Books that capture current times

[Cornishblues]

One of the members of my book group grew up under a very different political climate from where we both live now and I’d wondered about asking her whether she could suggest a book that captured what it was like. Then it occurred to me that it’s not necessarily an easy ask and I wondered what I would pick for the same question and I’m finding it difficult to think of anything. Good crime fiction is the closest I can think of but thankfully I’ve lived a sheltered life.

Ali Smith books Autumn, Winter etc are very good on “current times”.

At the lighter end, Alexander McCall Smith also, but only if you live somewhere genteel like Edinburgh

Some of the Patrick Gale books - mostly with a flavour of Cornwall areas. My favourite is Notes from an Exhibition, but this has a distinctive build through from the 60s to the 2000s. Very clever structure. Have not been so into the more recently written historical ones.

Possibly also Jon McGregor - people love Reservoir 13 but I was disappointed in it after If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things. Tense to read though.

I’d recommend Linda Grant’s latest book: A Stranger City, set just before Brexit

www.theguardian.com/books/2019/may/04/a-stranger-city-by-linda-grant-review

Thanks for these suggestions. Ormally I love Notes from an Exhibition too, but others of his that I have read not so much.

Lockdown by Peter May!

I re-read Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham this year, but there are many post Apocalyptic novels that could also capture the feeling of lockdown.

Z for Zachariah?

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins - gripping

There's a thriller I read recently People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd that captures the life of a popular Instagrammer "Mama" well. It looks closely at the life lived intensely in the eye of social media.

Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid, which examines racism and looks at white saviour and social media influencers again.

Pandemic 1918: The Story of the Deadliest Influenza in History.

Jonathan Coe's Middle England was pretty good on the Cameron years up to the Brexit referendum.

Amanda Craig's Lie of the Land and The Golden Rule state of the nation satires I preferred them to Jonathan Coe's Middle England.

This is going to hurt by Adam Kay hilarious and heartbreaking diaries of a junior doctor

Zadie Smith White Teeth captures the London of the recent period it's set in.

The Cows by Dawn O'Porter has a very now (albeit a few years ago) feel.

Love a few Patrick Gale books.
They're so cosy.

Some memoirs are great to learn about a set time and type of life; e.g. Viv Albertine, Clothes, music, boys and To throw away unopened - very much of the time and place. 80s to Recent - London

Also, Anita and Me, novel by Meera Syal I found very true to the experience of growing up in 80s UK, as an immigrant with white friends and the difference in cultures. I suppose the 80s is years ago now though!

Luster by Raven Leilani is good about what it's like to be young woman now

There is a new book out called Dreamland which is set in Margate in the very near future when the country is being decimated by climate change - very good read!

Thank you for all the excellent suggestions, a couple I’ve enjoyed before and thanks to @ValerieMorghulis I tried Ali Smith’s Autumn. I’d been avoiding the series as I didn’t get on with others of hers I read years ago but have been missing out - really enjoyed it. Going to move on to something more escapist now though.

The animals in that country - an epidemic that causes you to hear what animals say. Your dog doesn’t like you… at all.

An Ordinary Epidemic - I kinda wanted to punch the main character in the throat but now I totally get where she’s coming from in her paranoia

The second cure - great book set mainly in Aus but a world wide pandemic