Best books...chosen by Laura van den Berg
The award-winning writer recommends six books that she says ‘redefined the mystery novel for me.’
Laura van den Berg’s second story collection, The Isle of Youth, features various female protagonists who are each working out a puzzle. Below, the award-winning writer recommends six books that she says ‘redefined the mystery novel for me.’
Tomorrow in the Battle Think on Me by Javier Marías (Vintage, $15). In the opening pages, a woman dies a sudden and mysterious death in the arms of her lover. He in turn is forced to confront the dark and inscrutable corners of his soul.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami (Vintage, $17). The mundane (a missing cat; spaghetti), the menacing (a missing wife), the bizarre (psychic sisters; a most unusual well), and the ghosts of Japan’s military history all come together to form a sprawling, esoteric missing-person mystery and a singular meditation on identity and the tenuous nature of reality.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt (Vintage, $16). Tartt’s beloved debut is part page-turner and part haunting exploration of what lurks just beneath the sleek landscape of civility and privilege—and of the moral costs of doing whatever it takes to save yourself.
Running Away by Jean-Philippe Toussaint (Dalkey Archive, $13). “Would it ever end with Marie?” the opening line reads. And so begins an exhilarating journey that starts in China, ends in Italy, and keeps our narrator occupied as he attempts to navigate a frenetic, confounding world that includes a mysterious man, the enigmatic Marie, and a cash-stuffed envelope.
The Naked Eye by Yoko Tawada (New Directions, $14). A young woman is abducted in Berlin. She is held hostage and escapes; time pushes on. From this premise, Tawada spins a strange and arresting tale of a woman adopting new identities as a means of escape while also trying to recover the self that was stolen from her all those years ago.
Big Machine by Victor LaValle (Spiegel & Grau, $15). Ricky Rice, the hero of this wild and wonderful novel, has one of the most intoxicating voices I’ve encountered. As we follow Ricky through California sewers, a mysterious Vermont compound, a supernatural impregnation, and his tormented memories of a youth spent in a religious cult, a twisty mystery—and a meditation on what it means to believe—take hold of the reader and won’t let go.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
July 13 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include new TSA rules, FEMA cuts, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy complimenting Donald Trump's new wardrobe
-
5 weather-beaten cartoons about the Texas floods
Cartoons Artists take on funding cuts, politicizing tragedy, and more
-
What has the Dalai Lama achieved?
The Explainer Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader has just turned 90, and he has been clarifying his reincarnation plans
-
Thomas Mallon's 6 favorite books from the 80's and early 90's
Feature The author recommends works by James Merrill, Calvin Trillin, and more
-
Anne Hillerman's 6 favorite books with Native characters
Feature The author recommends works by Ramona Emerson, Craig Johnson, and more
-
John Kenney's 6 favorite books that will break your heart softly
Feature The novelist recommends works by John le Carré, John Kennedy Toole, and more
-
Andrea Long Chu's 6 favorite books for people who crave new ideas
Feature The book critic recommends works by Rachel Cusk, Sigmund Freud, and more
-
Bryan Burrough's 6 favorite books about Old West gunfighters
Feature The Texas-raised author recommends works by T.J. Stiles, John Boessenecker, and more
-
Tash Aw's 6 favorite books about forbidden love
Feature The Malaysian novelist recommends works by James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and more
-
Richard Bausch's 6 favorite books that are worth rereading
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and more
-
Marya E. Gates' 6 favorite books about women filmmakers
Feature The film writer recommends works by Julie Dash, Sofia Coppola, and more