EBIt goes without saying that I read a lot of Harper Perennial books. But sometimes (in fact, many times) I like to venture outside of my semi-required reading and reading other publishers’ books. And sometimes, even though this is the Harper Perennial blog, I have to write about them and recommend them to you:
Girls in White Dresses
Girls in White Dresses is a novel-in-stories about a group of Boston College grads living in New York City, following them from just post-college until they’re around 30. And I loved it. What I loved most of all was the way the girls talked to each other—Jennifer Close nailed the dialogue, really capturing the way friends speak, the shorthand and the slang that comes from knowing people for forever. But beyond that she nailed the feeling of being in New York in your 20s, when you’re vaguely dissatisfied and you don’t know why, and your job sucks and your boyfriend sucks and your apartment sucks and the only thing that doesn’t suck are your friends. Also, the chapter on being a bridesmaid was so dead-on I wanted to call my best friend (who I was a bridesmaid with) and read it to her.
If you liked Girls in White Dresses, the Harper Perennial book you might enjoy is: Rachel Shukert’s Everything Is Going to Be Great
Rachel’s book is a memoir, and it’s more uproarious, but it captures that same “who am I? where is my life going? why am I so drunk?” feeling.
A Friend of the Family
I was blown away by this book this weekend. It’s about a man whose life, though not entirely perfect, actually pretty much is—loving wife, rebellious son who will probably ultimately turn out fine, great job as a doctor, awesome friends. And then he lets it all fall apart after the return of his best friend’s bizarre daughter, but not in the way you’d expect. I was completely, totally riveted.
If you liked A Friend of the Family, the Harper Perennial book you might enjoy is: You Don’t Love This Man
YDLTM explores the same territory—a man in midlife taking stock of his life as it seems to be falling apart—but it’s somewhat lighter. (Although I cried at this and not at AFOTF, so who knows.)
Have you read any of these?
