Krissy Kneen is the author of The Adventures of Holly White and the Incredible Sex Machine. Here she tells us the last five books she’s read, and why.

Aquarium by David Vann

I am a massive fan of the Vann. Since I discovered his wonderful dark, precise prose in his novella Legend of a Suicide (arguably his best piece of writing), I have been avidly consuming his work as soon as it hits the shelves. Aquarium is perhaps the most accessible of his novels. The young girl at the heart of this book is easy to like. Her one pleasure in a life of poverty is her daily trip to the local aquarium, but when she meets and befriends an old man amongst the fish tanks it’s clear that something terrible is about to happen. Vann relentlessly explores themes of family violence, betrayal and emotional abuse in his work.

Here by Richard McGuire

At New Year’s I flippantly vowed to read nothing but poetry and graphic novels this year, two forms that I am keen to work in the near future. I have certainly not stuck to my guns but I am glad I slipped this gem into the mix. I picked this graphic novel up after a glowing review by one of my favourite writers, Chris Ware and it’s since rocketed into my top ten books of all time list. Set entirely in one corner of one room and told in images and snatches of overheard conversation, Here tells a story that stretches from pre-history to the distant future. Throughout, we skip back and forth between characters, and between future scenes and moments from the primordial swamp. This book blew my mind. There is honestly nothing like it.

Clade by James Bradley

So many literary fiction authors are writing about the future of the planet and environmental catastrophe, and why wouldn’t they? It is one of the most important things that our world is facing. With Clade, Bradley joins the ranks of Margaret Atwood and David Mitchell but his offering is a very gentle near-future. Far from the bleak baby-eating world of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, Bradley shows a time where technology is taking leaps and bounds into the future but also beginning to break down and come undone. I really believed this book: I could see the probable future in it and I was saddened but also heartened by our future selves.

Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast

Another graphic novel for my collection – this one very frankly dealing with issues of aging. Roz Chast follows the steady decline of her mother and her father, people who are frustrating and lovable at the same time. There is a terrible honesty in this autobiographical work which surely must remind us of ourselves and yet the tragedy of the loss of both parents is a thump in the chest, just as it is in real life. For anyone who has had to deal with aging parents this book will provide a little catharsis and allow you to admit those terrible things we think but are too ashamed to reveal.

Stag’s Leap by Sharon Olds

Poetry is a new form that I am discovering, both in my writing and in my reading. Sharon Olds helped me to make sense of my own work. This verse novel about the breakdown and end of a relationship touches all those nerves that a real breakup might. In elegant, clipped lines, Olds shows us our best and worst self and gives us hope for a life, which will continue on without a significant other. I raced out and bought half a dozen of Olds’ books after reading this amazing poetic feast.

Krissy Kneen is our featured author for May. Find out more here.