Three Book Pairings
Titles in conversation with each other
As a book lover, book collector, reader, and longtime library worker, I've come to believe the only thing better than a good book is two good books. I love the moment when I'm reading a book, and I realize it pairs beautifully with another title I've read before. Librarians sometimes call these read-alikes, and those are useful, but the books I'm sharing in this post are more than just similar in tone or genre. These novels complement each other because of the depth of their stories and the skillful exploration of their common themes. They’re basically literary best friends.
Let’s get started with some historical fiction by two of my favorite writers.
When I consider the term "modern classics," Homegoing and Let Us Descend come to mind immediately. The latter came out this past Tuesday, but as soon as I finished it, I knew it would become a classic, just like Homegoing, published in 2016.
At their core, both novels are about slavery and its legacy. Yaa Gyasi explores generational trauma by following the family lines of two sisters, while Jesmyn Ward focuses on one enslaved character. Despite the differences in their approach, Gyasi and Ward are both showing their readers what the evils of slavery and racism look like to those in their grasp. When I think about the power of literature, I think about books like these two that proclaim truths with such artistry and skill. Sometimes, people describe nonfiction as true and fiction as made up, but fiction can reveal as much truth as any essay or long-form history. These two titles prove that point.
No book has left me as heartbroken as I was upon finishing A Little Life. For 720 pages, Hanya Yanagihara writes about a tortured man named Jude and the friends he dearly loves. Jude is a gay man who experiences severe trauma, including abuse and loss. In The Great Believers, Rebecca Makkai writes about Yale, who navigates adulthood as the AIDS epidemic ravages those around him.
Both books can be unrelenting in their sadness, yet that quality makes the beauty of the protagonists' friendships profoundly moving. As the world crumbles around Jude and Yale, relationships hold them up. Yanagihara and Makkai gave me a better understanding of what it's like to live as an outsider in a world full of pain, but they also highlight the power of love and friendship, which serve as lights in what are two dark yet beautiful novels.
Some authors are exceptionally skilled when it comes to writing about specific topics. Jonathan Franzen and Nathan Hill are excellent at writing about families. In Crossroads, Franzen focuses on Mr. and Mrs. Hildebrandt and their children living through change, doubt, and betrayal in 1971. Hill's Wellness follows a married couple from the '90s to the modern day as they navigate their careers, marriage, and parenthood.
Franzen and Hill are gifted at crafting fully-formed characters with great empathy and precision. They create families that feel real. Crossroads stays in its timeline, while Wellness is full of flashbacks, yet both approaches yield astute details and insights into the main characters. As I wrote about last week, I love stories where people are on the brink. Something is riveting and relatable about people close to significant change or discovery, and that's why I found both of these (very long) books impossible to put down.
Have you read any of the books on my list? I’d love to hear what novels you think should be paired together, so leave a comment and share your thoughts. Thanks for reading!
❤️📚📚❤️