Read the World Cup Through These Novels

 Today marks the start of the most anticipated sporting event worldwide - the FIFA World Cup. Billions around the world will be glued to their TV screens for the next month, cheering on their national sides to victory (or the next nearest country's if the group stages prove too hard to surmount). In between matches, the Scottish Book Trust suggests touring the competing countries through their national literature. If you aren't lucky enough to have snagged tickets to Brazil, these books will transport you to locales beyond your neighbourhood viewing centre. Check out some of their picks below: 
  Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo One of our must-read fiction books, Pedro Paramo is sure to appeal to fans of magic realism (see: Gabriel Garcia Marquez who was born in Colombia but lived in Mexico for many years, and who compared the novel to Kafka's Metamorphosis). First published in 1955, this short but powerful novel tells the story of a man seeking out his father (the titular Pedro) from whom he and his mother fled many years before. His quest becomes entangled with his father's passion for a woman who refuses to be possessed.             On Black Sisters' Street by Chika Unigwe Although mostly set in Belgium, this NLNG Prize-winning novel strongly evokes the realities of many Nigerian women. When Sisi - one of four African prostitutes living together in Brussels - is murdered, Joyce, Ama, and Efe must begin to open up to each other to figure out what happened to their friend and how terror, displacement, love, and a sinister man called Dele figure in their stories.               The Secret River by Kate Grenville This novel was inspired by Grenville's family history and tells the story of William Turnbull who, after a childhood of poverty and petty crime in the slums of London, is deported to Australia with his wife and children for stealing a load of wood. The new land promises a fresh start, but one which can only happen if Turnbull violently seizes it from its old inhabitants. The Secret River was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2006.             See the full list of books here.
Know any World Cup-inspired books? Share your favourite titles in the comments!
Images via here and here