The Top 10 Everything of 2011

Meet the parents with real boundary issues: performance artists Caleb and Camille Fang, who use their children in cruel Candid Camera–style stunts as naturally as a painter uses a brush and oil. Annie rebels in her teens to become an actress; the more apologetic Buster, a writer. She's Oscar-nominated but a mess; he's a mess, period. Then Mom and Dad disappear. Foul play, or more high art? In his debut novel, Kevin Wilson expertly navigates between pathos and black comedy while negotiating a smart debate about the human cost of sacrificing all for one's art. Fang has bite but is also incredibly fun.