Best books ... chosen by Maile Meloy
Maile Meloy is the award-winning author of Liars and Saints, Half in Love, and the new story collection Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It. Below, she names six books that have changed her idea of &
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (Random House, $15). The nested, multiple narratives in Mitchell’s brilliant novel, each written in a different style—19th-century traveler’s journal, ’70s airport novel, sci-fi debriefing/celebrity interview—made me stop writing for a while, because I was so sure I couldn’t do that.
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy (Vintage, $15). This has been one of my favorite books for years, and I just “reread” it by listening to it on my iPod. A friend of mine was horrified, but I don’t see why: The audiobook forces you to slow down to the pace of men walking through Mexico or riding on horseback—no skimming—and drops you into the huge, mannered nightmare journey of the book.
Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth (Norton, $15). A spectacular novel about the African slave trade, and about the people on an ill-fated ship sailing from Liverpool to the Guinea Coast. It’s the kind of novel you live in, caught up in the hope and the horror of everyone on board.
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.
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman (Nick Hern, $20). When I was a teenager, I read science fiction, but not fantasy. When I finally found my way to Pullman’s trilogy, which is marketed to teens but suitable for adults, I couldn’t stop reading. The books are so beautiful, and full of wonders, and grounded in the idea of children at risk in a manipulative and misguided adult world.
Her First American by Lore Segal (New Press, $15). A young Viennese Jewish refugee comes to the United States in the early 1950s and falls in love with an older man, a black intellectual with a drinking problem. It’s an absolute delight—terribly sad when it’s sad, and incredibly funny.
The All of It by Jeanette Haien (Harper, $12). A tiny novel in which a priest out fishing in rainy Ireland sorts through the story told to him by a woman, just widowed, about how she came to live with her husband. The information is revealed so masterfully, and Haien achieves intense emotional effects in such a short space, that I still don’t really know how she did it.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Gold tops $4K per ounce, signaling financial unease
Speed Read Investors are worried about President Donald Trump’s trade war
-
Bondi stonewalls on Epstein, Comey in Senate face-off
Speed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi denied charges of using the Justice Department in service of Trump’s personal vendettas
-
October 8 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Wednesday’s political cartoons include evidence* of what causes autism, Donald Trump's enemy within and a CBS sacrifice
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetime
Feature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Lou Berney’s 6 favorite books with powerful storytelling
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by Dorothy B. Hughes, James McBride, and more
-
Elizabeth Gilbert’s favorite books about women overcoming difficulties
Feature The author recommends works by Tove Jansson, Lauren Groff, and more
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imagination
Feature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Jessica Francis Kane's 6 favorite books that prove less is more
Feature The author recommends works by Penelope Fitzgerald, Marie-Helene Bertino, and more
-
Keith McNally's 6 favorite books that have ambitious characters
Feature The London-born restaurateur recommends works by Leo Tolstoy, John le Carré, and more
-
Garrett Graff's 6 favorite books that shine new light on World War II
Feature The author recommends works by James D. Hornfischer, Craig L. Symonds, and more
-
Helen Schulman's 6 favorite collections of short stories
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by Raymond Carver, James Baldwin, and more