McNally Robinson releases 2023 top ten fiction picks

An environmental suspense, a searing tale of a Jewish family devastated by the Holocaust, and the next instalment of a 1970s Harlem crime saga are just a few of the novels to form a hotly debated 2023 top fiction list.

After months of mulling over which new releases would crack the list, the bosses and senior staff at McNally Robinson Booksellers released their picks this week.

“They're books that we were excited about. They’re books that we read and passed around and were proud to feature and promote,” explained Angela Torgerson, executive manager at McNally Robinson Booksellers.

Among the picks are three books by Manitoba authors – Katherena Vermette’s “The Circle,” David Bergen’s “Away from the Dead,” and Joan Thomas’ “Wild Hope.”

Torgerson assures their Prairie roots aren’t what landed the locals among the ranks of Pulitzer Prize and Governor General Award-winning authors.

“They make the list because their books are incredible, but we certainly hold them closer and dear to our hearts because they are local.”

The list, she says, is a way to promote fiction that the book lovers who work at McNally love, but that don’t necessarily crack bestseller lists. It also helps to differentiate the store from larger bookstore chains.

“That's where we shine. That's where we get to say, ‘This is the book for you.’”