2012 Notable Books List: best in adult fiction

The Notable Books Council, a group of readers’ advisory experts within the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association, has announced its selections for the 2012 Notable Books List of fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

Since 1944, the goal of the Notable Books Council has been to make available to the nation’s readers a list of about 25 very good, very readable and, at times, very important fiction, nonfiction and poetry books for the adult reader. A book may be selected for inclusion on the Notable Books List if it possesses exceptional literary merit; expands the horizons of human knowledge; makes a specialized body of knowledge accessible to the non-specialist; has the potential to contribute significantly to the solution of a contemporary problem; and/or presents a unique concept. The winners were selected by the Notable Books Council.

The 2012 winners are:

FICTION:
Banks, Russell. "Lost Memory of Skin." A surprisingly sympathetic exploration of the lives and treatment of sex offenders and how this reflects on our society.

Barnes, Julian. "The Sense of an Ending." A 60-something retiree living near London searches through his memories to discern what role, if any, he may have played in a decades-old tragedy.

deWitt, Patrick. "The Sisters Brothers." A darkly comic and quixotic quest western tale about two brothers whose divergent world views are presented in sparkling prose and originality.

Goldman, Francisco. "Say Her Name." Poetic novelization of the author’s struggle to cope with his young wife’s accidental death.

Harbach, Chad. "The Art of Fielding." One man’s failure to attain perfection on the baseball field reveals the pain and beauty that life offers in this psychologically astute novel.

MacLeod, Alexander. "Light Lifting." Seven fearless short stories explore the limits of physical and emotional endurance in muscular prose.

Obreht, Téa. "The Tiger’s Wife." After the death of her beloved grandfather, a young doctor navigates family history, folklore and love across ethnic barriers in a war-torn country.

Ondaatje, Michael. "The Cat’s Table." An adventurous 21-day ocean voyage filled with a rich assortment of characters and escapades resonates through a boy’s life on his way to a new life.

Phillips, Arthur. "The Tragedy of Arthur." In an adulthood marred by family dysfunction, an author who dislikes Shakespeare reluctantly finds himself in possession of the Bard’s lost gem. Or does he?

Russell, Karen. "Swamplandia!" An inventive story set in an alligator theme-park navigates boundaries between childhood and adulthood, imagination and reality, in an American landscape both familiar and surreal.

Torres, Justin. "We the Animals." Searing portrait of a troubled, mixed-race working class family centers on the youngest son as he struggles to find his identity amid affection and abuse.

Trevor, William. "Selected Stories." These finely sculpted and timeless stories provide a greater appreciation for finding beauty in the minutiae of daily life.