My 14-year old/9th grade nibling (currently using she/they pronouns) has had a rough fall semester, including a stint in a psychiatric hospital and a restriction on all of their hobbies.
One of the things they are still allowed is the reading of physical books (no screen time or Kindles allowed!). When we visited for Thanksgiving, they expressed a lot of interest in James Joyce, specifically citing Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake. They've also liked Moby Dick, and after some prodding have also read most of Lovecraft's work. Their parents let me know that they're also being praised for their writing in school, though the subjects are trending towards the darker/more disturbing (no more specifics though).
While we are skeptical of the amount they're really comprehending from something like Ulysses, we'd still love to get them some physical books for Christmas. I'm not much of a classics reader, so I'm at a bit of a loss for ideas. Sherlock Holmes? …anything else? Thinking of staying with classics, maybe even a more modern classic, want to lean in a bit to the darkness but not too heavily. Also a bit worried about anything too mental health-intense, so nothing with suicidality or anything like that.
Reddit, help! Any ideas of classics that might be enjoyable to them?
by Ok_Row640
4 Comments
Virginia Woolf is a great next step for them.
It’s been a while since I read it, so do your own research regarding content, but maybe Tristram Shandy. They also might like David Foster Wallace, who is more modern.
Jerusalem by Alan Moore
The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien
The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
These books all buck narrative tradition in similar ways to Joyce while also helping the reader get lost in a labyrinthine world.
If they like Joyce they’ll love Flann O’Brien (Brian O’Nolan). Start with *The Third Policeman* and move on to *At Swim Two Birds*