Taking a break recently from my own writing, I’ve been giving considerable thought as to what makes a good book. In thinking of the classics and some recent books I’ve read, the common thread seems to be the intimacy of their stories.
But what makes a story intimate and therefore compelling? It’s not necessarily sex, though the runaway hit, Fifty Shades of Grey, certainly had lots of that. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the adjective, intimate as “of a very personal or private nature”. When a book reveals the inner life of a character, his or her private thoughts and behaviors, I hang on for the journey. A human struggle is always compelling, and because of its humanness, familiar and relatable.
The following recent reads hit a nerve. Each one made me care about its characters. As they struggled to make sense of their lives, I reflected on my own and became richer for it.
The Cure For Death By Lightning is a coming of age story, set on a farm in the interior of British Columbia during World War II. Weaving in characters from a neighboring First Nations reserve, the author, Gail Anderson-Dargatz, takes us on a young girl’s intimate journey. We watch her struggle in a family on the edge of insanity. We see how her imagination fuels her fears of living in a place with coyotes at every turn. And we feel for her as she grapples with sexual matters both inside and outside her family.
The Senator’s Wife by Sue 
Miller intrigued me as it’s a story of two women who end up living next door to one another and thereby get entangled in one another’s business. One is young and newly married, the other old and wedded for decades. Their intimate stories resonate with us long after the book’s been closed. By focusing on only a few characters, the author plumbs the depths of human emotion and makes us care. She engages us in the characters’ conflicts and in so doing, our own intimate stories are triggered in the reading.
Truths I Learned From Sam by Kristin Butcher is a Y/A book that should have a wider audience. It’s a book about a family secret—and what is more intimate than that? Dani, 17 yrs., on the threshold of womanhood has an unexpected adventure that leads her to discover not only more of her own history but also that of her mother’s. This novel is funny, heartwarming and sad, like life itself. As Dani learns truths from Sam, an uncle she didn’t know existed, she discovers the many facets of love.
All of the above are intimate stories, and therefore good books. I’d love to hear what stories still resonated with you long after you’d finished reading them.
Hi Diana, I can’t wait to read these books; I have put them on my list. I always enjoy your insights so I know they will be great picks.
Two books that have left me constantly thinking about the characters are The Paris Wife (a fictionalized version of the real-life first wife of Ernest Hemingway) and Loving Frank (also fictionalized about Frank Lloyd Wright’s beginnings and scandalous affair in the early 1900’s.
Both are exceptionally well written and contain many lessons on life as illustrated by tremendously complex characters. I hope you and others enjoy these reads!
Karen, so many good books, so little time. I’m reading Loving Frank right now, and also have The Paris Wife on my night table. I am thrilled with the fictionalized story of Frank Lloyd Wright. The author shows such a command of the literary form, and yet she doesn’t keep us at a distance with her prose. I am stunned by her talent. Glad you mentioned these two.
I do love unique book recommendations. I’ve been doing a great deal of reading as well, far more reading than writing lately.
Julia, hard to do both, but I find reading good books makes my writing better.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the two books, Diana. You inspired me to put a post on my own website about them, as well as another fabulous book: Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghase. I think you’d love it.
I agree with what you said to Julia about reading making your writing better. Like you, I’ve been reading more than writing of late. I’ve also been reading a lot about writing and am currently working through Donald Maass’ Writing the Breakout Novel. It’s exceptionally good!
I have just placed these books in my to read list 🙂 Thanks!
The synopsis of The Cure for Death by Lightning reminds me of Echoes by Danielle steel.
Interesting, Nina. I haven’t read anything by Danielle Steel for years. I know she’s an incredibly successful commercial author. I think you’ll find The Cure For Death By Lightning more of a literary read. It’s prose is almost poetic, and yet very accessible.