Hello, trying to read more fiction these days. Looking for a modern novel like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Preferably low to medium stakes on a micro-level (nothing about saving the world please), something philosophical and meditative on the mundanity of normal life, and nothing overly descriptive (e.g. taking 2-3 pages to set a scene)
by Jiznthapus
7 Comments
I think you’d probably like Fredrick Backman’s books and also Remarkably Bright Creatures. I’d look up trigger warnings for Backman’s books but they’re on a similar level to Eleanor Oliphant. Start with A Man Called Ove or Anxious People. Clare Pooley’s books also have a similar vibe with a bit more humor
The Night In Question by Susan Fletcher.
The protagonist is an 87 year-old woman who attempts to solve a mystery in the senior living facility in which she resides, while also looking back on her own life.
The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett
Remarkably Bright Creatures
When All Is Said
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
The Anthropocene Reviewed (collection of essays, not a novel)
Pretty much anything by Fredrick Bachman, but I’d start with Anxious People.
Convenience Store Woman
I’d echo Frederik Backman, though I personally prefer Beartown.
You may also like Sally Rooney’s books. My favorite of hers is Normal People.
Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library may also appeal.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
The House in the Cerulean Sea and sequel
The Guncle
Nothing To See Here by Kevin Wilson