Our library book supplier is saying that Fall 2019 is going to be one of the best publishing cycles in years. That is to say, there are a lot of must-read books being released right around the corner. I’ve rounded up some adult fiction highlights that I am personally keeping an eye out for.

Akin by Emma Donoghue

Emma Donoghue has written a couple books in recent years, but her new book Akin is her first contemporary release since reaching the pinnacle of literary success with Room. Described as “a brilliant tale of love, loss and family,” it follows a retired New York professor whose life is thrown into chaos when he takes his great-nephew to the French Riviera, in hopes of uncovering his own mother's wartime secrets. It has a September release.

Albatross by Terry Fallis

Terry Fallis is always a hit with local readers and he’s back in August with his latest humorous yet heartfelt tale. Adam Coryell is your average high school student, but when he discovers he is very good at golf, his new-found talent skyrockets him to a prodigy-level stardom. But here's the catch: Adam doesn't really like golf. And as the life he once knew slips away - including the love of his life, the dream of being a writer, and everyday normalcy - he can't help but wonder if all this success and fame is worth it, or if it's enough for him.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Ann Patchett, author of Commonwealth, State of Wonder and Bel Canto, returns with what is being described as her most powerful novel to date: a story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings, the house of their childhood, and a past that will not let them go. If you enjoy literary fiction, you can’t go wrong with Ann Patchett so look out for The Dutch House when it is released in September.

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

If you are a fan of Jojo Moyes’s historical fiction (think The Girl You Left Behind), then you’ll be pleased to read that she has new novel out in October. Set in Depression-era America, The Giver of Stars is a breathtaking story of five extraordinary women and their unforgettable journey through the mountains of Kentucky and beyond.

How Quickly She Disappears by Raymond Fleischmann

Since it is being described as Silence of the Lamb meets The Dry, it’s no surprise why this debut novel is getting so much buzz. It is a literary suspense, set in the relentless Alaskan landscape, about madness and obsession, loneliness and grief, and the ferocious bonds of family.

Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chobsky

It’s been 20 years since his last book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, but Stephen Chobsky back with a literary horror in Imaginary Friend. At 700+ pages long, it might be too big of a commitment for me but the premise (a small-town boy with a menacing imaginary friend) is intriguing.

The Innocents by Michael Crummey

Can-Lit darling Michael Crummey is back with a story about a brother and sister who are orphaned in an isolated cove on Newfoundland's northern coastline. As they fight for their own survival through years of meagre catches and storms and ravaging illness, it is their fierce loyalty to each other that motivates and sustains them. But as seasons pass and they wade deeper into the mystery of their own natures, even that loyalty will be tested.

Watching You Without Me by Lynn Coady

Lynn Coady is yet another Can-Lit darling back this fall. Set in Nova Scotia, Watching You Without Me is a creepy and wholly compelling novel about the complex relationship between mothers and daughters, sisters, women and men, who to trust and how to trust in a world where the supposedly selfless act of caregiving can camouflage a sinister self-interest.

What Red Was by Rosie Price

When Kate Quaile meets Max Rippon in the first week of university, a life-changing friendship begins. Over the next four years, the two become inseparable. Until one evening, at the weathly Rippons’ home, just after graduation, her life is shattered apart in a bedroom while a party goes on downstairs. What Red Was is being described as an incisive and mesmerizing novel about power, privilege, and consent.

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

Imagine that your husband has two other wives whom you've never met, but you love him so much you don't care. Then imagine you meet one of these other wives, and you learn that her husband - who is also your husband - is violent and angry, a person completely unknown to you. How far would you go to find the truth, even if it put your life on the line? This mystery-thriller is due out in December.

While these books may not be on the library’s shelves yet, you can find them in our catalogue and place a hold here.

This article was originally published in The Napanee Guide.