Feel-good novels most frequently bought as an escape from crises in 2023
Published: Thursday, Jan 4th 2024, 11:50
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Feel-good literature and safe values were the most frequently purchased in Switzerland in 2023. A look at the top 10 bestsellers of the year also shows that crime novels are still in demand.
What happened to Melody? This was the question that most concerned the Swiss reading public in 2023. Martin Suter's novel, named after the titular heroine, tops the annual bestseller list in the hardcover fiction category in German-speaking Switzerland, which is compiled on behalf of the Swiss Booksellers and Publishers Association (SBVV) and is available to the Keystone-SDA news agency.
"Melody", the Zurich-based author's most recent novel, was published in March 2023 and immediately landed at number one on the weekly bestseller list. Since then, the novel has remained in the top 10 for a total of 39 weeks, including 10 times at number one.
Mostly well-known names
Martin Suter's books are a safe bet. As a rule, they not only achieve respectable positions on the bestseller lists in Switzerland, but also in the surrounding German-speaking countries.
But 2023 is exceptional. This is because the list of bestselling books in German-speaking Switzerland is bursting with safe bets beyond Suter. What's more, six of the nine authors in the top 10 (Sebastian Fitzek is represented twice) had already made it into the top ten in the previous year: Lucinda Riley, Jean-Luc Bannalec, Silvia Götschi, Bonnie Garmus, Christine Brand and Philipp Gurt.
Book price no guarantee
By contrast, the Swiss Book Prize was no guarantee of successful sales in 2023. Winner Christian Haller is not included in the annual bestseller list. Although his award-winning work "Sich lichtender Nebel" remained in the top 20 weekly bestsellers for nine weeks, this was not enough to make it into the best of the year group.
It is also remarkable that none of the five works on the Book Prize shortlist appear in the ranking of bestselling books - but the winner of 2022 does. "Blutbuch" by Kim de l'Horizon won the Swiss Book Prize 2022, was already the high-flyer throughout the previous year and has now made it onto the annual bestseller list once again, in a proud 13th place.
Local thrillers popular again
While there were six Swiss authors in the top 10 in 2022, there are four in 2023: in addition to Martin Suter, these are Silvia Götschi, Christine Brand and Philipp Gurt. The latter three write crime novels. Those with local color have been among the best-selling books for years.
One person who writes about Brittany from Germany and has enjoyed worldwide success is the author Jörg Bong, alias Jean-Luc Bannalec. His crime novel "Breton Glory" reached second place on the bestseller list in 2023.
Feel-good literature in times of crisis
In addition to the crime thriller genre, feel-good novels have also been a trend for some time. With "Atlas - the story of Pa Salt" (Lucinda Riley), "My life in yours" (Jojo Moyes) and "A question of chemistry" (Bonnie Garmus), there are three in the list of the ten best-selling books.
Tanja Messerli, Managing Director of SBVV, also suspects that "books that are not only popular as gifts, but are also actually read" have made it into the top 10 in 2023. "All the works in the current bestseller list are perfect for being drawn in. They are masters of drawing you in." In uncertain times, characterized by existential worries, books and bookshops are important "places of refuge" for people, says Messerli.
Successful year for Diogenes
Two of the ten best-selling books come from Swiss publishers. Martin Suter is published by Diogenes and Philipp Gurt by Oktopus bei Kampa. Last year was particularly successful for Diogenes. From John Irving and Donna Leon to Charles Lewinsky and Seraina Kobler: there was hardly a bestseller week in 2023 without the Zurich-based publisher. In addition, Diogenes was represented with three to four books at once in individual weeks, especially in spring.*
*This text by Maria Künzli, Keystone-SDA, was realized with the help of the Gottlieb and Hans Vogt Foundation.
©Keystone/SDA
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