Jack Edwards Book Recommendations

Aging Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo finally tells her life story to an unknown journalist, revealing the truth behind her seven marriages and the great forbidden love of her life. Through the glamour of Old Hollywood, the novel explores fame, ambition, sexuality, race, and the price of living authentically in an unforgiving world.

In 'A Little Life' by Hanya Yanagihara, the reader delves into the intricacies of friendship, trauma, and the lasting effects of the past on the present. The story follows four college friends navigating the bustling city of New York, with a central focus on Jude St. Francis, a complex and enigmatic character harboring deep-seated trauma. As their lives intertwine and unfold, the novel explores themes of resilience, love, and the enduring power of human connection. Yanagihara's poignant prose and rich character development invite readers to reflect on the profound impact of childhood experiences on adulthood. 'A Little Life' is a raw, heartbreaking, and ultimately unforgettable exploration of the human spirit.

Connell and Marianne grow up in the same small Irish town, but their lives intertwine in unexpected ways as they navigate love, identity, and emotional vulnerability through high school and university. Normal People is a quiet, intensely intimate portrait of modern relationships, exploring how people shape—and fail—each other. Rooney’s minimalist style and emotional insight made this a literary sensation.

This Victorian Gothic novel tells the story of a beautiful young man who trades his soul for eternal youth while his portrait ages and grows increasingly hideous with each of his sins. As Dorian pursues a life of hedonism and corruption, the novel explores themes of art, beauty, morality, and the nature of the soul.

It is the mid-1800s and as slavery looks to be coming to an end, Sethe is haunted by the violent trauma it wrought on her former enslaved life at Sweet Home, Kentucky. Her dead baby daughter, whose tombstone bears the single word, Beloved, returns as a spectre to punish her mother, but also to elicit her love. Told with heart-stopping clarity, melding horror and beauty, Beloved is Toni Morrison's enduring masterpiece.

Set in the decadent summer of 1922, this masterpiece follows mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby's obsessive pursuit of his former love, Daisy Buchanan. Through the eyes of narrator Nick Carraway, the story unfolds in a world of lavish parties and empty morality, exploring themes of wealth, love, and the corruption of the American Dream. As Gatsby's facade crumbles, the novel reveals the hollow heart of the Jazz Age.

Winner of the Booker Prize, Girl, Woman, Other follows twelve interconnected characters—mostly Black British women—whose lives span generations and geographies. Through poetic prose and experimental structure, Evaristo explores identity, gender, race, class, and sexuality in modern Britain. Each narrative stands alone while contributing to a larger tapestry of shared struggles, joys, and legacies. With empathy and nuance, the novel challenges stereotypes and celebrates multiplicity, offering a rich, panoramic portrait of what it means to be “other” in a changing world.

Twin sisters Desiree and Stella grow up in a small Southern Black community where light skin is prized. One eventually disappears to live as a white woman, severing ties with her past. Decades later, their daughters’ lives intersect, uncovering family secrets and confronting issues of race, identity, and generational legacy. The Vanishing Half is a powerful exploration of the choices that define us and the stories we inherit. With beautiful prose and emotional depth, Brit Bennett delivers a poignant, sweeping novel about passing, belonging, and the bonds of sisterhood.

Yoko Ogawa’s The Memory Police is a haunting dystopian novel set on an island where objects—and the memories of them—periodically vanish under the watch of a mysterious authority. The unnamed narrator, a writer, tries to preserve meaning and identity as reality disintegrates around her. When the Memory Police target a man hiding memories, she risks everything to protect him. With quiet intensity and lyrical prose, Ogawa explores loss, surveillance, and the fragility of memory in a world where forgetting is enforced. It’s a chilling and elegiac reflection on control, impermanence, and resistance.

As a young man and a prisoner of war, Kurt Vonnegut witnessed the 1945 US fire-bombing of Dresden in Germany, which reduced the once proudly beautiful city to rubble and claimed the lives of thousands of its citizens. For many years, Kurt tried to write about Dresden but the words would not come. When he did write about it, he combined his trademark humour, unfettered imagination, boundless humanity and keen sense of irony to create one of the most powerful anti-war books every written, and an enduring American classic.

Ocean Vuong's 'On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous' is a remarkable and poignant exploration of identity, family, love, and the complexities of human connections. The novel is written as a letter from a son to his illiterate mother, delving into their shared history as Vietnamese immigrants in America. Vuong's lyrical prose weaves together themes of trauma, queerness, and generational trauma with breathtaking beauty and raw honesty. Through vivid imagery and poetic language, the book captures the struggles of navigating cultural divides and the search for acceptance and understanding. 'On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous' is a deeply moving and profound work that lingers in the reader's mind long after the final page.

Cho Nam-joo's 'Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982' is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that delves into the pervasive gender inequality and societal expectations faced by women in South Korea. Following the life of Kim Jiyoung, a seemingly ordinary woman whose experiences reflect the struggles of many others, the book explores themes of sexism, discrimination, and the systemic oppression faced by women at home and in the workplace. Through Jiyoung's journey, readers are confronted with the harsh realities of a society that often diminishes the voices and worth of women. Cho Nam-joo's candid and impactful narrative sheds light on the challenges women encounter, making this book a poignant and unforgettable read.

In Sayaka Murata's 'Convenience Store Woman,' we delve into the life of Keiko Furukura, a woman who finds solace and purpose working at a convenience store in Tokyo. This quirky and thought-provoking novel explores themes of societal pressures, conformity, and the struggle for individuality. Keiko's unconventional lifestyle challenges the norms of Japanese society, making readers reflect on the absurdity of societal expectations. Murata skillfully weaves a narrative that is both darkly humorous and deeply insightful, leaving a lasting impact on the reader. 'Convenience Store Woman' is a captivating read that forces us to question what it truly means to be happy and successful in a world that often demands conformity.

Hermann Hesse's 'Siddhartha' is a timeless exploration of self-discovery and spiritual enlightenment. Set in ancient India, the novel follows Siddhartha's quest for meaning beyond material wealth and societal expectations. Through encounters with different philosophers, ascetics, and a courtesan, Siddhartha learns valuable lessons about the nature of existence, the pursuit of wisdom, and the interconnectedness of all beings. Hesse's lyrical prose and profound insights make this a deeply contemplative and introspective read, inviting readers to reflect on their own paths to fulfillment and enlightenment. 'Siddhartha' continues to inspire and resonate with readers across generations.

In 'The Housekeeper and the Professor' by Yoko Ogawa, the reader is drawn into a poignant story that transcends mathematics and memory to explore profound human connections. The narrative revolves around the unique bond between a brilliant mathematician, the Professor, whose memory only lasts for 80 minutes, and his housekeeper. As the housekeeper learns about the beauty of numbers and equations, she also unravels the complexities of relationships and emotions. Ogawa delicately weaves themes of love, loss, and the fleeting nature of memory throughout the book, creating a touching and uplifting tale that lingers in the reader's mind long after the final page.