After the Plague by T.C. Boyle

Why had I never heard of this guy? This collection of stories by the incredibly prolific American writer T.C. Boyle, is stellar. From bachelors trying to find love in Alaska, to a bartender who gets obsessed with an Internet "peep house", to a post-apocalyptic world peopled by loners, the stories never disappoint. Boyle has an incredibly dark sense of humour that hovers between satire and irony as he explores the foibles of contemporary society. Highly recommended.

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Pretty much a sociopath from the moment he's born, at 15, Kevin Khatchadourian kills seven students, a teacher and a cafeteria worker at his school. Told after the fact in a series of letters from his mother, Eva, to her husband and Kevin's father, Franklin, Eva relates the history of the family, trying to find a reason for Kevin's actions.

A nasty book, in the best possible way, Kevin's upbringing is full of horrible events that may or may not have anything to do with him.

An intelligently written book with a surprise ending. Recommended.

Barrel Fever by David Sedaris

I never realized David Sedaris wrote fiction until finding this book in a box of cast-offs in my apartment hallway. Sedaris' first publication, this collection of stories and essays is enjoyable, but lacks the refined wit of his later work.

The stories are undoubtedly funny, often taking an unconventional form. One story is a suicide note to be delivered at the funeral, another is a holiday letter from a family who has experienced a bizarre tragedy, and one of my favourites - a homophobia newsletter from an oversensitive young man. A reader familiar with Sedaris' later work can almost feel him trying things out, learning how to approach comedic writing and adopting the intelligent deadpan he is famous for.

Similarly, the essays are not as polished as I'm use to, lacking strong conclusions and feeling more like anecdotes. A quick and fun read, but his later work is really when he starts to shine.

Remainder by Tom McCarthy

After a mysterious accident in which debris falls from the sky, a man receives an 8 1/2 million pound settlement. A few days later, at a party, the man sees a crack in the wall of the bathroom which expands into the very specific memory of a place he used to live. He remembers the stairwells and banisters, the neighbours and their habits, and even the view of the roof of the building next door. Using his vast wealth, he goes about re-creating this scene, buying buildings and hiring an armada of designers, tradespeople and actors to re-create this space. What follows is a chain of increasingly complex re-creations as the man looses all sense of reality.

Often an irritating read as the protagonist goes over the minutiae of his faux worlds again and again. Remainder is unique, but frustrating more than compelling. McCarthy's cyclical narrative impedes much from actually happening and the protagonist is treated more as a prop than a human being.

If you're a fan of existential no-plot narratives (see Knut Hamsun's Hunger and Kazuo Ishiguro's The Unconsoled) give it a read, otherwise, not recommended.