While many criticise contemporary fiction for a lack of originality and a reliance on familiar tropes, there are so many novels that disprove this idea. In fact, more than ever contemporary fiction covers diverse situations and viewpoints, drawing from different inspirations to create unique novels. Here is a list of just a few of the works that I believe will become the classics of following generations.
Brick Lane by Monica Ali is a profound, beautifully-written novel telling the story of Nazneen, a girl who grows up in rural Bangladesh. While still a teenager, she moves to London to marry a man she has never met. The novel tells her story of the trials of living in an unknown place, a passionate affair and her relationship with her sister through years apart. It is an insightful and real novel with an unexpected ending.
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr traces the lives of a blind girl from Paris and a German orphan who is fascinated by physics, as their lives take very different courses during World War II. Doerr creates empathy in unlikely places and provides a unique perspective on the events of the war by placing inconsequential actors in the conflict at the forefront of his novel.
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan is a heartwarming story following four Chinese mothers who have emigrated to San Francisco and the disconnect felt between them and their Americanised daughters. The novel switches between the mothers’ early lives in China and their families’ lives in America, creating a panorama of life stories and different perspectives. The complex relationship between mothers and daughters is depicted in a thoughtful and honest way that any woman from any period can relate to.
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo has a unique style of writing that weaves together the seemingly separate lives of twelve people, most of whom are black British women. The novel explores important questions relating to feminism and race, however more broadly it teaches the reader the importance of perspective, as with each character we read a different version of the occurrences of the novel, which brings a new shade of empathy.
The Secret History already reads like a classic thanks to Donna Tartt’s poetic writing. The book is narrated by Richard, a student at a New England college who is admitted into an exclusive, mysterious Greek class. The novel’s old-timely characters and their obsession with Ancient Greece also gives the novel a historic feel, despite its modern setting. The plot also certainly does not disappoint, it is filled with mystery, twists and turns and shocking revelations.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a heartbreaking book and an essential read. It follows Amir from his childhood in Afghanistan to his adulthood in the United States. However, the main focus of the novel is the constant regret he feels for betraying his childhood best friend Hassan. The Kite Runner is the story of a life spent searching for redemption.
“Maia” by ejmc is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.