Indigo Announces Its Best Books of 2020

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett named Indigo's Book of the Year

TORONTO, Oct. 15, 2020 /CNW/ - Indigo IDG, the world's first cultural department store for booklovers, today announced its list of the Best Books of 2020, with bestseller and critically acclaimed The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett earning the number one spot. To build the highly anticipated list and provide Canadians with trusted recommendations, Indigo's expert booksellers read thousands of books released throughout the year, before deliberating and hand selecting the titles they believe to be the best. From a powerful memoir encouraging readers to start trusting the voice deep within, to the story of a henna artist in the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur, the list captures a stunning and diverse group of voices and narratives.

"We are thrilled to share our list of the Best Books of 2020, featuring a number of timely and powerful subjects, by both seasoned and debut authors," said Rania Husseini, SVP Print. "We can't wait for booklovers to discover these titles and are confident they will spark important conversations among family members, friends and book clubs."

The Best Book of the Year for 2020 is The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, a stunning novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds as adults – one as a Black woman, one passing as a white woman. The Vignes sisters grew up in a small, southern Black community and ran away at age sixteen. Many years later, separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. Spanning over decades, generations and across the United States, The Vanishing Half offers an enveloping novel about the power of relationships and family bonds. 

In addition to receiving the year's top honours, The Vanishing Half is also a Heather's Pick and Indigo's inaugural 'Best of the Year Book Club' pick. The book club will be facilitated through an interactive social media campaign on Indigo's Instagram account @indigo with weekly questions in stories. Readers are invited to use the hashtags #IndigoBestoftheYear and #IndigoBookClub and the book club will conclude with an Instagram Live In Conversation event with Brit Bennett at 7 p.m. on Monday, November 30 on @indigo.

Best Books of 2020

Hear directly from Indigo's expert book sellers across Canada about this year's picks:

1. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
"An urgent, heartbreaking, and tender novel about what it means to live an authentic life." – Heather, CEO & Chief Booklover

2. Untamed by Glennon Doyle
"A beautiful lesson in what it means to be brave, vulnerable, in love, and above all, human." – Madison, Public Relations Specialist

3. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
"Dark, tragic, and impossible to put down. It will stay with me forever." – Krystal, Customer Experience Leader

4. Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
"Every once in a while, a book comes around that changes the way you look at the world forever. This is one such book." – Ameema, Customer Service Specialist

5. Indians On Vacation by Thomas King
"It takes an author as skilled as King to merge the personal and the political and make you howl with laughter while doing so." – Kristi, Fiction Buyer

6. Missing From the Village by Justin Ling
"A masterpiece of compassionate true crime writing about the system that failed Toronto's gay village." – Brandon, Non-Fiction Buyer

7. The Skin We're In by Desmond Cole
"Read it. Read it again. Share it with anyone and everyone you know. Take action." – Leo, Customer Experience Manager

8. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
"Murder, mayhem and a little matrimony – who could ask for anything more?" – Dustin, Customer Experience Manager

9. The Splendid & The Vile by Erik Larson
"An exhilarating portrait of Churchill, who led a nation through its darkest time." – Gay, Customer Experience Manager

10. The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi
"A lush, immersive novel in which one woman wrests control of her life in 1950s Jaipur." – Laura, Communications Specialist

The full Best Books of 2020 list is available at all Indigo, Chapters, Indigospirit and Coles stores across Canada and on indigo.ca, with a 30% off promotion of the Top 10 Best Books of 2020 launching today until October 25, 2020.ⁱ

To help make shopping easy, Indigo is offering customers the opportunity to shop their preferred way, with safe and stress-free options. Customers are invited to shop at indigo.ca 24/7, through the Indigo app, and in-store with industry leading health and safety precautions in place. Indigo also offers customers the option of shopping online with free pickup in stores (contactless curbside pickup available at select locations) and same day delivery to your door with Instacart in select markets across Canada with delivery as fast as two hours. 

For the full list of 50 titles, please visit: indigo.ca/bestof2020

About Indigo 

Indigo Books & Music Inc. is a publicly traded Canadian company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (IDG). Indigo is the world's first Cultural Department Store – a physical and digital meeting place inspired by and filled with books, music, art, ideas, and beautifully designed lifestyle products. Indigo believes in real books, in living life fully and generously, in being kind to each other and that stories – big and little – connect us.

SOURCE Indigo Books & Music Inc.