best of 2023: fiction

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

- For at least the third year in a row, this list contains only female authors.  This wasn't on purpose, although I ain't mad about it.

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

- I believe all of these were first published in 2023.

- And, as always, your mileage may vary.

1. What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall:  When she was eleven years old, Naomi spent a lot of time in the woods with her best friends Cass and Liv, making up elaborate stories about fairies and goddesses.  One day, Naomi is brutally attacked and her testimony, along with that of her friends, sends a man to prison.  But when she grows up and learns more about the man, now dead, she begins to wonder if she and her friends were wrong, and she returns to her hometown in search of the truth.  Yep, another "woman returns to her hometown in search of the truth" book, but this one is excellent!

2. Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey:  Maggie is getting divorced from her husband of 608 days, who's no longer answering any of her texts or emails. She's broke, her job is no longer fulfilling, and her initially supportive friends are getting increasingly frustrated with her.  Still, she tries to convince herself that she's doing great.  Anyone who's been through a nasty breakup will relate, but it can also be really funny.

3. Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson:  A "meet cute" between two women at a farmer's market turns, well, not so cute.  Lush romance collides with Grand Guignol in a way that'll make your head spin.  It's short (177 pages) but packs a punch.

4. I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai:  During her senior year at a prestigious prep school, Bodie's former roommate Thalia was murdered.  Years later, Bodie returns to the school to teach, and she starts to question whether the right person was convicted.  Yes, another take on the "woman goes back to hometown to investigate an old murder", but Rebecca Makkai was a Pulitzer Prize finalist, so it's much better than others of its ilk.  I had a hard time putting it down; it's my second favorite novel of the year.

5. Deliver Me by Elle Nash:  Daisy is a poor young woman living with her insect-obsessed boyfriend, who she calls Daddy.  She's desperate to have a baby, and she's convinced herself she's pregnant, which leads to drastic measures to perpetuate the lie.  It's really good and I flew through it, but holy shit, it's the most disturbing book I've read in a long time.  

6. After That Night by Karin Slaughter:  Dr. Sara Linton tries in vain to save the life of a brutalized young woman in the ER.  Much to her horror, there's a connection to her own assault fifteen years earlier, and Sara's fiance, special agent Will Trent, is determined to get to the bottom of it.  I didn't like Karin Slaughter's last couple of books, but this was a welcome return to form.  I don't tend to give content warnings, but this needs one for graphic descriptions of sexual assault and domestic violence.

7. Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll:  In 1978, a serial killer (very obviously Ted Bundy, though he's never named) attacks the residents of a sorority house, killing two young women and maiming two others.  Pamela Schumacher, who witnessed the killer leaving, joins forces with Tina Cannon, who's convinced the murderer is behind the disappearance of her friend Ruth.  Disturbing and engrossing.

8. Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens:  After her father dies, Bridget becomes a prostitute at the Buffalo Queen brothel.  Thanks to Kate and Lila, the madams who run the place, Bridget finds brothel life better than she expected.  Then a legendary female gunslinger named Spartan Lee rolls into town, and against her better judgment, Bridget falls in love.

Our internet went out for over 24 hours right before I started reading this, and although I was initially grumpy about it, I wound up being grateful because I was able to fully immerse myself in this novel without the distractions of Twitter and Buzzfeed listicles.  What a wild ride!  Despite Red Dead Redemption 2 being one of my favorite video games of all time, westerns aren't generally my thing, but throw a queer feminist twist on it and I was enraptured.  It's my favorite novel of the year.

9. The Whispers by Ashley Audrain:  At a neighborhood party, the guests are scandalized when they overhear the hostess screaming at her son.  Months later, when the boy mysteriously falls out of a window, everyone has a theory as to what happened and why. Powerful and engrossing, with one hell of a final chapter.  

10. Don't Forget the Girl by Rebecca McKanna:  When Chelsea and Bree were in college, their friend Abby disappeared, presumed murdered by a serial killer.  Twelve years later, the killer is days away from being executed and a podcast is digging into his crimes.  An excellent debut with more nuanced characters than most thrillers.