You missed the best books of 2023? Here’s the editorial shortlist to catch up during the holidays and brush up on your cultural competence.
A blanket, a crackling fire, and a good novel to immerse yourself in without noticing time pass… Yes, that’s what year-end holidays are made for: relaxing and escaping (between bites of foie gras and chocolates). To help you with that, Shoelifer has prepared a list of its favorite works. There have been many interesting books this year, so we decided to take a focused approach: five novels, written exclusively by women and about women. Trust us, it’s quite a ride! Here’s our shortlist of books for 2023.
Sad Tiger, Neige Sinno
Sad Tiger is the most awarded novel of 2023 in France, winning the Femina Prize, the Goncourt des Lycéens Prize, and the Literary Prize of Le Monde. This confessional novel addresses incest and sexual violence, narrating Neige’s story, regularly abused by her stepfather between the ages of 7 and 14 in the 1990s. The book takes us beyond the victim’s perspective, delving into the mind of the perpetrator. A poignant novel written by an equally powerful woman.
Available at Livre moi
Price: 260 MAD
Black Lebanon, Salma Kojok
Black Lebanon tells the story of Maïmouna, a mixed-race girl born in Abidjan to a Lebanese expatriate from the civil war and a young Ivorian woman. The novel explores racism as Maïmouna navigates her identity in Lebanon, a country shattered by fifteen years of civil war. A narrative of rare novelistic density, a must-read from the books of 2023.
Available at Livre moi
Price: 160 MAD
The Mystery of the Stuga, Camilla Grebe
No holidays are complete without a thriller. Among the best thrillers of 2023, the editorial team has chosen The Mystery of the Stuga. The story revolves around Lykke Andersen, an accomplished editor, whose life turns upside down when the body of her son’s best friend is found in the stuga, a small outbuilding in the family garden. Lykke ends up in provisional detention eight years later, retracing the investigation to find the real culprit. An enthralling literary puzzle paying homage to locked-room mysteries and psychological thrillers.
Available at Livre moi
Price: 300 MAD
Babysitter, Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates, one of the greatest contemporary American authors, presents a scathing portrait of white American society secluded in affluent suburbs. Set in Detroit, Michigan, in the 1970s, the novel follows Hannah, a complex bourgeois woman who indulges in adultery. Simultaneously, a child killer called Babysitter operates nearby, exposing the dysfunctions of American society. A corrosive noir novel that spares no one, not even the readers!
Available at Livre moi
Price: 320 MAD
Queen for a Day, Kirstin Innes
Kirstin Innes, considered one of the best Scottish writers of her generation, delivers a masterpiece with her latest novel, Queen for a Day. The story follows Clio Campbell, a folk singer who became famous after a single hit in 1990. Thirty years later, the artist takes her own life, revealing thirty years of disillusionment and the personality of an unknown singer. Is she an enraged feminist, a profiteer, or a victim of a system beyond her control? Read to find out!
Available at Livre moi
Price: 300 MAD
Picture : Allure
