Gritty, realistic literature by women
October 26, 2021 9:38 AM Subscribe
I have recently discovered and devoured Jean Rhys’ grim early novels (Good Morning, Midnight; Quartet; Voyage in the Dark; After Leaving Mr. Mackenzie). What I like about these novels is the dark, gritty atmosphere, the writing that still feels fresh a century later, and the female perspective. Who else should I read? Primarily looking for books by and/or about women.
Olga Tokarczuk's Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
posted by SinAesthetic at 9:42 AM on October 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by SinAesthetic at 9:42 AM on October 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
Milkman by Anna Burns.
posted by terretu at 9:42 AM on October 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by terretu at 9:42 AM on October 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
Rummage around in the Virago Modern Classics, maybe all of Virago.
Before the 'net seeing their dark green spines in a used bookstore was such a joy.
posted by clew at 10:02 AM on October 26, 2021 [6 favorites]
Before the 'net seeing their dark green spines in a used bookstore was such a joy.
posted by clew at 10:02 AM on October 26, 2021 [6 favorites]
Seconding "all of Virago", which I came here to post. I'll pick out 'Love In Winter' as a particular favourite - meandering and compelling.
posted by wattle at 10:06 AM on October 26, 2021
posted by wattle at 10:06 AM on October 26, 2021
Have you yet read Wide Sargosso Sea by Rhys, the retelling of Jane Eyre from the perspective (and imagined early life of ) the first Mrs Rochester, the madwoman in the attic? You are in for an incredible ride.
posted by nantucket at 10:11 AM on October 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by nantucket at 10:11 AM on October 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
Backlisted did an episode on Good Morning, Midnight, that you may want to listen to.
The podcast often features books by female writers.
posted by dobbs at 10:26 AM on October 26, 2021
The podcast often features books by female writers.
posted by dobbs at 10:26 AM on October 26, 2021
Oh, and Tove Ditlevsen's Copenhagen Trilogy and Barbara Comyns Our Spoons Came from Woolworth's.
posted by dobbs at 10:35 AM on October 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by dobbs at 10:35 AM on October 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
Nicola Griffith's detective novels about Aud.
posted by brainwane at 11:10 AM on October 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by brainwane at 11:10 AM on October 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
Paula Fox -- Desperate Characters.
posted by dobbs at 11:25 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by dobbs at 11:25 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Muriel Spark. Flannery O'Connor.
posted by JonJacky at 11:43 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by JonJacky at 11:43 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Lucia Berlin's stories - e.g. Manual For Cleaning Women
Barbara Comyns - A Touch of Mistetoe
Janet Frame - Owls Do Cry
Jennifer Dawson - The Upstairs People
Beryl Bainbridge - An Awfully Big Adventure
posted by misteraitch at 11:54 AM on October 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
Barbara Comyns - A Touch of Mistetoe
Janet Frame - Owls Do Cry
Jennifer Dawson - The Upstairs People
Beryl Bainbridge - An Awfully Big Adventure
posted by misteraitch at 11:54 AM on October 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
Thirding Virago and Barbara Comyns. Some more ideas:
Kay Boyle: Year Before Last or The Crazy Hunter
Christina Stead: The Man Who Loved Children
Mary Butts: Ashe of Rings
Djuna Barnes: Nightwood
Dorothy Richardson: Pilgrimage
Katherine Anne Porter: Pale Horse, Pale Rider
Elizabeth Bowen: The Death of the Heart
George Egerton: Keynotes and/or Discords
posted by RGD at 12:55 PM on October 26, 2021
Kay Boyle: Year Before Last or The Crazy Hunter
Christina Stead: The Man Who Loved Children
Mary Butts: Ashe of Rings
Djuna Barnes: Nightwood
Dorothy Richardson: Pilgrimage
Katherine Anne Porter: Pale Horse, Pale Rider
Elizabeth Bowen: The Death of the Heart
George Egerton: Keynotes and/or Discords
posted by RGD at 12:55 PM on October 26, 2021
P D James' An Unsuitable Job for a Woman and its sequel The Skull Beneath the Skin.
posted by jamjam at 1:01 PM on October 26, 2021
posted by jamjam at 1:01 PM on October 26, 2021
Clarice Lispector, springs to mind, so does Ottessa Mosfegh, Ann Quin, and Anna Kavan.
posted by foxmardou at 1:27 PM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by foxmardou at 1:27 PM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan quartet, starting with My Brilliant Friend
posted by SomethinsWrong at 2:15 PM on October 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by SomethinsWrong at 2:15 PM on October 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
Oh, also, Alice Munro, all of it.
posted by SomethinsWrong at 2:17 PM on October 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by SomethinsWrong at 2:17 PM on October 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
May Sarton's As We Are Now. And A. Manette Ansay destroys me.
posted by goatdog at 2:44 PM on October 26, 2021
posted by goatdog at 2:44 PM on October 26, 2021
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger.
A detailed outline of the plot might leave you thinking 'this could only be a horror novel', yet it isn’t. Quite.
posted by jamjam at 2:45 PM on October 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
A detailed outline of the plot might leave you thinking 'this could only be a horror novel', yet it isn’t. Quite.
posted by jamjam at 2:45 PM on October 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
Definitely, definitely The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen.
posted by artisthatithaca at 5:09 PM on October 26, 2021
posted by artisthatithaca at 5:09 PM on October 26, 2021
A Fool's Paradise by Anita Konkka
Hygiene and the Assassin by Amelie Nothomb
posted by perhapses at 5:44 PM on October 26, 2021
Hygiene and the Assassin by Amelie Nothomb
posted by perhapses at 5:44 PM on October 26, 2021
You can try Elizabeth George, another woman writer who does fairly grim police procedurals. The first couple are bit more like "mysteries"--pick it up a few into the series and it might do what you want.
posted by mark k at 6:10 PM on October 26, 2021
posted by mark k at 6:10 PM on October 26, 2021
I don't know the books you mentioned, but I would describe Octavia Butler this way. I recommend The Parable of the Sower.
posted by nosila at 4:26 AM on October 27, 2021
posted by nosila at 4:26 AM on October 27, 2021
Sara Gran has written a fantastic horror novel about becoming possessed (Come Closer) as well as a noirish series about a substance-abusing, crime-committing, existential private detective who is also a lady (the Claire DeWitte series). She's also got a noir about a female former dope addict who's grown up in the underworld hired to find a young rich girl who has gone missing (and is also a dope addict) called Dope. This one seems the grittiest so far, but I'm not through with it yet.
Sara Gran is really good.
posted by schadenfrau at 9:53 AM on October 27, 2021
Sara Gran is really good.
posted by schadenfrau at 9:53 AM on October 27, 2021
Sandra Benitez "The Weight of All Things"
Anne Tyler "Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant"
Sarah Schulman's "Rat Bohemia"
Laura Kasischke's "Suspicious River"
Dorothy Allison's "Bastard out of Carolina"
Marge Piercy's "Gone to Soldiers"
And maybe check out Ursula Hegi's work? Or Louise Erdrich?
posted by RedEmma at 1:41 PM on October 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
Anne Tyler "Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant"
Sarah Schulman's "Rat Bohemia"
Laura Kasischke's "Suspicious River"
Dorothy Allison's "Bastard out of Carolina"
Marge Piercy's "Gone to Soldiers"
And maybe check out Ursula Hegi's work? Or Louise Erdrich?
posted by RedEmma at 1:41 PM on October 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
Except that it upset me so much, I can’t think why this didn’t occur to me before: Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel.
Grim, gritty, and dark with a darkness that gathers itself together and crashes down on the reader like a rogue wave onto a dingy when you least expected it.
But beautifully written, and witty in service of an epistemology I'm still not sure what to make of. Does Mantel actually believe in the kind of abilities she gives her main character? Halfway through the book I thought she did, and now I don’t know.
posted by jamjam at 11:13 PM on October 27, 2021
Grim, gritty, and dark with a darkness that gathers itself together and crashes down on the reader like a rogue wave onto a dingy when you least expected it.
But beautifully written, and witty in service of an epistemology I'm still not sure what to make of. Does Mantel actually believe in the kind of abilities she gives her main character? Halfway through the book I thought she did, and now I don’t know.
posted by jamjam at 11:13 PM on October 27, 2021
« Older What are some best practices when helping someone... | How do I let in fresh air without wasting energy? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by restless_nomad at 9:39 AM on October 26, 2021 [2 favorites]