The Last Word - My ten best books - and why

By Susan Wilson - December 20, 2007

On Dec. 9, the New York Times Book Review published its "The Ten Best Books of 2007." In the three paragraphs describing their choices, and the two sentences defining their criteria, the editors of that most prestigious arbiter of literary fashion decreed that: "Each of these books stands...as a singular accomplishment. But when taken together they offer a composite view of literary and narrative art today in all its remarkable variety."

Of the five fiction and five non-fiction books subsequently listed on page 19, I confess that I haven't read any of them. Haven't, in fact, even heard of them. Now, I'm not going to beat myself up over this, I know that eventually at least one or two of them will find their way into my house. I can't offer an opinion on whether those 10 books are a composite view of literature today, I can only look at what I've read this year to see if my reading is a composite of anything, or just a melange of an eclectic reading taste.

One of the best features of the Oak Bluffs Public Library's web site is the function that keeps a reader's reading list. I'm an undisciplined cataloguer of my own reading; fluctuating between keeping a list with short notes on my impression of the book, to recording nothing and forgetting what I've read. I logged onto my list to see not only what I'd read in the last year, but which books might make a "top ten" of my favorites and why.

But first I have to come up with criteria. It isn't enough to just like a book. Or be entertained by it. Lots of books are fun reads, but have no aftereffect, no gravitas. A book must make me want to slow down to savor it. The language must be evocative, but not overwrought. The plot must be gently strewn with turns and twists; it must be a book that I look forward to getting back to each day. Above all, the characters must be believable. Sometimes people will say to me that they stayed awake until the middle of the night reading through one of my novels. They "couldn't put it down." My definition of a great book is one I put down because I don't want to hasten the reading process. I want to think about it. I want to prolong the acquaintance of the characters.

A quick scan down the list, and I see that for some reason this year I tended toward books of the West, or the great Northwest. For someone who has never played golf, nor is likely ever to take it up, I thoroughly enjoyed two: "Golfing with God" and "Addled" - the former an imaginative fantasy piece, exactly as the title suggests, and the second a delightful send-up of the culture of a private golf club, like peeking in the windows at an old established boys club.

I traveled too, going back in time with Sena Jeter Naslund's story of the young Marie Antoinette, in "Abundance." I visited the sun-drenched dangerous lands of Africa with the brilliant "The Camel Bookmobile" and the stunning, haunting story of the refugee boys of the Sudan in "What is the What," the "Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng," and Viet Nam in "The Quiet American," Graham Greene's classic story of love and jealousy. Leaving aside the collection of truly unremarkable books that are scattered like potato chips throughout my list, the more nourishing selections this year included Philip Roth's "The Human Stain," and Tobias Wolff's "Old School."

I read a few of the 'must reads,' like "Water For Elephants," and "Thirteen Moons" and enjoyed them, but may not put them on my list of top ten. Ten isn't a very large number. Dave Letterman cranks out a top ten list five nights a week (when the writers aren't on strike). How to choose? Today, I might think I've just read the best book ever, and tomorrow feel exactly the same way about the book in my hand. I think that it is the stick-to-your-ribs quality that nominates a book to my private top ten. I have to wish I'd written it.

I go back to my criteria. A good plot, an interesting setting, yes. Compelling characters, absolutely. Do I care about them? Would I want to meet them, have a conversation with them? Above all, is the writer's language, his or her story-telling capable of sending me to Viet Nam, or Boston, or some God-forsaken country? Is this writer's narrative drawing me into the imaginary world created for my pleasure, or am I thinking of the next task on my to-do list? Am I unconvinced that this is fiction; conversely, am I convinced that these things really happened in this memoir? Do I care? And, I guess, that's what it's all about. These writers have made me care about non-existent people, or have made me care about their own lives. They've pulled me into the fictive dream, or they've told me their own story, and I believe it.

So, here's my top ten list for 2007 and why I put them on my list:

10) Thanksgiving Night, Richard Bausch - characters.

9) Eats, Shoots and Leaves, Lynne Truss (non-fiction) - every writer should read this one.

8) The Quiet American, Graham Greene - setting, character development.

7) Merle's Door: Lessons from a Free Thinking Dog, Ted Kerasote (memoir) - setting and character.

6) The Known World, Edward P. Jones - language, characters, plot.

5) The Camel Bookmobile, Masha Hamilton - subject, characters.

4) The Big Rock Candy Mountain, Wallace Stegner -language, characters, setting.

3) The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahirir - characters, plot.

2) The Heart Of Horses, Molly Gloss - language, characters, setting.

1) What is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng - believability.

Susan Wilson is a freelance writer and novelist who lives in Oak Bluffs. Visit her web site at susanwilsonwrites.com.