CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDSBY SALLY ROONEYRooney’s
debut is a great example of the confusion, intensity, love, fear and
self-absorption that defines the relationships of your 20s. Frances is
in an on-again, off-again – mostly off-again – relationship with her
best friend, Bobbi. Their power-plays alone make this a wonderful,
if painful, novel on love. Then they meet a captivating couple, and
so begins a tale of adultery so raw and vulnerable that it feels it
must have been written from life. One second you’ll want to shake
some sense into Frances; the next you’ll pitifully empathise with
her shitty millennial decisions.
JUST KIDSBY PATTI SMITHIt’s no bodice-ripper, and there are
no glistening abs or maidens in distress, butJust Kidsis woven
with the kind of genuine romance that most of us would belucky to
encounter in our lives. Patti Smith tells of her journey as a young
woman finding her way in the confusing, exciting and liberating world
of New York in the late ’60s and ’70s – particularly themicrocosm of
the Chelsea Hotel. The worlds she encounters are fascinating, but it’s
the deep love between Smith and her best friend and collaborator,
Robert Mapplethorpe, that binds the book. Their relationship morphs
and grows as they do, but their love remains consistent.OUR SOULS AT NIGHT BY KENT HARUF Not all romance occurs in
your 20s, thankfully. In his final novel, Haruf wrote a poignant story
of love’s ability to bloom long after youth has faded. In small-town
America, everyone knows everyone else’s business, so taking a
chance on love is risky – even more so when you’re an elderly widow
with grown children. That’s not enough of a deterrent for Addie,
though, who’s tired of spending long nights alone. She approaches
Louis, her widower neighbour, with a proposal that seems absurd
at first, but so damn practical you’ll want to high five her.
THE ONLY STORY BY JULIAN BARNES Do you ever imagine how
your life could have turned out if you’d stayed with your first love?
At 19, Paul isn’t much concerned with the future. All he thinks about
is Mrs Susan Macleod, his (married) tennis partner. But as the pair
navigates the intricacies of their relationship, their future starts to
take shape, then warp, and the life they build together becomes more
of a crushing pressure than a liberating joy. This is a warts-and-all
look at the realities of love, passion and the pain of caring.
LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA BY GABRIEL GARCIA MÁRQUEZ
This classic novel opens with a young couple, Fermina and Florentino,
in the midst of a secret love affair. When Fermina’s father finds out,
he whisks her away. (Dads, man. They always do that.) The lovers stay
in touch on the down-low, though, and Fermina eventually returns,
only to find life has moved on, and they hardly know each other. What
follows is a heart-wrenching lesson about persistence. If you thought
waiting a week for your crush to text you was hard, try waiting 50-plus
years.That’s true love.
THE PRICE OF SALT BY PATRICIA HIGHSMITH Let it be known:
The Price of Salt – later republished as Carol – is exceptional. Unable
to earn a living pursuing her passion for set design, Therese is stuck
working at a high-end department store. Her boyfriend is dull and
their sex unenjoyable; overall, life is pretty uninspiring, until Carol
walks in. Their relationship grows into love, romance and erotic
obsession, amid the oppressive societal conventions of the 1950s.
It’s not a smooth road by any stretch, but it’s definitely one
worth following.romance novels that
don’t suck
THERE’S MORE TO ROMANTIC FICTION
THAN VAMPIRES AND BODICE-RIPPERS.
Wor d s Caro Cooperread all about it