I'm looking for a novel told in the first person, by an adult, but which centers on a time or span of time when they were young (either a child or a teenager). So it would be an adult story, from the POV of a kid. The simplest example I can think of would be To Kill A Mockingbird.
Has anyone read anything like this that they can recommend?
by Drunken_Scribe
17 Comments
My Brilliant Friend by Ella Ferrante for sure!
The Body by Stephen King
Peace Like a River
Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver- I cannot stop recommending this book 😍
Black boy
My Losing Season by Pat Conroy (especially if you are a basketball/sports fan)
I think *The Go-Between* and maybe *Brideshead Revisited* are examples of this (the main character of BR is still in his late teens early in the book)
Two come to mind: *David Copperfield*, by Charles Dickens and *The Shards*, by Bret Easton Ellis
Tom Lake
Fire Exit by Morgan Talty – not totally set in the past but a good chunk is the main character remembering/narrating stories from his childhood/adolescence.
Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro
The Secret History – Donna Tartt
Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Obligatory FUCK NEIL GAIMAN.
Boys Life Robert McCammon
The Body by Stephen King
Note, King does not write only horror. This is a comming of age story.
Juice by Tim Winton, I’ve been recommending this a lot lately because I like to boost newer books, but it is relevant here.
*A Prayer for Owen Meany* by John Irving
Do you read fantasy? The Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb fits your criteria, and is excellent, widely regarded as one of the best and most well written fantasy series. Medieval kind of setting with initially little, later more magic.