Sometimes, we forget that language is an art. We get wrapped up in cliches, in violence and gore, in love triangles between flat characters. Take a step back. Fall in love (or back in love) with the beauty of language. Here are six authors who taught me that there’s more to a book than just the story.
1. F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby
Fitzgerald is the undisputed god of prose, and I will forever bow down to his brilliant mind. "The Great Gatsby" is the first book that really changed the way I thought about reading. Beautiful prose became my green light, and I started chasing it like Gatsby chased Daisy Buchanan.
2. Edmond Rostand: Cyrano de Bergerac
Poor, poor Cyrano. With a nose as large as a proboscis monkey's, your love for the air-headed Roxane is doomed to be unrequited. She'll always favor the handsome but foolish young Christian, even though your wit is sharp enough to cut steel. If it's any consolation, your brilliant way with words did steal my heart.
3. Anthony Marra: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena & The Tsar of Love and Techno
Marra's books take place in war-torn Chechnya and Russia, but they tell very different tales. "Constellation" is the story of a girl orphaned by the war and her neighbor's desperate attempt to protect her. "Tsar" is a collection of interwoven stories that revolve around a failed artist who censored paintings for the USSR. If you only read one book from this list, make it one of Marra's.
4. Anthony Doerr: All the Light We Cannot See
The name "Anthony" apparently indicates that one possesses amazing writing talent. This book takes place in France and follows a curator's blind daughter and a young Nazi boy who loves radios. It's stunning. Read it.
5. Colum McCann: Let the Great World Spin
Irishman Colum McCann's collection of short stories revolving about a tightrope walker.
What's so special about him? Let's zoom out a little bit...
See that little dark blob? That would be Philippe Petit. Just chillin' on his tightrope. Which happens to be strung between the Twin Towers.
Yeah, you should read the book.
6. Rene Denfeld: The Enchanted
OK, this book happens to be one of the most depressing things I've ever read, so the GIF was necessary to lighten the mood. "The Enchanted" examines the death penalty, mentally ill criminals, prison conditions and stereotyping of convicts all in one weighty read. But at the same time, Denfeld's language is utterly stunning, and I was amazed by her skill at writing about mental illness. This book is truly a work of art, with a twist at the end that still haunts me.
7. Thomas Hardy: Tess of the D’Urbervilles
"Tess" is a classic, and like Fitzgerald, Hardy is famous for his stunning sentences. But don't let this mushy quote fool you—Hardy was a total badass. He decided to use the power of the pen to discuss feminism, rape, hypocritical views of women and more. Poor Tess, a farm girl and victim of sexual assault, may have it rough, but Hardy fights for her with a subtitle that made the people of 1891 roar: "A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented." Yes yes yes yes YES.
