Does summer make you pine for winter? Do seaside resorts play second fiddle to that dank coffee shop you hang out in—the one with the ratty carpet and the bad art that hipsters call indie? Then here’s the collection of novels for you: beach reads for the pensive, socially-awkward, and sun-averse types (not that I would know anything about that).
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
As far as encapsulating male teenage angst goes, Salinger’s classic remains the gold standard.
In recounting the events of a past weekend, protagonist Holden Caulfield captures it all—alienation, superficiality, trauma, sexuality—so much so that some have made censoring this novel one of their favorite pastimes.
Yet despite the rebellion and anger (…a boys’ school [is] full of phonies, and all you do is study so that you can learn enough to be smart enough to buy a goddam Cadillac some day, and you have to keep making believe you give a damn if the football team loses…), Caulfield proves himself to be thoughtful, warm, and —depending on your take—worthy of empathy.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Not to be outdone, in her first and only novel, Plath showed that a young woman’s entrance into mainstream society can be fraught with complications as well.
Protagonist Esther Greenwood has immense promise—intellect, ambition, and good looks to boot. But none of that is enough to prevent a descent into madness.
If Mrs. Guinea had given me a ticket to Europe, or a round-the-world cruise, it wouldn’t have made one scrap of difference to me, because wherever I sat—on the deck of a ship or at a street café in Paris or Bangkok—I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air.
Sadly, this semi-autobiographical work went from powerful to haunting when, at age 30, Plath took her own life by placing her head in an oven.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
In keeping with the mental health theme, the Oregonian Kesey crafted this masterpiece, a look inside an Oregon psychiatric hospital.
As seen through the eyes of the schizophrenic Chief Bromden—who feigns deafness and muteness—the story pits con man Randle P. McMurphy against the authoritarian Nurse Ratched. After a series of confrontations, McMurphy (played by Jack Nicholson in the later film), is forced to submit, all the while empowering those around him.
Needless to say, the pro-censorship crowd isn’t enamored with this one either. But it’s the truth even if it didn’t happen.
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Orwell never shied away from political themes, and among a stacked portfolio (think 1984), this work stands out.
When the animals at Manor Farm overthrow their human owner and rename it Animal Farm, their socialist ideals slowly give way to brutal totalitarianism. Initially meant as a commentary on post-revolutionary Russia, the novella is now viewed as a commentary on humanity in general.
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
And finally, another take on the human experience, this one courtesy the master of satire, sci-fi, and everything off-the-wall.
Vonnegut’s apocalyptic tale marries a midget, an original theology, a dose of science, and a Caribbean island, yielding a uniquely human gift—self-destruction.
We Bokononists believe that humanity is organized into teams that do God’s Will without ever discovering what they are doing…anyone unable to understand how a useful religion can be founded on lies will not understand this book either.
On second thought, maybe you should ditch these beach reads and actually go to the beach for once.
2 Responses
Any less depressing books? Maybe a book of jokes 😂
Hahahaha