3 Life-Altering Novels to Comfort You When You’re Feeling Lost
If books could hug you, these would be it.
Every avid reader will agree the majority of books completed over the years do not stand out — instead, they blur together in a blob of yes-I-remember-the-cover-but-what-was-it-about.
Not these, however.
Through immense reflection, books by Ingrid Persaud, Meg Mason and Claire Daverley speak of hardship, the courage to overcome it, and ways to rediscover oneself. Gradually accumulated, the following selection of contemporary reads equals a warm hug from a lifelong friend.
Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud
Winner of the Costa First Novel Award 2020 and the Author’s Club Best First Novel Award 2021, Love After Love is a wholeheartedly outstanding and emotional read set in Trinidad. The plot revolves around Betty, her son Solo, and their lodger, with the trio forming an unconventional household in an increasingly dangerous world.
Flawlessly paced and intimate, the book tackles violence and social norms, sharing an awe-inspiring insight into the Trinidadian life. Above all — and the key is in the title — the book serves as proof of different kinds of love, and their unconventional displays.
Sharing immense wisdom on friendship, heartbreak and loss, Love After Love will have you smirking, laughing and sobbing throughout.
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022, Sorrow and Bliss tells about Martha, a young woman who doesn’t know who she is — who she really is. Trying and failing to define her worth, Martha remains stuck in a cycle of self-destruction and despair.
Ever since I read Sorrow and Bliss, it has served as a benchmark — I have yet to set my eyes on a book which replicates the feeling of being understood in my entirety the way I felt while reading this.
Sorrow and Bliss presents an accurate reflection of the modern-day mental health approach, its under-appreciated impact towards those we love, and the unexpected consequences of change.
Talking at Night by Claire Daverley
Arguably my favourite read of 2023, Talking at Night is an absolute masterpiece of a romance novel. It features Will and Rosie, a pair who meet as teenagers, and keep finding their way back to each other year after year despite choosing increasingly distant paths.
Talking at Night delves into the first, all-consuming experience of love, exploring the consequences of words left unsaid. Through hidden thoughts and double meanings, Will and Rosie rediscover each other over and over again.
There is nothing not to love about Talking at Night — achingly beautiful, emotional and tender, this melancholic story will change the way you think about loss — and life itself.
