It’s no secret that reading was made cool again through the likes of GoodReads, #BookTok, Twitter, and more. Most people can agree that they only ever read in school and it was rarely books they liked, but rather those made mandatory by the curriculum. In the past three years, the pandemic made you actually sit down and pick up a hobby. Now, it has blown up through digital book clubs. People have even become social media influencers based around covering books. Currently, one of the most popular categories is Young Adult, commonly known as YA. Although it’s not a genre, but rather a category to describe the age range of the reader, it deals with common themes you would experience as a teenager on your way to adulthood including; heartbreak, finding your identity, forming romantic relationships, and more.
The first book on this list is fairly recent, “The Lying Life of Adults” by Elena Ferrante. Released in 2019, and later adapted into a live-action series on Netflix. This was actually the first book I read by Ferrante, and while I don’t disagree that she has other arguably better books, I think this is a great standalone that tells the story of how lying is an act that protects us from suffering. Which avoids self-reflection, and how pretty lies stop us from looking too closely at ourselves when shame and guilt shake our conscience. We can all agree that we have lied before in this part of our lives where we are still figuring out who we are in relation to the people around us. Giovanna, a teenage girl, discovers that all the grown-ups in her life are lying to her in various forms. Growing up means learning to catch others in the act of lying as well. Throughout this novel, Giovanna’s life is everything that entails during your high school years, romantic disappointment, childish illusions, and recognizing the hypocrisy of adults who are supposed to be more knowledgeable than you. Ferrante has a way of mixing her own truths within the books she writes, and whether they’re lies or not, she has a way of perfectly capturing the teenage girl experience through a lens of feminism that just cannot be beaten.
The second book is, “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” by Ocean Vuong. Part poetry, part memoir, Vuong dedicated the novel to his mother, who is illiterate, meaning that she will never be able to read it. The story weaves through 3 different perspectives including Vuong’s mother–a Vietnam survivor with PTSD, his grandmother whose fleeting memory is almost fantasy-like, and his own experience as an immigrant child growing up in the United States and the trials he faces coming out as gay. This book is an avid page-turner that you cannot put down and if you do, it’s probably because you just finished the book. This book tackles a specific type of coming-of-age story, with being a gay immigrant child trying to find yourself in the world, only to realize that the “American Dream” is simply not made for you. Sometimes you may find the prose a little too flowery and imagery at times but that’s what makes the book stand out. The use of descriptive language and metaphors makes this your not-so-average Young Adult novel. With a very personal story, yet a universal message any can relate to, “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” is a must-read for any YA enthusiast.
The third book is wildly popular and for good reason – “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt. Leaving behind his unfulfilling life in California, our protagonist Richard Papen goes to attend the small, prestigious Hampden College in Vermont. There, he meets some fellow classics students and explores new social circles while dealing with feeling like an outsider in a new place. Eventually, he begins to form friendships in this group, and yet ultimately cannot help but feel alienated at the same time. An incredible commentary on literature, wealth and class, Tartt uses the unique lens of a college student to explore these themes. Personally, I found this book pretentious at times, but that’s the power of Tartt’s writing and what makes it so good. The elitism in spaces like these at small colleges is very brutal and just shows how out of touch they are. Even Richard notices how unaware they are of the politics and world around them. Although it is easy to focus on the aesthetic aspects of the book, Tartt skillfully uncovers some of the negative aspects of college life, especially loneliness, and self-isolation, even when there are like-minded people around you. “The Secret History” is a masterclass in storytelling and I can’t recommend it enough.
The unique perspective presented in YA novels, allows almost anyone to relate to the characters. We have all had our own coming-of-age experiences that made us who we are today, and some of them can be really difficult. These stories can make you feel less alone in those struggles and have rich, relatable characters that keep the reader guessing. From the tale of deep-rooted deception in “The Lying Life of Adults” to the lonely realities of college in “The Secret History” there is something for every reader to enjoy, and countless worlds to get lost in.