Around the Bend
or Which Way to America
I’ve been thinking about how to approach my home country on this list, about which book should I select for the U.S.A. I’d kicked around the idea of saving it for last, a sort of homecoming after a long trek. But I wonder if that puts undue pressure on the selection. I read a lot of American books anyway, so maybe I should just log whichever random American book I happen to read next and be done with it.
One of the things that’s become clear as I read and select upcoming books for this project is that and it’s ridiculous to try to pick a truly representative book from any place. That might be especially true for country as big and messy as these United States. I don’t think there’s such a thing as The Great American Novel™, and I’ve read a good many of the obvious choices for that category anyway. There are some important books that have slipped through the cracks—Beloved, East of Eden, On the Road, Moby Dick, half the entries on this Atlantic list of contenders—so maybe I should draw from that well.
Or maybe I should read something a little more off the beaten path. If anyone has suggestions for the U.S., I’d be happy to hear them.
Right now I’m reading Vaddey Ratner’s In the Shade of the Banyon (Cambodia) and listening to the audiobook of Marlon James’ A Brief History of Seven Killings (Jamaica). Both are phenomenal thus far. None of this is written in stone, but here, in no particular order, is a list I’ve put together for upcoming reads. I’d be happy to hear suggestions for these countries or any others as well if you have something in mind that you want to share.
Spain —The Hive by Camilo José Cela
Nigeria – Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor
Poland – Solaris by Stanislaw Lem
Eritrea – Silence is My Mother Tongue by Suliamain Addonia
Colombia – Delirium by Laura Restrepo
Sierra Leone – Radiance of Tomorrow by Ismael Beah
Thailand – Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad
Chile — Space Invaders by Nona Fernandez
Pakistan – Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid
Saudi Arabia – The Dove’s Necklace by Raja Alem
Canada – The Orenda or Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
Argentina – Dark Constellations by Pola Olaixarac
Brazil – The Double Death of Quincas Water-Bray by João Guimarães Rosa