I mostly read classics and love Steinbeck for how he writes about ordinary people and their everyday lives. My favorites are Sweet Thursday, Of Mice and Men, and East of Eden.
I’d like to read something with that same character-driven feel, but set in today’s world/this current era. I really enjoyed Backman’s Beartown series, which felt close to what I’m looking for.
Any recommendations for contemporary novels about ordinary people and their lives?
by hnkr2
5 Comments
Here are a few “slice of life” books which are more modern than Steinbeck, though not contemporary.
* Wallace Stegner, *Crossing to Safety*
* Marilynne Robinson, *Gilead*
* John Williams, *Stoner*
(coming from a reader who loves Steinbeck)
I think Murakami’s stuff generally regards characters of rather mundane circumstances pushing out of their comfort zones for one reason or another. I’ve read only a couple of his books so far but that’s the sense I get, he seems way more intent upon the characters’ internal processes than on captivating the reader through plot.
Demon Copperhead
Not a book but hbo’s Carnivale depicts the time very well
The books of Elizabeth Strout, which are mostly set in small towns in Maine and NH. The most well-known is Olive Kitteredge. They are all inter-connected.
The Beans of Egypt Maine, by Caroline Chute.