Our literature correspondent Chris Bateman goes down the rabbit hole to report back on his ten favourite books of the year

10. William Blake vs the World by John Higgs (W&N)

You would be forgiven for thinking that the potential to write anything new about William Blake had been exhausted, so extensive is the library of books written about him over the centuries. William Blake vs the World, however, is a wholly original take on everyone’s favourite poet, artist and visionary. By his approach of exploring themes in Blake through lenses such as quantum physics, popular science and other historical contexts, John Higgs offers insights into the great man that are fresh and intriguing. I imagine this book would appeal to both Blake enthusiasts and those who have previously expressed little interest in him. A great feat of imagination.


9. The Dark Remains by Ian Rankin, William McIlvanney (Canongate)

A huge literary treat for fans of the crime novel this year as Ian Rankin takes on the task of completing McIlvanney’s unfinished Laidlaw manuscript. Plenty has been said already about how McIlvanney first dug out the tunnel for Scottish crime writers but the beauty of Rankin’s treatment is that it does not merely imitate McIlvanney, it elevates his voice, adding to it the wealth of experience and devotion to the genre that Rankin has been a giant of for so long. It also serves to remind you what a truly excellent writer Rankin is, something it is easy to take for granted as the consistently great Rebus juggernaut continues to roll. This was clearly a massive literary challenge and one that Rankin was more than up to.


8. You Are Beautiful and You Are Alone: The Biography of Nico by Jennifer Otter Bickerdike (Faber)

An insightful, thoroughly researched, and rigorous biography of one of music’s great enigmas. Jennifer Otter Bickerdike’s approach is rooted in academia and research, yet manages to achieve the rare trick of balancing great analysis with sharp, entertaining writing. A genuinely fascinating book about a layered, complex character whose story the world needed to know.


7. Luckenbooth by Jenni Fagan (Windmill)

Alasdair Gray used to talk about how a city (Glasgow in particular) could not begin to exist in the imagination until it had been captured there by the artist. Edinburgh, of course, has never suffered from this issue being writ large on our imaginations since Walter Scott committed it to ink in the 19th century. However, nothing to my mind has grasped the city quite in the way Luckenbooth has.

Jenni Fagan’s original and enchanting novel takes us along with the Devil’s daughter herself into No. 10 Luckenbooth Close as we encounter the fascinating residents at the address from an African American research scientist to an infamous madam (and William Burroughs too!). The 20th century is reflected in the characters’ gaze and the changing city is too. As others have noted, a good Edinburgh novel really ought to capture the murkiness that lingers in the shadows of the city – it is as essential to its identity as the castle. Luckenbooth does this so uniquely and ensures that Auld Reekie will continue to thrive in the literary imagination.


6. Second Place by Rachel Cusk (Faber)

State of the art literature from Rachel Cusk. Second Place rewards patience as Cusk demands you fully commit to her perception of the world. Stark, infuriating in places and always worth it, Cusk’s novel is a real standout from a writer who always takes you with her.

Read our full review here.


5. Tenement Kid by Bobby Gillespie (White Rabbit)

The musings of one of rock and roll’s true disciples. Bobby Gillespie is a believer and his autobiography takes you through the hedonism, the creative process and a lifetime devotion to rock and roll, punk and acid house. Tenement Kid was a real highlight for music writing in 2021.

Read our full review here.


4. The Foghorn’s Lament by Jennifer Lucy Allen (White Rabbit)

The Foghorn’s Lament is not a book I expected to fall in love with this year. Mournful, alluring and like nothing else I have read in 2021, Jennifer Lucy Allen’s intrepid, academic approach to the exploration of both the history of the foghorn and the experiences of those whose lives are affected by them is utterly unique and compelling.


3. A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib (Allen Lane)

Art, performance, music and the culture of black America is not articulated, championed or dissected anywhere near enough in our public discourse. Hanif Abdurraqib goes about dismantling shallow misconceptions, taking us on a personal journey through art in A Little Devil in America. Informative, insightful and beautifully written. An essential read.

Read our full review here.


2. Thin Places by Kerri ní Dochartaigh (Canongate)

Kerri ní Dochartaigh’s genre defying book explores our attachments to place in beautiful, poetic detail. An absolutely enchanting book that, almost a year later, is still fixed in the mind. My favourite non-fiction book of the year.

Read our full review here.  


1. Monument Maker by David Keenan (White Rabbit)

Abandon what you know, choose your door and enter David Keenan’s cathedral. Surrender yourself up to this monument of stone in ink and paper. Monument Maker, Keenan’s fifth novel, exists outside of time. Across four books it takes you on a voyage in which life, art, existence and death are explored, dreamed and lived. It’s visceral, bursting with psychic energy and utterly essential.

“This is not experimental literature. This is literature”, Keenan said recently. I would go further: with Monument Maker, Keenan has killed the novel and brought about its resurrection. This act of librecide has set literature free, opening a portal, through which nothing can be the same again. My book of the year, probably the most incredible book released in my lifetime.

Read our 2020 interview with David Keenan here.