From Mathilda Di Matteo’s debut novel to Ramses Kefi’s first book, from John Boyne’s striking storytelling to Adam Rapp’s powerful choral novel At the Wolves’ Table… With hundreds of new books released this year and Christmas just around the corner, choosing the right novel to slip under the tree can feel overwhelming. The Do It Team has done the hard work for you, curating only the true literary standouts of the year. Looking for the best novels to give as gifts? You’re in the right place.
When a Woman Leaves and the World Falls Apart
The must-read book: Four Days Without My Mother by Ramses Kefi
Who is it for? For every mother craving escape, and for all children who need to hear this story.
The pitch. One word. One short sentence: “I’ll be back.” That’s all Amani leaves behind when she walks out on her family. What drives a woman to leave her husband and son behind? This is what Salmane sets out to understand as he searches for the mother he thought he knew.
At 36, Salmane still lives with his parents, works in a fast-food restaurant and spends his nights hanging out with friends in an abandoned shopping mall parking lot. When Amani disappears, his world collapses—and he immediately goes looking for her, retracing his steps through La Caverne, the public housing estate where he grew up.
What he uncovers is far more than he expected: buried traditions, family secrets and a past he never suspected. A departure no one saw coming exposes long-hidden fractures— a father hiding years of pain behind silence, and Amani, whose absence reveals that she was never just the quiet backbone of the family, but the one carrying its weight alone for far too long. A deeply moving novel, intense yet surprisingly funny.
Why you’ll love it. With Four Days Without My Mother, his debut novel, Ramses Kefi delivers a contemporary tale of rare sensitivity. Through La Caverne, he paints an intimate portrait of a working-class neighborhood that becomes a character in its own right. Absence, secrecy, unspoken truths, exhaustion—but also family bonds—are explored through deeply human characters, full of contradictions and tenderness. A heartfelt tribute to mothers who carry their families on their shoulders, and to those brave enough to dig into the past to heal the present.
A Kaleidoscope of Ordinary Epics
The must-read book: The Elements by John Boyne
Who is it for? Fans of American literature and beautifully crafted life stories driven by courage.
The pitch. Originally published in the UK as a collection of short stories, The Elements is structured around the four elements.
Water. Vanessa, in her fifties, retreats to an Irish island to escape a devastating past she may never forgive herself for.
Earth. Evan flees his father and toxic masculinity, abandoning his dream of becoming a painter for a successful football career—only to find himself on trial.
Fire. Freya, a surgeon specializing in severe burns, is haunted by demons from her past.
Air. Aaron, a child psychologist, travels to Ireland with his 14-year-old son on what they hope will be a healing, initiatory journey.
Now gathered in a single volume, these stories reveal an underlying thread connecting the characters, intertwining their destinies despite themselves.
Why you’ll love it. With The Elements, John Boyne offers a powerful kaleidoscope of lives—a masterful fresco of ordinary epics. Using the four elements as metaphors for human nature and inner turmoil, he explores wounded souls with honesty and empathy. Victim, perpetrator, accomplice—each character plays their part in confronting painful themes such as incest, pedophilia, lost innocence and stolen childhoods. A novel of rare intensity that strikes straight at the heart.
An Ode to Marseille and the Mother–Daughter Bond
The must-read book: The Good Mother by Mathilda Di Matteo
Who is it for? Die-hard Marseille lovers and anyone questioning their cultural roots.
The pitch. Véronique is a true Marseillaise—sunny, vibrant, fond of glitter, monoï oil and afternoons spent with her friends. Her husband, a hot-blooded Neapolitan, roams the city all day in his taxi. Their only daughter, Clara, is a photographer—an intellectual dreaming of a Parisian life at the heart of the art world.
When Clara leaves Marseille and her family behind for Sciences Po in Paris, her parents are left lost and lonely. But the real shock comes when she brings home Raphaël, a pure product of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, from a wealthy Catholic family. After the initial culture clash, there’s laughter—briefly. A sharp, lively and deeply touching story.
Why you’ll love it. In this partly autobiographical debut novel, Mathilda Di Matteo paints a vivid portrait of Marseille. Beneath the comedy and humor of the opening pages, she peels back clichés and appearances. With a lively, heartfelt style, she explores coming of age, life choices, cultural inheritance and the patterns we repeat despite ourselves. Told in two voices—mother and daughter—the novel delivers a powerful reflection on toxic relationships. A must-read and a perfect gift.
A Family Saga in the Heart of Darkness
The must-read book: At the Wolves’ Table by Adam Rapp
Who is it for? Lovers of family sagas unafraid to delve into the depths of the human soul.
The pitch. Set in the 1950s in a small town in New York State, the story opens in a local diner where Myra Lee is reading The Catcher in the Rye. She is the eldest of five siblings. Their mother, Ava, is shattered by the loss of her youngest child. Their father, Donald, is a quiet man scarred by war, trapped in near-total silence. Joan, the youngest daughter, has an intellectual disability and lives with her parents. Fiona, rebellious and untethered, lives a nomadic life at others’ expense.
Lexy, rarely mentioned, is living the American dream in Chicago’s affluent suburbs. Myra Lee works as a prison nurse, raising her son Ronan alone while tending to the wounds of those around her. Then there is Alec—troubled, deceitful, a thief, cast out young and slowly descending into darkness with disturbing satisfaction. A mosaic of lives, told through the interwoven voices of five children.
Why you’ll love it. Through a choral novel of rare power, Adam Rapp immerses us in a family saga spanning three generations and nearly sixty years of American history. His masterful use of ellipsis and suggestion keeps the dramatic tension razor-sharp. Exploring a dysfunctional family shaped by violence and shadowed destinies, he probes the dark heart of America. In the vein of Joyce Carol Oates, Rapp examines a nation in crisis and traces the roots of evil. A haunting novel that leaves a lasting mark.
Also discover: five must-read literary award winners for the holidays, and beautiful coffee-table books to place under the Christmas tree.
