So I was thinking last night about books that impacted me so much that I still remember them, years later. Books that made me cry, rant, rave, throw them against the wall, and generally feel intensely.
So here's a list of books that I recommend if you want to think. I'll keep adding to it as I think of more.
Equus by Peter Shaffer - a play about sanity, and what does it really mean to be sane? Can we be truly happy if we're conforming to a societal norm?
Grendel by John Gardner - the story of Beowulf from the perspective of the poor monster Grendel. A fascinating book, and one that, along with Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man would most greatly influence my writing in high school.
The Kristin Lavransdatter Trilogy by Sigrid Undset - Undset won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928 for a very good reason. This is an exquisitely written trilogy, both for scope and for detail. It's about the life of a woman on Scandinavia during the Middle Ages, from young girlhood to death, and it's a fascinating look at the life of a strong woman who was, nonetheless, a creature of her times.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte - She's the lesser-known Bronte sister, but she wrote a landmark book in Tenant, a revolutionary book (for the times) about a woman who not only locks her door against her husband, but then leaves him. Her writing is at least as good as her sisters', but she never gained the fame because of her strong feminist themes and her willingness to tackle issues such as alcoholism.
The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot - If you can get to the end of this book and not throw it against the wall, you are a better person than I. An incredible autobiographical story that's both epic (dealing with society and status, family relationships) and detailed (Eliot's delicacy of prose). A look into the life of a Victorian woman who didn't necessarily fit into the mold and, along with the Brontes, the reason why I am so attracted to this period of literature.
The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison - A fascinating book about racial issues in America, many of which still exist today.
Gone, Baby, Gone by Dennis Lehane - Lehane is a master at creating gripping, complex characters and plots rich with moral ambiguity.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - Fascinating to read as we live in a country where our liberties are slowly being stripped away, as Huxley predicted. Also a fascinating look at societal freedom vs. sexual liberation.
That's all for now. I'll add more as I think of them.
