The 20 best books of the year, from Claire Keegan to Jonathan Coe

Our chief book critic Martin Chilton picks his best 2022 reads, from clever essay collections and memoirs to captivating, prize-winning novels

Cormac McCarthy and Ali Smith also make the list (Faber&Faber/Viking/Hamish Hamilton/Century/Picador/Getty/iStock)

In another year of financial fiascos and political pantomimes, it was certainly a balm to read the journals of decent human beings trying to do their best. This trait was evident in excellent autobiographies from Malorie Blackman and Dave Grohl, as well as Alan Rickman’s posthumously published diaries. The memoirs that make my list, however, are those of Paul Newman and Terry Pratchett.

It has been a good year for insightful books about working in the health and care service, and Anna Kent’s Frontline Midwife and Pope Lonergan’s I’ll Die After Bingo are suggested reads in this genre. Although overall it was not a golden year for novels, several big hitters weighed in with impressive works about the state of the world, including Ian McEwan, Ali Smith, Monica Ali and Jonathan Coe. I would also highly recommend Percival Everett’s The Trees, Jennifer Egan’s The Candy House and Audrey Magee’s The Colony as impressive fiction from the past year, even though this trio narrowly fell short of the final 20, below.

20. Not Far from Brideshead: Oxford Between the Wars by Daisy Dunn (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)