I remember my Brighton Library card had an expiry date of 2000. This sounded like an impossibly science fiction time. I would be 37!
2000 Skallagrigg by William Horwood
I had read Duncton Wood but this novel of a man with cerebral palsy institionalised since childhood was a powerful evocation of how life for disabled people has changed in 20th century.
Interview with William Horwood on Skallagrigg
2001 Atonement by Ian McEwan
I started reading First Love, Last Rites and In Between the Sheets at university. Ever since, I have read McEwan’s books as they were published. It is hard to choose my favourite but Atonement deserved the Booker more than Amsterdam!
2002 The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
My least favourite of Donna Tartt’s novels but still my book of 2002. It has echoes of To Kill A Mockingbird and felt very filmic.
2003 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
One of those books that changes your view of the world. A funny but honest portrayal of neurodivergence.
2004 The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Love is finding someone you feel at home with. This wonderful novel portrays time travel as disability.
2005 Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Haunting. The boarding school atmosphere is beautifully evoked and the unpeeling layers of the narrative are skilfully done.
2006 Rain Men by Marcus Berkmann
This book reminded me of my wonderful cricket teams, Brighton and Hove Crescent and the Bank of England 3.5 XI, where I won the Barker Medal for Crass Batting. Cricket teas, banter and Harvey’s beer. It was never just about cricket.
2007 On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
One of McEwan’s best. No notes.
2008 Breath by Tim Winton
I love Tim Winton. I read this in a day. A compelling meditation on a noun. Remarkable.
2009 The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
This haunting novel of a young boy’s obsession with a stately home kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing to the end.
Next: 2010s
Leave a comment