The New York Times has released its list of Notable Books for 2003, which is always a good starting point for choosing fiction. One book by a New Zealander makes it onto the list: Featherstone by UK-based Kirsty Gunn (pictured). Novelist Peter Cameron, in his review, says:

Gunn is an intelligent, disciplined writer, and her book is exquisitely carpentered, each scene seamlessly dovetailed with another … Her scenes are very moving, somehow fertile and mysteriously imagistic … A litany of unexpected gestures, benedictions, flows through the novel, transcending the evil and violence that arise out of loneliness and longing.

If you are registered with the New York Times (it’s free), you can read the list of Notable Books here.