There is nothing better than a good read to inspire creativity and motivation, so I asked people in their early twenties to explain a book that has stuck with them, for you to add to your list.
Evie Clark, 21. My favourite book this year, last year, and probably next year is The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford. Though published in 1945, Linda’s character, narrated by her more rational cousin, Fanny, makes the story as relevant as ever. Linda, the unforgettable heroine, is impossible not to love. She is impulsive, romantic, headstrong, and idealistic. She may come across as flaky and self-absorbed, but really, she is just on a quest for self-fulfilment. Her thirst for life and love is both touching and wildly entertaining. Mitford’s wit, charm, and light touch make the novel feel fresh and happy despite the backdrop of war and the overwhelming tragic arc. It’s a timeless book of brilliance, humour, and emotional depth through the exploration of romantic and family relationships. It will make you want to run off to the countryside, or spend a year in Paris, and it’s a great book to read in your 20s when you are full of curiosity and feel a little bit lost about what you want to do. Linda proves you can do anything and live a million lives. P.S. It’s now a series starring Lily James and Dominic West.
Isabelle Fellows, 22: My close friend, Amelia, introduced The Four Agreements to me as her secret good-vibe weapon. Based on Toltec teachings, The Four Agreements explains four undeniable truths: be impeccable with your word, don’t take anything personally, don’t make assumptions, and always do your best. Implementing these 4 into your life is Don Miguel Ruiz’s recipe for a happy one. The agreement which resonated with me the most was the first: be impeccable with your word. Of course, we understand this to mean: be truthful and don’t speak poorly of others, but Don Miguel Ruiz goes deeper to explain that if you use language (in thought or speech) to criticise, doubt, or reject yourself, you’re misusing your most powerful tool. Both your internal and external narrative become your reality, even if they’re not objectively true. So when you tell yourself you’re not enough, your mind believes it, and you will live out that belief. The Four Agreements helped me realise that sometimes, we are our own worst enemies when it comes to blocking our energy, growth and confidence. I am so grateful to the wonderful Amelia for recommending this book – I will rave about it forever!
Yzanne Pepper, 22: The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom is about the passing of time, with the lesson being to let go of life’s pressures. In the novel, a young girl contemplates suicide, whilst an elderly businessman explores cryogenic freezing (giving him the opportunity to return to his body in a future life). The story reminds you how to live each day, not stress over the choices you make, and understand that everything will fall into place eventually. With FOMO and modern complexities in trying to shape your life, this is an important mantra to keep hold of in your 20s.
Jessica Moore, 22: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak was the novel that got me into reading, and my first recommendation for those who would like to start their reading journey in their 20s, as it offers a unique perspective on life. I was always interested in history and period dramas, specifically World War Two. I wanted a novel that was both emotionally moving and historically factual. Set in Nazi Germany, the story is narrated by Death – a concept I found gave the novel philosophical depth. The novel follows Liesel Meminger, a young girl who finds solace in reading among the treachery of war. Liesel is orphaned and sent to live with a foster family, Rosa and Hans, with whom she forms an unlikely and emotional bond. The vivid cast in this novel, lyrical prose and breaking of narrative structure offer an alternative perspective on death’s compassion and human life.
Lizzie Southorn, 22: Is it perhaps a bit cliché to suggest My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult? Maybe the Cameron Diaz film remake gave it a second perspective, but that can’t take away from the fact that it’s the most heart-wrenching but lovely book ever. An ambitious and stubborn protagonist, who acts on love and wit, what more could you want?! The rawness of this book has never failed to remind me of the importance of family and sibling relationships. All in all, it reminds me how much I bloody love my sister! And that I should never forget!
Leah Coy, 24: Combining theory and memoir to explore the visceral humanness of love, identity, reproduction and motherhood, Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts is a book I will take any opportunity to gush about. Drawing directly from her queer relationship with her partner Harry Dodge, their journey to conceive, and the intimate physicality of pregnancy, Nelson challenged everything I thought I knew about identity and motherhood. Whilst this focus on pregnancy and motherhood might seem a strange recommendation for twenty somethings, I personally found Nelson’s vulnerable offering of the volatile transformation of her pregnant body such a refreshing shift from the typical heteronormative narrative of domesticated femaleness and motherhood. Instead, The Argonauts cracks open an opportunity to find identity and reproductive potential beyond the norm.
Ruthie Barnett, 25: Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton has carried me through my twenties. I first read it at 19, but over six years later, I still return to it, finding new meaning each time. When I am feeling down or need comfort about not being left behind in my twenties, I will skip to the chapter corresponding to my age and 9 times out 10, Dolly was experiencing the same thing. It is the most beautiful love story of female friendship, living in London and life in your twenties (and thirties, but those chapters don’t feel relatable just yet, though I do not doubt that time will come). It’s the book I gift to every woman I know, and if you haven’t read it yet, stop what you’re doing and head to your nearest Waterstones!!!
Ellie McCann, 25: Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things has been one of my favourite novels since I first studied it at school, and it is one that I keep coming back to the older I get. Set in Kerala, India in the 1960s, the text follows the lives of two fraternal twins as they grow older, in a culture dictated by class, caste and subsequent “Love Laws.” Through her beautiful prose and a wildly disjointed chronology, Roy explores the themes of family, post-colonialism, discrimination, forbidden love and childhood naivety – though the main crux of the entire novel is how seemingly inconsequential, tiny choices ultimately shape the course of our lives forever.
Sam Mason, 25: Hazel Hayes has produced two novels that are must-reads for anyone going through the grief that is heartbreak. In ‘Better by Far’, Hayes’s ability to encapsulate the feeling of grief when experiencing heartbreak is phenomenally human. The protagonist is navigating the stages of grief after a failed relationship, while also de-scabbing old wounds tied to her mother’s passing, asking questions she was previously too scared to ask. A couple breaks up with a tenancy of twelve weeks remaining and agree to share their home week-on, week-off. This concept captures the strange, aching experience of grieving someone who is still alive but no longer living a life with you.
‘Out of Love’ tells a love story in reverse, peeling back the layers from the emotional wreckage post-breakup to the initial, pure, intentioned moments of falling in love. Told backwards, it scratches at the raw, often uncomfortable truths of love lost, while reminding the reader of the beauty that once was. These stories remind you that grief and heartbreak, though painful, do mend with time. They gently prompt the realisation that such feelings cannot exist without love, a poignant reminder that pain is the echo of connection.
BEYOND THE WORD 