Books like

Books like Elsewhere

12 books with a reading profile close to Elsewhere by Richard Russo. Inward-looking and contemplative; a moderate read.

  1. 1 Wat ik nooit eerder heb gezegd

    Wat ik nooit eerder heb gezegd

    by Celeste Ng

    Also inward-looking and contemplative · memoir, narrative

    Set in 1970s Ohio, the narrative begins with the death of Lydia Lee, the favorite daughter of a mixed-race couple.

  2. 2 Truth & Beauty

    Truth & Beauty

    by Ann Patchett

    Also inward-looking and contemplative · memoir, narrative

    Ann Patchett narrates the decades-long friendship between herself and the writer Lucy Grealy, beginning at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

  3. 3 The End of Eddy

    The End of Eddy

    by Édouard Louis

    Also inward-looking and contemplative · memoir, narrative

    Eddy Bellegueule grows up in a poor village in northern France, in a family where men are expected to be tough and unemployment and alcohol are common.

  4. 4 The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother

    The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother

    by James McBride

    Also inward-looking and contemplative · memoir, narrative

    James McBride alternates between his own upbringing in a Brooklyn housing project and the oral history of his mother, Ruth Jordan.

  5. 5 When All Is Said

    When All Is Said

    by Anne Griffin

    Also inward-looking and contemplative · memoir, narrative

    Maurice Hannigan, an elderly Irish farmer, sits in a pub in a small town one evening and orders five drinks, one for each person who has been important in his life.

  6. 6 Moab Is My Washpot

    Moab Is My Washpot

    by Stephen Fry

    Also inward-looking and contemplative · memoir, narrative

    In this memoir, Stephen Fry recounts his first twenty years, focusing on his turbulent education at various English boarding schools and his eventual imprisonment.

  7. 7 Just Kids

    Just Kids

    by Patti Smith

    Also inward-looking · memoir, narrative

    Just Kids chronicles the relationship between Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe, beginning with their chance meeting in Brooklyn in 1967.

  8. 8 This Boy's Life

    This Boy's Life

    by Tobias Wolff

    Also inward-looking · memoir, narrative

    Tobias Wolff’s memoir recounts his nomadic upbringing in the 1950s as he travels across the United States with his divorced mother to escape an abusive boyfriend.

  9. 9 Stitches: A Memoir

    Stitches: A Memoir

    by David Small

    Also inward-looking · memoir, narrative

    David Small’s graphic memoir recounts his childhood in 1950s Detroit, living in a household defined by emotional withdrawal and medical negligence.

  10. 10 Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood

    Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood

    by Alexandra Fuller

    Also inward-looking and contemplative · memoir, narrative

    Alexandra Fuller outlines her upbringing in 1970s and 80s Rhodesia, Malawi, and Zambia during a period of violent decolonization.

  11. 11 The Tender Bar: A Memoir

    The Tender Bar: A Memoir

    by J.R. Moehringer

    Also inward-looking · memoir, narrative

    J.R.

  12. 12 Priestdaddy

    Priestdaddy

    by Patricia Lockwood

    Also inward-looking · memoir, narrative

    Patricia Lockwood, a poet, moves back with her husband into her parents' house in a Kansas City rectory.

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