Best Nonfiction of 2020 | Best Fiction of 2020 | Best Kids' and YA of 2020
Sometimes we reach for sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and graphic novels because we want to be transported away from the present; never mind that all of these genres use the tropes of technology, magic, history, myth, and the future to scrutinize the present. In a way, 2020 embodies the contradiction inherent in using genre fiction as a form of escapism: More than ever, we need to be confronting the very grave problems of racism, climate change, illness, economic crisis, and anti-democratic politics; and more than ever, we need an occasional rest from the exertion of those confrontations.
The books below astonished us in their abilities to entertain and educate us, sometimes making us laugh or cry, or indulge in a very ugly combination of the two that (almost) made us thankful for quarantine. Whether you want to read about magic schools, sentient cities, biomedical research, or murderous maids, there’s not a book on this list that won’t take you far away while opening your eyes to the wonders and heartaches of the here and now.
The City We Became
by N. K. Jemisin
One of the most fascinating things about N. K. Jemisin is her impeccable talent to take old tropes and breathe fresh life into their form, and The City We Became is no different. Sure, The City We Became is at its core a familiar story — New York City faces impending doom and must rely on supernatural powers to defeat it. But, in true Jemisin fashion, this premise is only the beginning. Showcasing a diverse cast of unforgettable characters, Jemisin has written a novel about NYC's durability against all odds — a message pertinent in these trying times. — Alex Y.
Lakewood
by Megan Giddings
Reeling from the loss of her grandmother, and unable to provide her ailing mother with the financial and medical support she needs, Lena drops out of college and volunteers to take part in a mysterious research study. The benefits are unreal: a handsome payout; free room and board; and — most crucially — full coverage of her mother’s medical expenses. But the study’s strict nondisclosure agreement and invasive screening process are the first of many red flags. A work of eerie, absorbing fiction with disturbing parallels in the real world, Lakewood is a remarkable debut. — Tove H.
Plain Bad Heroines
by Emily M. Danforth and Sara Lautman
The first of two very funny horror novels on this list, Plain Bad Heroines is governed by what critic Ron Charles called a “deliciously ghoulish voice, a kind of Victorian Gossip Girl.” Unabashedly gothic, but with a gloriously postmodern wink (you must enjoy metafiction and footnotes to read this book), Plain Bad Heroines features a predominantly LGBTQ+ cast of characters dealing with a slew of hauntings and catastrophes while trying to film a movie about a book… about a book. This is fireside reading par excellence.
This critically acclaimed, illustrated collection of oral histories from the Guantanamo Bay prison is a hard-to-resist punch in the gut. How many of us think about Guantanamo or its residents — prisoners, lawyers, service men and women — on a daily basis? Sarah Mirk’s expertly compiled series of interviews, illustrated by different artists using a shared color palette, is a wrenching reminder that the prison is still fully operational and a microcosm of our country’s unresolved conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not escapist reading to be sure, but absolutely transportive.
The Low, Low Woods
by Carmen Maria Machado and Dani
Reading anything by Carmen Maria Machado is to hand over your heart to her with full permission to break it knowing she’ll put it back together by the end, and The Low, Low Woods is no exception. When El and Vee wake up in a movie theater with no memory of the previous few hours, they are thrown into a search for answers, only to come across something so sinister plaguing their town of Shudder-to-Think. — Rachel M.
The Only Good Indians
by Stephen Graham Jones
I managed to avoid any reviews that betrayed the plot of this one, and was rewarded with such a fierce, propulsive, unsettling read that I’m not about to spoil it for you. Just know this: Stephen Graham Jones’s latest novel is definitively not for the squeamish, and every bit of buzz swirling around it is warranted. — Tove H.
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires
by Grady Hendrix
Grady Hendrix takes 1980s nostalgia, vampire lore, the trope of the suburban housewife, female readers’ affinity for true crime, and a startling, wonderful bolt of feminism to construct a horror novel custom-designed for anyone whose love of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is matched only by equally passionate feelings for This Is Spinal Tap. Creepy, gory, funny, and poignant, readers will grow attached to the gang of book-loving housewives, and to Patricia, who finds herself pitted against a monster and, well, finds herself.
A Memory Called Empire
by Arkady Martine
Think Le Carré set in space. Mahit Dzmare is a newly arrived ambassador who discovers her predecessor was murdered. Full of intrigue, richly textured world building, and tinged with an elegant sort of sadness, A Memory of Empire is a cracking good read. Arkady Martine is a Byzantine historian and an urban planner and the juxtaposition of those two disciplines mixed with political intrigue makes for mesmerizing reading. — Mary Jo S.
Dracula Motherf**ker
by Alex de Campi and Erica Henderson
The publisher describes this as horror/noir, but with that title, who cares? It'll be a fun romp, and when you're done, you'll sing, “Fangs for the memories!" — Doug C.
Black Sun
by Rebecca Roanhorse
The first of a trilogy based on ancient Aztec and Mayan mythology, Roanhorse has created a marvel of world-building and populated it with fascinating, fantastical characters. I loved the hard drinking, mermaid sea captain. This wonderful read left me anxiously waiting for the rest of the story. — Kathi K.
Maids
by Katie Skelly
Katie Skelly's sense of the strange, her delightful cartooning, and the underlying unhinged true crime story make an unbeatable combination. I can't wait. — Doug C.
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist
by Adrian Tomine
Tomine’s autobiography-in-comics is candid and compelling, deftly managing a tone of self-deprecating humor without edging into false humility. This is a feat considering that Tomine is one of the most famous cartoonists working today, and his resume is incongruous with the intimate feelings of embarrassment, mediocrity, and insecurity that occupy the fantastic comics in The Loneliness. Given the universality of Tomine’s feelings, this is a graphic novel that will appeal to almost anyone, but especially those with an interest or career in the arts.
Riot Baby
by Tochi Onyebuchi
Riot Baby takes it name from the 1992 LA riots and is also the nickname of the eponymous main character, a young Black man born hours after the riots who endures his own brutal assault and unjust imprisonment by NYC police. His sister Ella supports him throughout this ordeal, using their shared psychic gifts to communicate about the world outside Rikers and the possibility of a revolutionary future. Technically set in a near, dystopian future, with its strong dual focus on police brutality against Black Americans, and life within one Black family, Riot Baby reads more like a riveting indictment of the American present.
Oak Flat
by Lauren Redniss
Like Mirk’s Guantanamo Voices, MacArthur Genius Lauren Redkiss uses the graphic novel form to brilliant effect to explore the real legal battle for land sacred to the Apaches of Arizona. A firm favorite of the Powell’s staff, Oak Flat combines beautiful art with an investigation into the interests and values of a mining operation versus the religious history of the Apaches of Arizona and their fraught relationship with the U.S. government.
A Deadly Education
by Naomi Novik
Reviews are mixed on the newest novel from staff favorite Naomi Novik, but any flaws in A Deadly Education are amply made up for by the scope of Novik’s imagination and her rich world-building. Set at Scholomance, a magic school where the seniors must defeat a series of deadly monsters to graduate, A Deadly Education focuses on El, a deeply unlikable but fascinating dark sorceress who must team up with the heroic, amiable Orion Lake if she hopes to survive graduation. As a love-hate romance, A Deadly Education wobbles slightly, but the originality of Scholomance, its inhabitants, and the particular forms magic takes in the novel make Novik’s new series a must-read for anyone who read Lev Grossman’s Magicians trilogy and wanted more.