Here are a few of the novels that have recently had me questioning life, the universe and everything in between.
1. The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman
I really did not care that she was not the biological mother. That could potentially make me a bad person. My head was all over the place with this one.
2. The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan
This had me up and down and round and round trying to decide just what I'd do if stuck in a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean surrounded by water and a few select people. I guess that's one thing I'll never (hopefully) know.
3. Lamb by Bonnie Nadzam
The dilemma was pretty clear here, and the morality, but that didn't make it any easier to read.
4. The Colour of Milk by Nell Leyshon
Another 'what would I do?' situation. I think I'd do the same.
5. Antigone by Sophocles
Ah, the oldest dilemma in the book - do I defy authority to bury my brother or leave him to rot in the sun and stay loved by all?
6. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
This had me trying to figure out whether evil is an inherent trait and whether there can be good in everyone. Never made it to an answer on that one. Help me out?
7. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
See 'Lamb' with added gross moments.
8. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
In my head, even if she was guilty, I was in love with her from the start.
9. The Undertaking by Audrey Magee
This is a truly shocking and harrowing novel that really made me consider where the line is between right and wrong and who determines whether something is wrong.
10. The Testimony by James Smythe
As well as scaring the actual bejeezus out of me, this dystopian novel pulled my head in so many directions.
For every recommendation here I could probably list another twenty more. What can I say, I like mind games.
Did you have similar reactions to me with any of these? Which book made you think deeply about morals and morality?
