Once again, it is that time of the year when our feeds are flooded with yearly recaps of trips, favourite films or most-listened songs. Lundagårds Nhi Tran has summarised the literary year of 2025. Here are five notable books from this year.
Your Comfort Read of the Year: My Friends – Fredrik Backman
As always, the beauty of his newest novel lies in Backman’s sympathetic writing. His ability to portray human emotions with depth and empathy remains unmatched. If you enjoyed the shows Beartown or Anxious People, this book will feel familiar in the best way. Moving between past and present, it centres on youth, friendship, and a summer that leaves a lasting mark. Nostalgic and easy to sink your teeth into, it is especially comforting if going home for the holidays makes you reminisce about old friends.
Publisher: Atria Books
Your Short, but Long-Lasting, Read: I Who Have Never Known Men – Jacqueline Harpman (Translated by Ros Schwartz)
Originally published in 1995, this short novel has been rediscovered by contemporary readers through a recent translation. Set in an unknown dystopian world, the story follows a woman imprisoned underground, reflecting on norms, isolation, difference, and ultimately, what it means to be human (or not human). It is a fast and immersive read, yet it lingers long after the final page. The fact that it was written by a woman nearly thirty years ago only adds to its quiet, unsettling power.
Publisher: Transit Books
Your Lyrical Late-Night Read: The Emperor of Gladness – Ocean Vuong
Ocean Vuong returns with another poetic and emotional novel. Set in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, The Emperor of Gladness follows the fragile bond between two damaged souls: a Vietnamese-American college dropout and an elderly Lithuanian immigrant living with dementia. Filled with grief, care, and reflection, it is best read slowly, during quiet winter evenings when there is time to reflect over the beauty of language.
Publisher: Penguin Press
Your Perspective Shifter: When the Cranes Fly South – Lisa Ridzén (Translated by
Alice Menzies)
If you’re drawn to stories about old people like A Man Called Ove (Fredrik Backman) or the Hundred-Year-Old Man-series (Jonas Jonasson), Ridzén’s debut novel is well worth picking up. Focusing on age, memory and the slow rhythms of everyday life, this book gently opens your perspectives on age and reminds you of your grandparents. Deeply humane and vulnerable, it invites us to think about care, time, and the future versions of ourselves we rarely imagine.
Publisher: Vintage
Your Challenging Pick: Seiobo There Below – László Krasznahorkai (Translated by Ottilie Mulzet)
Although not released in 2025, this is an excellent introduction to this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature laureate, László Krasznahorkai. It is not an easy read, but a deeply rewarding and unique one. Through long, winding sentences and a stream-of-consciousness flow, the Krasznahorkai explores art, existence, and transcendence, moving between Asia and Europe, the present day and the Renaissance. It is best approached without hurry, and a little bit of confusion. This novel turns reading into a slow, meditative experience.
Publisher: Tuskar Rock
