Yorkers who cross each other paths so often it begins to feel like fate. But at its heart, this book is more than just a "love story." It's an edgy examination of a woman's struggle to define her own life.
'Brass' by Xhenet Aliu (Jan. 23; Random House)
This remarkable debut novel follows the twin narratives of a mother and daughter. In 1996, Elsie is a 19-year-old waitress, determined to leave her small, depressed town in Connecticut. She falls for a man, knowing he has a wife back in Albania, and becomes unexpectedly pregnant. Seventeen years later, her daughter, Luljieta, is similarly determined to get out of her hometown — but her plans involve going to college in New York City.
'Still Me' by Jojo Moyes (Jan. 30; Pamela Dorman Books)
Me Before You fans, here's a bit of good news! Louisa Clarke has arrived in NYC, and she ready to start a new life, even as she maintains a long-distance relationship with Ambulance Sam. But when she gets a job that lands her in the middle of New York high society, she's thrown into a dizzying world of secrets that puts her on a collision course with someone from her past.
