This year we are diversifying our bookshelves and expanding the range of stories we consume. For September, I’ve focused on books in translation. Below are a few notable books in translation that I’ve personally read and would recommend. There are so many others that I hope to read in the future. If you have a favorite, please share!
The Time In Between by Maria Duenas (2009; 615 pages) // Translated from Spanish by Daniel Hahn. After heartbreak and betrayal, Sira turns to her sewing skills to support herself during the war. Soon she finds herself sewing clothes for Nazi officers’ wives and acting as a spy for the allies reporting what she overhears in her shop. This book is sweeping and adventurous and a great story to get lost in.
The Memory Police (1994, though not translated into English until 2019, 272 pages) // Translated from Japanese by Stephen Snyder. This dystopian suspense novel is sure to join the ranks of 1984 and other social sci-fi works in its masterful ability to challenge authoritarian surveillance states and warn against the dangers of forgotten history. I cannot believe it was written thirty years ago, as it feels so incredibly relevant right now in the U.S. Although I can’t say I absolutely loved this book, as it was pretty dark and haunting, it is a timeless classic and would be fantastic for anyone who enjoys dystopian novels or novels that make you think.
The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia (2015; 471 pages) // Translated from Spanish by Simon Bruni. This soulful family saga beautifully showcases the Latin American tradition of folklore and magical realism. In this book, the Morales family encounters a mysterious, disfigured infant, Simonopio, who has bees swarming about him. The Morales family raises Simonopio as their own and over time, realizes that Simonopio seems to have supernatural tendencies. Set in Mexico at the time of the 1918 flu, and following the family over the course of several decades, this book is ultimately a story of family bonds and faith in the unbelievable. The pacing of the story felt slow to start, but the more I read the more I became invested in this beautiful portrayal of family love.
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa (192 pages, 2009) // Translated from Japanese by Stephen Snyder. I’ve never read a story quite like this one. In this book, a housekeeper starts working for a retired mathematics professor who has short-term memory loss. Despite the fact that he can only remember 80 minutes into the past and the housekeeper reintroduces herself each day when she arrives at work, the housekeeper and her young son manage to develop a beautiful friendship with the professor over time. I’d also recommend this to anyone with a passion for mathematics, engineering, or education in general. Overall, really thought provoking and really lovely! This is one of my favorite books on this list.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (2020, 272 pages) // Translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot. This cozy, feel-good read is set in a Japanese cafe where patrons can travel back or forth in time. Although there are rules for the time travel (they must return to present day before their coffee gets cold, they understand that nothing they say or do during travel can alter the future, etc.) it is a really heartwarming book to see how people get a sense of closure.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (2014; 352 pages) // Translated from Swedish by Henning Koch. This is a top contender for my #1 all-time favorite book. This book follows a curmudgeonly, lonely widower named Ove who has lost the will to live – until a friendly, chaotic new family moves next door, and awakens a spark within Ove. Such a beautiful story of friendship and resilience.
Violeta by Isabel Allende (322 pages; 2022) // Translated from Spanish by Frances Riddle. This sweeping historical fiction novel sheds light on South American history. If you enjoy novels where trailblazing older women reflect back on their long, colorful lives (a la City of Girls or The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo) but are looking for something more firmly rooted in historical fiction/political history (a la Pachinko), this is a great pick. The first half of the book moved a bit slow for me, but it picked up in the second half, and by the last quarter or so of the book I was fully immersed.
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