Nonfiction November 2022 – Stranger Than Fiction

This week, Christopher at Plucked From the Stacks looks at what makes some nonfiction books ‘fictiony’, simply because the stories are so wild, they don’t seem real.

Many memoirs slip into the fictiony-nonfiction category, usually on the basis of some astounding challenge or trauma or feat. Rebel by Rahaf Mohammed and Free by Lea Ypi fit this category, both stories of daring escapes.

I find that other genres of nonfiction that read like fiction are usually on account of the exceptionally good writing. In that category, one book stands out this year – Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe. I can’t wait to read his latest, Rogues.

Also worth a mention because of the thrilling cycle of politics, and her endurance in the game, is the story of Angela Merkel in The Chancellor by Kati Marton. There’s spies, back-stabbing, and devotion – all compelling stuff.

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