Best in Fiction: 2014

I know there are still two weeks left in December and I'm not done reading for the year, but I want to get my best-of lists up before everyone scatters for the holidays.

This year I have only two lists: fiction and nonfiction. I'm not making a separate audiobook list or food writing list.

Here are my top ten in fiction, in alphabetical order. Links lead to my reviews or blurbs. If there isn't a link, it's because I haven't yet reviewed the book. (Note: books read in 2014, not necessarily published in 2014.)

1. Nell Leyshon, The Colour of Milk (Ecco paperback, 2014): "beautifully written, almost lyrical in its pacing."
2. Tim Johnston, Descent (Algonquin, 2015): The tension is so exquisite it's almost unbearable.
3. Rene Denfeld, The Enchanted (HarperTorch, 2014): "A haunting novel that makes you think about what happens to children who have no protectors."

4. Lin Enger, The High Divide (Algonquin, 2014): "balances the wonder and dangers of the wilderness with a deeply emotional and complex psychological landscape."
5. Carrie La Seur, The Home Place (William Morrow, 2014): "about the complex ways home and place intertwine to make us who we truly are."
6. Colm Toibin, Nora Webster (Scribner, 2014): "[This] beautifully crafted novel is a testament to the importance of being true to oneself, even (or especially) during times of great change."

7. Peter Heller, The Painter (Knopf, 2014): "The stark prose and sharp descriptions [balance] us on the knife edge between beautiful and ugly, good and evil."
8. Christine Heppermann, Poisoned Apples (Greenwillow, 2014): "stark, beautiful, haunting, disturbing, and oh so very honest."
9. Bill Roorbach, The Remedy for Love (Algonquin 2014): "about what happens when two people who would have never normally met are thrown together under dire circumstances."
10. Elizabeth McCracken, Thunderstruck (The Dial Press, 2014): "a powerful, emotional collection that should be read slowly and savored."