Ali Smith

I've been re-reading one of my favorite authors, and finding fresh delights in her words each time. For those of you who don't know Ali Smith's work she is very highly thought of in the UK and in Europe - and rightly so. I'm not sure quite why her fame is not so general here, but that should not discourage you.

So, no: I won't give you any plot synopses here. I'll simply point out that when I encountered her work I realized with relief that modern literature is not dead, that the drought is over and magic has come back to language in novels that truly have something important to convey. Take a look at "The Accidental", or dive into her short story collections to have the roof of your brains removed by her virtuosity ("The Whole Story" and "The First Person"). Then dive into "There But for The". Deliciously easy to read, you find yourself surprised that these works have coaxed you to think about how to be present - or not - and what it means.

Once you taste, you won't be the same.