Growing up means choosing what to keep
My Brilliant Friend — Elena Ferrante
Two girls grow up in a poor Naples neighbourhood, bound by fierce friendship, rivalry, and the desire to become more than their surroundings allow. Intense, vivid, and emotionally restless.
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 — Cho Nam-joo
A young mother’s ordinary life becomes a sharp portrait of the quiet pressures placed on women. Short, direct, and deeply unsettling.
The Idiot — Elif Batuman
At Harvard in the 1990s, a first-year student tries to understand language, love, art, and the strange rules of adult life. Dryly funny, observant, and wonderfully awkward.
Shuggie Bain — Douglas Stuart
In working-class Glasgow, a boy tries to protect his mother while struggling to find a life of his own. Heartbreaking, compassionate, and beautifully written.
Save this list for the next book that makes growing up feel complicated.
1August 31, 2026 442 1 1
