The Gargoyle is Andrew Davidson's debut, and so far only, novel, and I fell in love with it when I first read it. I'll admit it's nothing like A Thousand Nights, really; the main character is a severely burned and suicidal pornographer. So why do I recommend it to fans of A Thousand Nights? Well, it's another book with a nameless protagonist and one that is heavily reliant on oral storytelling. While in the hospital, the protagonist of The Gargoyle meets another patient who claims they were lovers in a past life, and she continues to visit him to tell him love stories from throughout history. In some ways she is his Scheherazade. It's a stunning book, and I highly recommend it!
I only discovered Robin Talley this year and I think she's such an important voice in the world of YA. I thoroughly enjoyed Lies We Tell Ourselves - you can check out my review here! - and when it comes to adult historical LGBT+ fiction then I can't recommend Sarah Waters enough. Waters has written six novels, all historical fiction, and five of those six have a queer female protagonist. Fingersmith is a wonderful place to start with Waters' work; it's a fantastically twisty and turny novel, highly inspired by the Victorian sensation novels that Waters loves to read, and like Lies We Tell Ourselves it has a wonderful LGBT+ couple at its centre. You can check out my review here!
It's been years since I read Things I Want My Daughters to Know, but I absolutely loved it when I first read it. The Year of the Rat and Things I Want My Daughters to Know are very different novels, but at their heart they're both stories that tackle grief, and in particular the grief that comes with losing a mother.
I admit these two may in fact have more dissimilarities than similarities; one main protagonist is a teenage girl while the other is a grown man, and one focuses on travelling through space while the other barely focuses on the travel at all. That being said, I do think fans of Across the Universe, and any other YA sci-fi like it, should give The Book of Strange New Things a chance. There is a lot about Christianity in it, but it isn't a Christian book; the main character, Peter, is travelling to a new planet to preach the Bible - the 'Book of Strange New Things' - to the natives there while, back on earth, his wife Bea begins to struggle with her faith. It's quite a slow-moving book, but it's fascinating.
Which adult books would you recommend to YA readers? Alternatively, which YA books would you recommend to people who don't read much YA?
It always amazes me how people read YA exclusively, but I guess it shouldn't since I pretty much read SFF exclusively LOL! I read the genre for all ages though! In any case, I'm always looking for more adult books to read so thanks for these recs Jess^^ I've heard about The Gargoyle and Fingersmith but I need to refresh my memory on GR and while I'm at it, I'll check out The Book of Strange New Things :)
ReplyDeleteI can understand why people exclusively read YA even though it's not something I do, but I do think it's a shame to restrict yourself to one type of book. I suppose reading only YA doesn't mean you're only reading one genre and there's certainly lots of brilliant YA out there, but there's also a lot that's very formulaic and very samey. Plus YA can sometimes give off the impression that you have to have all your adventures when you're 17 - I may be 24 but I'm still as lost as I was when I was a teenager, and I like to read about adult characters who feel the same way!
DeleteI highly recommend The Gargoyle and Fingersmith, they're both brilliant! Sarah Waters is one of my favourite authors, and The Little Stranger is one of the best books I've read this year so I recommend that one, too. :) Thanks for stopping by, Micheline!
Ahh! This is such a fabulous post! I’ve always wanted to read more adult fiction but I never really knew quite where to start, so this sounds like a great guide. Thank you for making this – it’s such a well-written and helpful post! ♥
ReplyDelete~ Zoe @ Stories on Stage
Thank you very much! I'm glad this has been helpful. :)
DeleteOh I love this post idea! While I love YA, sometimes I crave a good adult novel and don't know what to pick up since I'm entrenched in the YA community. Thanks for the recommendations!
ReplyDelete-Cristina @ Girl in the Pages
Thank you. :) I think I'm the other way around - I'm usually in need of some YA recommendations!
DeleteI do want to read some more adult books. xD BUT I GET SCARED. Ya is just so wonderful and I'm so so hit or miss with adult books, ehhe, that saying...I have actually read quite a few adult memoirs this year and enjoyed them. :D I'm curious about The Book of Strange Things now!! (Epic title!!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by @ Paper Fury!
No, don't be scared! It's understandable, though; I lost a lot of my faith in YA because all of the stuff I was reading were were becoming imitations of each other, but now I'm much better at picking out books that I know I'll like. :)
DeleteFantastic post Jess! I love mixing up adult fiction with YA. :-) I should try out some books you've recommended it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Chrissi! ^_^
DeleteGreat post! I love YA, but it seems so many people only read YA. I couldn't do just one genre, but what a great way to help some step a little out of their comfort zone! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! :D
DeleteThis is an awesome idea! I have only read Fingersmith out of these, but OMG THE TWIST I DIDN'T SEE IT COMING. Like, I KNEW there was going to be a twist, but it STILL surprised me. And then we get to see everything from a different perspective and it's like WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT WAS GOING ON THE ENTIRE TIME. Ahem. So yes, good book. :D
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