I won’t say a lot as the title is self-explanatory. Here are 5 novels that will make you feel like there is some light in these dark times.
5. Yann Martel – Life of Pi
One boy, trapped on a life boat with a tiger, a zebra, a hyena and an orangutan. Due to the open ending you can interpret it in many ways. But ultimately you can see it as a book about the power of hope.
4. Lucy Ellmann – Ducks, Newburyport
Yes it is 1000 pages long and is comprised of 1 sentence but dammit this novel has enough hope to charge a small city. The main plot concerns a housewife worrying about everything that wrong in the 21st century from YouTube glamor culture to The Trump administration. However whittle it down and you have a tale about the power of motherly love.
3. Ali Smith – The Accidental
A quirky girl barges just barges in a family that is falling apart. With her particular brand of kookiness, she manages to change the family and make them better people. Proof that sometimes something seemingly negative can change things for the better.
2. Fredrik Backman – A Man Called Ove
Ove’s life is crumbling. He can’t get to grips with technology, his neighbors irritate him and a past event is affecting him badly.
One day, though things change and Ove realises that life may be worth living.
Generally I dislike books like this but when it’s done well, I’ll embrace it. I promise it will change you in a positive way.
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry – The Little Prince
Read it and when you’re done, read it again and again. A crucial book for these times.
The Bobsphere 