Het kwintet van William Conescu

Let me begin with my two longtime favorite fiction writers, Edith Wharton and Vladimir Nabokov.  They're such different writers, but both do a brilliant job of capturing the psychology of their characters.  Wharton writes about characters who must navigate and survive within complex social constraints.  Nabokov often writes about characters who exist outside of societal norms, characters with secrets and unusual beliefs and desires.  Both authors build great suspense into their stories; as readers, we worry and wonder about their characters.  And both authors write with care and intention at the sentence level.  My favorite of Wharton's novels is The House of Mirth, and my favorite of Nabokov's is Despair.  If I were trapped on a desert island, I would be glad to have the complete works of both authors.

Next, I would recommend Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney and If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino.  Bright Lights, Big City was the first novel I read that was written in the second person, where "you" are a character.  I read this book when I was in my early teens, and I was fascinated by McInerney's point of view choice.  The second person can do a good job of capturing the mindset of a character who has an unusual way of thinking or who is incredulous that he's in a particular situation.  As you will see if you read my novel, I ended up writing half of it in the second person-though the choice didn't occur to me until I'd written a complete draft of using only the third person.

If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino also makes interesting use of the second person.  It's an intellectually playful book, an artful work of metafiction that calls attention to the experience of reading and the desires and expectations of the reader.

Finally, I would recommend Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.  This book is like an old friend.  It feels as if Lamott is putting a hand on your shoulder and offering you a cup of tea or pint of beer while she chats with you about the writing process and the writing life.  I think new and experienced writers alike will find this book comforting and valuable.  I also gave a copy to my grandmother, who is not a writer, but a great lover of books, interested in writers and how their minds work.