The twelve best books of 2015 that didn't get enough attention

One title from Brooklyn Magazine's list of the twelve best under-appreciated books of 2015:

After Birth Elisa Albert

In reviewing After Birth for the New York Times, author Merritt Tierce predicted that the novel would “no doubt… be ­shunted into one of the lesser subcanons of ­contemporary literature, like ‘women’s fiction,'” though it ought, Tierce continued, be considered “as essential as The Red Badge of Courage.” Which is exactly right, of course: Albert’s novel is an unflinching look at the trials and tribulations of new motherhood, yes, but also the realities of being a woman and the attendant never-ending quest to find a place in a society that doesn’t want to make room for us on our own terms and it is as much a story of heroism and personal maturation as is Crane’s classic. It is easily one of the best books of this year, and, really, any other.

Read about another entry on the list.

The Page 69 Test: After Birth.

--Marshal Zeringue