Openness is something that isn’t valued enough in contemporary society. When someone asks us the tough questions—you know the ones about race, sex, and faith—we tend to reply coyly. Speaking for myself, I tend to not just play the shy card, I often look the other way and wait until an awkward moment of silence passes by. Roxane Gay, though, is a writer who tackles controversial topics with intelligence and precision. Her new collection of essays, Bad Feminist, is a stunning examination of today’s American culture.

Published by Raw, Richard McGuire’s “Here,” a 6-page comic, first appeared in 1989. The 36 panels to explore were unique, but they also shared one commonality. Each panel, not arranged by any chronological restrictions, depicted the same spot as it changed throughout the past, present, and future. Because of the enthusiastic reception—based on not just the final product of the comic but also the sheer scope and ambition of the project—of “Here,” people were anxious to get more.

Here is not one of the best graphic novels of 2014. It’s bigger (and better) than that. Instead, what we have in McGuire’s creation is a stunning piece of literature. This is a work that takes on the possibilities of the American novel and conquers the. Here is a recreation of our history, our present, and our future. It’s our American lives. 

Considering 2004’s A Complicated Kindness, it is clear that Miriam Toews is a woman who understands entrapment. A Complicated Kindnessis about a teenage girl who struggles with her identity inside the oppressive Mennonite world. Her community inhibits her individuality, and the overwhelming control dominates the girl’s life. Now, in her latest (and best) novel, All My Puny Sorrows, Toews presents a similar situation. This time, though, things are even direr.

All My Puny Sorrows is about how we approach life when we don’t want to live it. It sounds sad—maybe too sad, and, really, it is for segments; however, Toews knows how to create a story, and she adds just enough humor to make the whole thing digestible.