Some classic fiction picks from the 1950s through just a few years ago...
Giovanni’s Room (1956) by James Baldwin – In his second novel, Baldwin crafted a short (just 160 pages), powerful, deeply moving story about an American ex-pat in Paris struggling to come to terms with his own sexuality. A groundbreaking work.
A Wizard of Earthsea (1968) by Ursula K. Le Guin – Often dismissed as a young adult fantasy novel, A Wizard of Earthsea is, in fact, a profound coming-of-age story and a meditation on power, individual responsibility, and friendship. That it’s also a great adventure tale is an added bonus.
The Girl With All the Gifts (2014) by M.R. Carey – Yes, this is a “zombie novel.” It also happens to be one of the best dystopian-adventure novels of the past decade, asking tough questions about adolescence, the glorification of the military, and how far science will go to control the Other.
Normal People (2018) by Sally Rooney – Rooney’s multiple award-winning novel traces the often-painful, sometimes exhilarating friendship and on-and-off-again sexual relationship between two teenagers (and later, young adults) in Ireland: working-class Connell and upper-class Marianne. Stays with the reader a long, long time after the last page.
The Secrets We Kept (2019) by Lara Prescott – For espionage fans who are tired of the old tropes, Prescott’s novel mixes fictional spies with real life historical figures – including the Russian poet (and Boris Pasternak’s long-time lover) Olga Ivinskaya – interacting across decades and continents.