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Everybody has to grow up sometime — and the books on this list show that it can happen in surprising ways. We’ve hand-picked the very best of the genre to bring you seventy must-read coming-of-age books.
- Reedsy
Mar 31, 2021 · Coming-of-age novels aren’t necessarily about age. They’re about growth, that defining moment in a character’s arc when the simple optimism of youth gives way to something deeper, an emotional understanding both of the world and themselves.
- Justin Torres, We the Animals. Torres’ slim, elegant, intense 2011 bildungsroman carries us deftly from the mania of childhood and brotherhood to the alienation of young adulthood and the self-knowledge that comes with it—or inspires it, as it were.
- André Aciman, Call Me By Your Name. If you read this space, you’ll know that I’m a fan of Call Me By Your Name, a perfect, deeply interior novel, steeped in desire, about a young man who falls in love with an older visitor, and discovers quite a bit about himself—and love, and family—in the process.
- Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex. A coming of age story that is also a coming of self story, as Callie becomes Cal, and the world becomes modern. See also: The Virgin Suicides, which rivals this one fiercely in my heart and is also in some ways a purer bildungsroman, though for a faceless chorus of boys instead of a single one.
- Katherine Dunn, Geek Love. So much more than a coming of age novel, of course, and not usually designated as such—and yet still it fits, as Olympia tells the monstrous story of her childhood (while endeavoring to protect her own daughter from the woman who would “normalize” her).
Jan 15, 2024 · A coming-of-age story typically explores the psychological and moral growth of a protagonist from youth to adulthood. These narratives often depict the challenges, experiences, and self-discoveries that shape an individual’s identity and worldview during their formative years.
- To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee.
- On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous Ocean Vuong.
- Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë.
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain.
Definition. A coming-of-age novel follows a character as they age from childhood to adulthood or while they go through an important series of events that define their understanding of the world. The character is likely to go through emotional changes influenced by what they’ve seen and experienced.
Sep 22, 2024 · A mix of YA classics and brand-new stories, these coming of age books are absolute must-reads. 37 Coming of Age Books. THAT WILL MAKE YOU REFLECT ON LIFE. 1. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Dante can swim. Ari can’t. Dante is articulate and self-assured.
