best of 2022: fiction

It's time for my lists!  A few notes before I begin:

- Not all of these were first published in 2022, but that's when I read them.

- These are in random order, though I did make note of my two absolute favorites.

- And, as always, your mileage may vary.

1. Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho:  The titular best friends, two Taiwanese American women, try to navigate adolescence and adulthood in this compelling short story collection.

2. Real Easy by Marie Rutkoski:  In 1999, Samantha agrees to drive a fellow stripper home from work, but the trip turns deadly.  An excellent and haunting thriller that's my second favorite novel of the year.

3. Sundial by Catriona Ward:  Rob has been noticing a darkness in her daughter Callie for some time, but when Callie becomes dangerous, Rob takes her to Sundial, the desert town where Rob grew up, in hopes of fixing her.  Riveting and supremely creepy.

4. Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom:  Anna lives for Instagram, and she's willing to change her face and body to keep the likes coming.  But when she gets older, she decides to undergo Aesthetica, a dangerous procedure that will undo every nip, tuck, and filler she's ever had. 

5. Small Game by Blair Braverman:  Mara joins a reality show in which she and four strangers are dropped off in the wilderness to survive on their own for six weeks.  But one day the crew vanishes, and what started as a game becomes a fight for survival.

6. The Clockwork Girl by Anna Mazzola:  In 17th century Paris, Madeleine leaves her mother's brothel to work as a chambermaid for a renowned clockmaker, hoping to win her freedom by giving information to a police detective.  But the clockmaker's creations seem a little too realistic, and Madeleine is afraid she's in over her head.  Beautifully detailed.

7. All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers:  Margot returns to her small Indiana town to care for her beloved uncle, who's suffering from early onset dementia.  Her best friend was murdered when they were both six, and now another little girl has disappeared.  An exciting read that I tore through in two days.

8. The Cherry Robbers by Sarai Walker:  Sylvia Wren is a reclusive artist who receives a letter from a journalist who has discovered her real identity:  Iris Chapel, heiress to the Chapel firearms fortune, and the only daughter to survive the family curse that killed her sisters.  It reminded me of The Virgin Suicides, with a very important difference:  we glimpse the tragedies through the eyes of the women affected, not the men in their orbit.  Gorgeously written and my favorite book of 2022.

9. House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson:  Marion is desperate to escape her life in the slums, so she accepts a position as a bloodmaid for a countess who believes drinking blood has curative and anti-aging properties.  The position is lucrative, but Marion discovers she's in grave danger when other bloodmaids start to disappear.  Super engrossing.

10. Exiles by Jane Harper:  Aaron Falk travels to the South Australian wine country for the christening of a friend's son.  But one year earlier, a woman disappeared, and Aaron finds himself pulled into the investigation.  Jane Harper's last two books were standalones, and although I enjoyed one of them, I really missed Aaron, so I was glad to see him return!