East of Eden
John Steinbeck
Three generations of California families wrestle with good and evil across a whole century, with Steinbeck himself woven into nearly every page. It's ambitious and uneven, but the best characters—especially the women—feel absolutely real.
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★ 5Small Things Like These
Claire Keegan
A coal merchant in small-town Ireland has to decide whether to look away. Tiny book, enormous moral weight. Cried, naturally.
★ 5Margo's Got Money Troubles
Rufi Thorpe
A broke young single mom starts an OnlyFans and ropes in her ex-wrestler dad. So much more heart and wit than that premise suggests.
Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage
Belle Burden
Belle and her seemingly perfect family flee COVID to their gorgeous Martha’s Vineyard home. Abruptly, her husband of two decades tells her he’s no longer in love and leaves. I first mentioned this book in January, and since then, multiple friends have told me they finished it in one session.