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human intimacy + connection book recs
16
items from tales of friendship to moving stories of love and loss, these books illuminate the ways that we relate to one another
two long-suffering people who have become increasingly alienated from others, in part due to the limitations of their own bodies
Greek Lessons by Han Kang
explores love in all its forms, including romantic, parental, and friendship love, and how to find, sustain, and survive the loss of love (interviews, essays, and experiences)
Conversations on Love by Natasha Lunn
literally one of my favorite reads, the prose is so beautiful <3 agents red and blue travel back and forth through time, altering the history of multiple universes on behalf of their warring empires, they leave each other secret messages
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
my favorite book of all time <3 the story of marianne and connell, two young people whose relationship over the years is marked by intense love, friendship, and mutual fascination
Normal People by Sally Rooney
explores the nuances of love, relationships, and personal development
Everything I Know about Love by Dolly Alderton
one of the greats <3 explores modern love, the pressures and debauchery of the wealthy, and the conflict between youth and age through 24-year-old Cleo and 45-year-old Frank, two broken people who find one another in a passionate and loving fling
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
two college students and the strange, unexpected connection they forge with a married couple
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
so underrated <3 unnamed narrator remeets a choreographer from her past and begin an interesting relationship. coming-of-age story about lust, punishment, artistic drive, and desires that defy the hard-won boundaries of the self
Little Rabbit by Alyssa Songsiridej
a millennial irish expat becomes entangled in a love triangle with a male banker and a female lawyer
Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan
amazing, second fav rooney <3 two best friends from college now on the cusp of 30 grapple with repeatedly in their struggles to figure out how they should live and find meaning in a troubled world that has become increasingly unviable on multiple levels
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
two antithesis brothers grapple with grief, love, and family in the aftermath of their fathers' death
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
emotional will they/won't they story that cleverly captures both the thrill and trepidation of first love will and rosie meet as teenagers
Talking at Night by Claire Daverley
tells the story of the rise and fall of sam and lucas's affection for each other, looks unflinchingly at male body dysmorphia and women's reproductive rights, and the pitfalls of modern love (wasnt on bookshop.org)
Okay Days by Jenny Mustard
will never stop recommending this <3 memoir of the story of a young woman lost in the throes of seeking love and growing up
Pregaming Grief by Danielle Chelosky
leda has no fixed abode and bounces between male and female lovers while earning a bit of cash from low paid jobs in metal work and kitchens. fascinating snapshot of gay london life from that period in the time leading up to the Sexual Offences Act o...
Love, Leda by Mark Hyatt
emma and dexter meet on the night of their graduation, and we follow their lives each and every 15 july for the next 20 years
One Day by David Nicholls