The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
This is now my favourite book of all time, which I’m aware is a raging red flag, but Sylvia Plath was truly magic, and her writing style is beautifully intricate. It’s an utterly gut-wrenching read that follows a woman spiral into an inescapably deep depression, guaranteed to make your heart drop and screw your face up into an ugly cry. Allegedly the novel is semi-autobiographical, making the sting all the more painful. Its autobiographical features can be seen in the excruciating details and profound imagery that could only be written by someone who understands first hand what it is to be in such a desperately dark place. Plath mostly wrote poetry, and that is very evident in her prose as every sentence has intention and not a word is wasted. There’s a perfect equilibrium between being digestible, but also being complex and poignant in her genius use of literary devices. The fig tree metaphor felt like it was written for me personally. However, if you’re someone who needs a speedy pace and a fruitful plot to get through a book, it may not be for you.
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
I was relatively late to the Dolly Alderton party, but obviously she had to make the list. I bought this book on my 21st birthday, after two delayed flights meant I couldn’t make it home in time for my own birthday celebrations, so I took myself for a little wander around Notting Hill instead and ended up in the infamous Notting Hill Book Shop. I picked up this book, alongside Ottessa Moshfegh’s My Year of Rest and Relaxation (grotesquely overrated in my humble opinion by the way). Relatable, witty, and comforting, Everything I Know About Love found me at the exact right time, and it’s no wonder it’s on every list of ‘books every girl in their 20s should read’ the internet has to offer. The main takeaway is to always cherish and nurture your female friendships, and that platonic love is just as valuable as romantic love.
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
This book tells the tale of a dysfunctional whirlwind romance between Cleo and Frank through multiple characters’ perspectives. Each character has their own messy story fully fleshed out, through which it tackles taboo contemporary issues in the setting of New York City. It’s like if Channel 4’s Skins was sparkly and glamorous. Mellors’ attention to subtleties and rhythm brings such vibrancy to the scenes. It’s chaotic, real, and brilliant, and the kind of book I would give anything to read for the first time again.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
“Learn this now and learn it well, my daughter: Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always.”
Another soul-destroying book, but an incredibly important one. If you enjoy strong feminist undertones and getting educated in a fictional format, you must read this book. Recommended by Emma Watson herself, it explores the tragic experiences of two women, Mariam and Laila, through the war in Afghanistan. It’s brutal, very graphic, and full of grief, but so worth the tears. This book will break your heart, but in a very insightful and necessary way that slaps you in the face with the realisation of your own privilege.
Good Material by Dolly Alderton
This book only came out in November, but I immediately demolished it. I liked this one more than her other fictional novel Ghosts because I found such comfort in the characters, that when I finished it I felt like I had separation anxiety. Alderton’s writing style is so distinct and readable, and parts of this book made me laugh out loud. It was a really easy-going and relatable read, which was well-received after the streak of tricky classics I had been reading beforehand.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
One of my New Years Resolutions for 2023 was to read more classical literature. My taste in books is mostly contemporary literary fiction, and I’d previously shied away in intimidation of classics because I was worried they’d be too difficult to wade through and end up landing me in a reading slump. Pride and Prejudice is timeless, the original enemies-to-lovers trope, and I am obsessed with it. After I finished the book I made my way through all 17 hours of the audiobook version two times over. Mr Darcy has raised my standards in men to unreachable heights – anything less than ‘you must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you’ frankly doesn’t cut it anymore.