Why am I passionate about this?

Having known families affected by substance abuse, Iā€™ve long been fascinated by the resiliency of addictsā€™ relatives and close friends. Equally compelling to me, as a one-time wannabe psychologist, was how living with substance abusers shaped peopleā€™s characters and lives. But while the search for a recovering addict drives Beyond Billicombeā€™s plot, the book is also an ode of sorts to North Devon, the area of England where I spent three of the happiest years of my life. Though I now live outside New York City, I havenā€™t given up hope on being able to move back there someday. 


I wrote

Beyond Billicombe

By Sherry Chiger,

Book cover of Beyond Billicombe

What is my book about?

Suzanne has come to Billicombe, a faded English resort town, to find her older brother. A recovering addict, Jax hadā€¦

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Lights All Night Long

Sherry Chiger Why did I love this book?

From the first paragraph, with its almost-throwaway mention of how a hook had given a coat "a permanent hump behind the collar," Lights All Night Long transports you with its authenticity. The bond between Ilya, a Russian teenager who wins a scholarship to study in a Louisiana high school, and his older brother, Vladimir, whose addiction to krokodil has replaced his urge to escape their industrial town, is limned beautifully. A mystery drives the plot, but thatā€™s not why I love this book. What kept me reading was the heartbreaking truth of its world.  

By Lydia Fitzpatrick,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Lights All Night Long as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A gripping and deftly plotted narrative of family and belonging, Lights All Night Long is a dazzling debut novel from an acclaimed young writer

"Lights All Night Long is utterly brilliant and completely captivating. . . . One of the most propulsive, un-put-downable literary novels I've read in ages."--Anthony Marra, author of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena

Fifteen-year-old Ilya arrives in Louisiana from his native Russia for what should be the adventure of his life: a year in America as an exchange student. But all is not right in Ilya's world: he's consumed by the fate of his older brotherā€¦


Book cover of Long Bright River

Sherry Chiger Why did I love this book?

This is a story of two siblings. Mickey is a police officer; her sister, Kacey, is a heroin-addicted prostitute. The setting is Kensington, a notorious drug-ravaged neighborhood in my hometown of Philadelphia. Kacey has gone missing, and Mickey fears she may have been the victim of a killer whoā€™s been targeting prostitutes, so she inserts herself into the investigation. The dual mysteriesā€”whereā€™s Kacey, and who are the killersā€”give the story its shape. But the relationship between the sisters, the glimpses of their childhoods, and the depiction of growing up among addicts shooting up on the sidewalk and nodding off in doorways are Long Bright Riverā€™s heart and soul. 

By Liz Moore,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Long Bright River as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR, PARADE, REAL SIMPLE, and BUZZFEED

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

"[Mooreā€™s] careful balance of the hard-bitten with the heartfelt is what elevates Long Bright River from entertaining page-turner to a book that makes you want to call someone you love.ā€ ā€“ The New York Times Book Review
 
"This is police procedural and a thriller par excellence, one in which the city of Philadelphia itself is a character (think Boston and Mystic River). But itā€™sā€¦


Ad

Book cover of Ferry to Cooperation Island

Ferry to Cooperation Island by Carol Newman Cronin,

James Malloy is a ferry captain--or used to be, until he was unceremoniously fired and replaced by a "girl" named Courtney Farris. Now, instead of piloting Brenton Islandā€™s daily lifeline to the glitzy docks of Newport, Rhode Island, James spends his days beached, bitter, and bored.

When he discovers aā€¦

Book cover of One of the Boys

Sherry Chiger Why did I love this book?

Dealing with an addicted child or sibling is traumatic enough; when the addict is your parent, the person who is supposed to protect and support you, the fear and betrayal are ramped up to an unbearable level. One of the Boys captures this in all its harrowing detail. Two barely teenaged boys move with their father from Kansas to New Mexico, where the fatherā€™s descent into meth addiction obliterates any sense of responsibility, affection, and decency he might once have possessed. Narrated by the younger son, One of the Boys is more than a realistic depiction of addiction; it also shows how far children will go to gain or retain a parentā€™s love, which is what makes the story so devastating.

By Daniel Magariel,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked One of the Boys as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A father and his boys have won 'the war': the father's term for his bitter divorce and custody battle. They leave Kansas and drive through the night to their new apartment in Albuquerque. Settled in new schools, the brothers join basketball teams, make friends. Meanwhile their father works from home, smoking cheap cigars to hide another smell. Soon his missteps - the dead-eyed absentmindedness, the late-night noises, the comings and goings of increasingly odd characters - become sinister, and the boys find themselves watching him transform into someone they no longer recognize.

Set in the stark landscape of New Mexicoā€¦


Book cover of Shuggie Bain

Sherry Chiger Why did I love this book?

Shuggie Bain invades the senses: You smell the sour breath of Shuggieā€™s mum as she snores, open-mouthed, in a drunken stupor; you feel the stiffness of the rug where endless spilled drinks were left to dry. Just as important, you feel the push-and-pull of love and despair, hope and anger, as Shuggie grows up, the youngest child of an alcoholic who is ultimately abandoned by the rest of their family. The final chapters, as Shuggie moves into adolescence and struggles to break from the burden of becoming caretaker to the woman who should have been taking care of him, are exceptional.

By Douglas Stuart,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked Shuggie Bain as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD



A stunning debut novel by a masterful writer telling the heartwrenching story of a young boy and his alcoholic mother, whose love is only matched by her pride.



Shuggie Bain is the unforgettable story of young Hugh ā€œShuggieā€ Bain, a sweet and lonely boy who spends his 1980s childhood in run-down public housing in Glasgow, Scotland. Thatcherā€™s policies have put husbands and sons out of work, and the cityā€™s notorious drugs epidemic is waiting in the wings.



Shuggieā€™s mother Agnes walks a wayward path: sheā€¦


Ad

Book cover of Songbird

Songbird by Laci Barry Post,

It's 1943, and World War II has gripped the nation, including the Stilwell family in Jacksonville, Alabama. Rationing, bomb drills, patriotism, and a changing South barrage their way of life. Neighboring Fort McClellan has brought the world to their doorstep in the form of young soldiers from all over theā€¦

Book cover of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Sherry Chiger Why did I love this book?

So far as I know, this novel, published in 1848, is one of the first fictional depictions of life with an abusive alcoholic. (True, Wuthering Heights by Anneā€™s sister Emily features the drunken Hindley, but in that bookā€™s world of chaos, his behavior isnā€™t any more damaging than that of the other characters.) In Tenant we discover that a seemingly respectable marriage is one of disgust, pain, and humiliation for Helen, the titular tenant, and as she sees her aristocratic husbandā€™s influence over their son grow stronger, she takes unconventional action. The book was shockingly frank for its time; now itā€™s considered a landmark feminist novel as well as a realistic depiction of a family devastated by substance abuse.

By Anne Brontƫ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Tenant of Wildfell Hall as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World'

A beautiful edition of Anne Bronte's most enduring novel, to accompany her sisters' greatest books in Penguin Clothbound Classics.

Gilbert Markham is deeply intrigued by Helen Graham, a beautiful and secretive young woman who has moved into nearby Wildfell Hall with her young son. He is quick to offer Helen his friendship, but when her reclusive behaviour becomes the subject of local gossip and speculation, Gilbert begins to wonder whether his trust in her has been misplaced. It is only when she allows Gilbert to read her diary that theā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

Beyond Billicombe

By Sherry Chiger,

Book cover of Beyond Billicombe

What is my book about?

Suzanne has come to Billicombe, a faded English resort town, to find her older brother. A recovering addict, Jax had moved to Billicombe after completing rehab more than a year ago, but itā€™s now been six months since Suzanne heard from him. While she didnā€™t expect the search to be easy, the fact that Suzanne is a former child actress on a long-running TV series complicates matters, as she needs to avoid being recognized while exploring Billicombeā€™s underside. Richard, a local Suzanne turns to for help, proves to be another complication, due to an accident that cost him much of his memory. Suzanneā€™s quest for Jax and Richardā€™s attempt to put his life back together collide in ways neither could have expected.

Book cover of Lights All Night Long
Book cover of Long Bright River
Book cover of One of the Boys

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

2,007

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

šŸ“š You might also likeā€¦

Book cover of What Walks This Way: Discovering the Wildlife Around Us Through Their Tracks and Signs

What Walks This Way by Sharman Apt Russell,

Nature writer Sharman Apt Russell tells stories of her experiences tracking wildlifeā€”mostly mammals, from mountain lions to pocket miceā€”near her home in New Mexico, with lessons that hold true across North America. She guides readers through the basics of identifying tracks and signs, revealing a landscape filled with the marksā€¦

Book cover of A Darling Handyman

A Darling Handyman by Lark Holiday,

Sheā€™s hiding from pain. Heā€™s lost everything but his dog. When fresh air and second chances bring them together, can they rediscover true love?

If you enjoy kind-hearted heroes, small towns, and more humor than heat, youā€™ll adore this contemporary Alaskan romance! A Darling Handyman is the feel-good first bookā€¦

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Philadelphia, New Mexico, and alcoholism?

Philadelphia 91 books
New Mexico 62 books
Alcoholism 108 books