Short But Impactful Novels

With school and the stress of junior year hitting me hard, I’ve found it pretty difficult not only to schedule time for reading but also to have the motivation to finish a book. I mean, sometimes it just takes too much brain power! This is why I’ve tried exploring shorter novels that are captivating but succinct enough to keep me from prolonging the reading process. Here are some of the best that I’ve found.

1)I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

Now we’re starting strong. This one is a dystopian/post-apocalyptic tale. The best way I can honestly describe it is eerie, haunting, and unsettling, but stay with me here. The plot centers on a young girl who has been imprisoned and heavily guarded in an underground cage; she is the only one with no memory or knowledge of the outside world. This leaves the reader wondering about the context of this setting and how these women got there in the first place. It is only when she gets a chance to escape that her journey to fulfill her curiosity about the outside world truly begins. It’s around 200 pages and explores deeper philosophical themes about what makes us human and the existence of friendship and love in the face of cruelty.

2)The Stranger by Albert Camus

This one is a pretty popular classic from the 40s, and for good reason. French author Camus’s debut novel is an existentialist piece that explores the philosophy of absurdism. It’s this idea that life is irrational and trying to attempt rationality doesn’t make sense- it’s an interesting way to look at life. He takes such an approach when encountering two major parts of the plot: the death of his mother anddddd also his killing someone. His emotional indifference and apathy towards these two major events highlight Camus’s ideas about the apparent meaningless nature of life. It’s a really interesting piece.

3) The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy

Lowkey guess I'm on this existentialist and philosophical kick??? Idk what exactly I’m going through, but I do know that this novel is so worth checking out. It’s under one hundred pages, but is filled to the brim with meaning and thought-provoking themes. It follows a man named Ivan Illych who goes from being a high-ranking and socially connected judge concerned with appearances to a man who develops an illness and suddenly begins to die. The book is about his journey with death, and how he questions the role of individuals in his life and reconsiders how much emphasis he placed on superficial matters such as social status throughout his life. This idea of mortality and coming to terms with death, while also highlighting the importance of authenticity in your life, is especially impactful.

4) Lie With Me by Philippe Besson

It’s a French piece translated into English that follows the intimate, beautiful, and even melancholic aspects of love. It follows a man who reflects on a secret relationship he had in his youth with a boy named Thomas. Thomas was his first love, and it is when he reminisces about it years later that we truly understand that the undying passion he felt years ago has never left him. Societal expectations led them to separate, and years later, the narrator learns about Thomas’s fate, which reinforces themes of nostalgia and loss. It’s melancholic but also joyous, it’s beautifully written and filled with longing. Honestly, it highlights the significance of human connection and the lasting impact relationships have on us, and it explores the depths and complexity of love.