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I can’t believe I only have a few weeks left in Berlin! Before I head back to Washington to start my new job, I wanted to send around part two of my backlist book haul recommendations. (Click here for part one).
I think you’re bound to find something to love in this pile.
Which of these books have you read? Drop me a comment to let me know. 💌
Books you missed from a few years ago that I simply must insist you read
The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe (2020)
While I’m so glad Thorpe is getting well-deserved flowers for her bestseller Margot’s Got Money Troubles (which I wrote about more here), I encourage folks to check out this earlier novel — which in many ways, I prefer.
Taking place in the California suburbs, The Knockout Queen follows a gay teenager as he navigates a chaotic and at times violent friendship with his neighbor, the rich and vulnerable Bunny Lampert. This book is heart twisting and fast paced, with an ending that fully gutted me. This one is worth reading.
New People by Danzy Senna (2017)
You may already be familiar with Senna as her debut novel Caucasia, published in 1998, is mega famous. Her book Colored Television was also buzzy a few months ago (which I wrote about here). For some reason, though, New People is often overlooked. And it’s my favorite!
Like all of Senna’s novels, New People deals with biracial identity. It follows a young couple navigating life in a Black bohemian enclave in an increasingly yuppified Brooklyn. Maria is writing a dissertation about the role of music in the Jonestown Massacre. Her fiancé Khalil is diving headfirst into the tech scene. In their “biracial paradise,” the world seems theirs for the taking. But is it really?
The Orchard by David Hopen (2020)
This is an oversimplification, but The Orchard, written by Yale Law student David Hopen, is in many ways the Jewish version of The Secret History. (I first wrote about it in my dark academia series here).
The book’s protagonist, Ari Eden, grows up in an ultra-orthodox community in Brooklyn before moving to a Jewish academy in an affluent Miami suburb. Adopted by the “popular” group at school, Ari feels community like never before. Soon, under the direction of a charismatic rabbi, Ari's group of friends takes their religious study to an unforeseen, and tragic, end.
This book stayed with me for a long time, and was criminally under-appreciated IMHO. I want more people to read it!
Want by Lynn Steger Strong (2020)
I distinctly remember reading this book on a girl’s trip and feeling wrecked after I put it down. The group I was with, composed largely of recent humanities grads, passed it around with a gravity bordering on tragicomic.
This short book (with a gorgeous cover!) tells the story of Elizabeth, a thirty-something who has her hands full with kids, two jobs, and a flailing PhD. She and her husband just filed for bankruptcy, and she finds herself wondering how exactly did I get here?
A meditation on imbalanced friendship, financial frustration, and unmet wants, this book is depressing. But if you want something that will scrape around inside your brain, particularly if you are a woman socially conditioned to “want it all,” I recommend. This is my favorite from
, an author I really admire.The “why did every book look like this?” but so damn good series
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (2019)
Ocean Vuong is one of my all-time favorite authors, and this is the book that began my love affair with him. Honestly, I would read a dishwasher cleaning manual if he wrote it.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is composed as a series of letters written by a young Vietnamese man raised in Connecticut to his illiterate mother. The prose is gorgeous, and the way he describes small-town life, first relationships, and the trickiness of mother-son dynamics is breathtaking. You’ll never think of a nail salon the same way.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (2015)
In recent years, this novel (and its eccentric author) has faced a lot of backlash, inciting much capital D “discourse.” At the end of the day, though, I struggle to think of another book that elicits such a strong emotional response. I wrote a bit more about it here.
A Little Life follows four friends who meet in university, and traces their lives throughout adulthood. This 600+ page book is not for the faint of heart — I once cried so hard reading it on a plane that the flight attendant had to ask if I was okay (spoiler alert — I wasn’t!).
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (2020)
This is my #1 book recommendation for serious readers.
Loosely autobiographical, Shuggie Bain is a coming-of-age story about a young gay boy growing up in 1980’s Glasgow. The crux of the book is his relationship with his alcoholic mother, the loving but increasingly erratic Agnes.
While this book introduced me to the economic realities of post-industrial Scotland and the Protestant/Catholic divide, my biggest takeaway was the beauty of Stuart’s writing. This is one of my all time favorite books — ever.
Multigenerational tomes perfect for getting out of a slump
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (2016)
I can’t believe this was Gyasi’s debut novel. It’s so, so good.
The sprawling story follows 300 years of one Ghanaian family, with chapters alternating between Asante land and the American South. Crisscrossing throughout history, this book tackles a lot — slavery, Jim Crow, the Great Migration, and the jazz age. But it never feels bloated or overdone. You’ll sail through, and be sorry to have finished.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (2017)
You’ve likely seen Pachinko recommended on many “best of the decade” lists. As it should be!
It’s hard to limit this book to a short description given its epic scope, but in basic terms, Pachinko traces the journey of a Korean family living in Japan amid a turbulent period of war and forced migration. Through its richly drawn characters and intimate moments, Pachinko offers a deeper understanding of the era and the pervasive discrimination Koreans endured.
While the themes tackled in this book are enormous, it never loses sight of the human experience at its heart. A rare and unforgettable novel indeed.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (2002)
I had already read Eugenides’ two other books before picking up a dusty copy of Middlesex in Berlin — and, wow. This one is by far the best.
The protagonist of the novel is Cal, a child born intersex and raised as a girl in a Detroit suburb in the 1970’s. This book has one of my favorite openings ever:
“I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day in January of 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of 1974.”
Middlesex is a densely layered saga — pulling in the Greek/Turkish conflict and subsequent displacement, immigration, and assimilation of Cal’s family into a once-grand American city falling into despair. It’s crazy this book was published more than 20 years ago, as its themes feel more relevant than ever.
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer (2013)
This is my favorite book from one of my favorite authors, the delightful Meg Wolitzer. Reading her books is like putting on your favorite pair of pants with a big mug of a hot beverage. Pure bliss.
The Interestings centers on a group of precocious teenagers who meet at a special camp for “gifted” kids. The story follows them from the height of youth, where everything is shiny and ripe with possibility, through middle age, as their fortunes inevitably splinter off in different directions.
I love The Interestings because it forces you to examine your own relationship to talent. At the end of the day, does success come to those naturally more inclined? Or just those who work the hardest? And if you don’t have good relationships — does any of that even matter?
📚 On my shelf
OMG, y’all. I read The Overnight Guest by Heather Gundenkauf after being on hold for a while, and I loved it so much. It’s a propulsive thriller that’s actually written really well — something that’s not always the case. Great for fans of Gillian Flynn. Expect more on this in the future!
I finished Greenwood by Michael Christie and have mixed feelings overall. It’s a multigenerational saga following a loosely connected family in Canada from the turn of the century through a dystopian, tree-less 2036. While I really enjoyed some of the character POV’s, the pacing overall felt a bit disjointed, and I found myself skimming through some of the sections. Maybe it’s my lack of interest in reading about tree spores. (Sorry!!).
Finally got my hands on The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong! This is my personal Super Bowl.
📚 Links and things
This is such a cute idea for a present for someone with young kids.
Super interesting profile on author Melissa Febos.
📘 What do we think of this special edition of Elena Ferrante’s novels? People have THOUGHTS.
As someone who never got over my love of froyo, I was very pleased to see this article announcing its comeback 🍦
Author Nora Neus, who I profiled earlier this year, is running an Emerging Writers Summer Intensive. This six-week virtual program is for university students, post-grads, and advanced high schoolers who are interested in writing longform stories in any genre, including magazine articles, podcast scripts, books, etc. Please share with anyone who may be interested!
Happy reading! 💛
XOX
Alli
Been on a Rufi Thorpe kick and "The Knockout Queen" is next!
omg what a haul!!!! Middlesex is soooooo great, as is pachinko, a little life, shuggie bain…!!!! excellent taste as always i have to check out the rest!