Happy Women’s History Month, SHC! Here’s some incredibly talented female authors to feed any reader’s book appetite, to get anyone out of a reading slump, or to inspire one’s future To-Be Read Lists:
Toni Morrison:
Over the years, we’ve read many Toni Morrison books, loving every single one; most recently, we sprinted through Sula. Morrison’s literary fiction often blends bildungsroman, or coming-of-age, with layered symbolism, character profiles, and plots that dissect a woman’s racial and sexual journey through society. Sula, in particular, explores a unique take on marriage, positing that a woman’s union to a man not only shackles her to him, but kills her innocent girlhood. The thing that hits about a Toni Morrison read, though, isn’t necessarily her subject matter; instead, it’s her ability to nudge you softly through her symbolism, poetic diction, and convoluted plot. If you’re ready for a magical realistic classic, Beloved is a great way to go. Or if you want another coming-of-age read, Song of Solomon never fails. The moral of the story? Toni Morrison will always be one of the most venerable, illustrious, and notable female authors.
Eve Babitz:
Originally published back in the 1960s, Eve Babitz has taken our breath with each of her books.I first discovered her collection of short stories, Black Swans, at City Lights last year. Babitz fears nothing –criticism, judgment, or misunderstanding– from her readers, and her blunt treatment of the Los Angeles archetype and a woman’s access to society’s corners manifests an artful autobiographical narrative. Each one of her books frames feminism through a ferociously honest lens, detonating postmodern literature expectations time and time again in favor of feminist rage, contemporary phraseology, and eclectic motifs.
Samantha Harvey:
In our author hall of fame, Samantha Harvey is right up there with Richard Powers (one of S.C.’s favorite authors who wrote the incredibly moving The Overstory): She pieced together an untapped perspective in literature, executing it with timelessness, sophistication, and accessibility to readers everywhere. Her most recent novel, Orbital, has you looking down on earth from the perspective of astronauts themselves, seeing earth from the stars, sitting in a cinema as a viewer rather than an actor. This read was not only around two-hundred pages, yet intensely walks you through six astronauts’ grief for the lives they left behind, their curiosities for space, and their loneliness of months on end in space. Each sentence was detailed, yet simple, symbolic and surface, dexterously constructed to addict readers of all kinds. Harvey’s narrative was euphoric, like tripping in and out of reality, dropping into an alternate universe, then re-connecting back to humanity. I highly recommend jetting off into any one of her books.
Katherine Heiny:
Katherine Heiny is our quintessential cold, dreary, sweater and tea author. Whether S.C.’s reading Early Morning Riser, or one of her favorite short story collectives, Games and Rituals, Heiny always peppers just the right amount of higher-level motifs, relatable premises, and humor into her work. While she thoroughly enjoyed her novel, Heiny’s short stories go unmatched; Games and Rituals illustrates the modern-day tragedy through eleven short stories, all centered around different couples, families, and individuals. What she remembers loving most about these stories, though, was how easily her mind moved through them, absorbing their realistic, seemingly mundane obstacles, then suddenly, that simplicity swells and explodes into a profound parable-like lesson. For any reader craving a low effort, high reward read, Katherine Heiny is for you.
Meiko Kawakami:
Now, if you’ve been reading these columns since the beginning, perhaps you’ll remember S.C.’s love for Breasts and Eggs by Meiko Kawakami–if not, then we envy you for being able to experience her writing for the first time–which sketches three woman’s experience of womanhood and motherhood. Kawakami might just be my favorite feminist because there is no sugarcoating, no edits, only the Sisyphean labors of being a woman. Another one of my favorites of hers is Heaven, where she explores innocent, platonic love through the friendship of two Kojima and her classmate, known to readers as “Eyes”, who bond over their endurance of bullying. Their ostracism grows into the most intimate, raw, and wholesome connection, reminding us that friendships are messy and imperfect and to never be taken for granted. Love this for someone who is in the mood for a page-turner sans ugly tears, but with a few heart palpitations.
Ottessa Moshfegh:
We absolutely tore My Year of Rest and Relaxation apart, not in the sense that we disliked it, but in the sense that Ottessa Moshfegh’s premise and storyline was so unexpected that it provoked endless conversation. Moshfegh’s writing drips with eccentricity and nineties minimalism, jolting readers with its bipolar catatonia and internal mania. Watching the unnamed narrator slash protagonist cycle through sleep and consciousness is like watching someone’s heart be restarted after a heart attack: terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. If anyone wants a quirky, eccentric, and slightly uncomfortable read, Mosfegh’s got just the books for you. Some other notable mentions include Lapvona and Death in Her Hands.
We hope these authors open your eyes to a slew of exciting reads and highlight the absolute brilliance of some of our world’s female authors. Everyone’s assignment this month: spend time with a great book and thank at least one empowering, formidable, and inspirational woman in your life.
“Friends. Sisters. Mothers. Professors. When women affirm women, it unlocks our power. It gives us permission to shine brighter.”
– Elaine Welteroth
Lily x Simone
