Did you have a book or an author who inspired you significantly when you were a teenager? I suspect even as adults, there are those authors and books who hold a big place in your heart for what it is they’ve written that you’ve just connected with strongly. These are the words and stories we think about all of the time and that sometimes, we use to guide our own decisions and paths because we believe in them so much.
I love seeing this homage trend play out in YA fiction. It’s something I’ve kept a small list on, and it’s something I’d love to explore more of. Note that these are not books where the story or characters are modeled after other works of literature (so books like April Lindner’s Catherine don’t fit); these are instead books where the character has had a strong connection to or bond with an author or book. These are stories where the character’s passion for a particular book or author is one of their defining characteristics.
Below is my (somewhat short) list of books that do that, with descriptions from WorldCat. I welcome additions to this list in any genre — my knowledge tends to fall to contemporary/realistic, but I know there are plenty of books outside this arena that have characters deeply devoted to a specific book or author.
And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky — an obsession with Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar. Reviewed here.
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Devastated by her parents’ decision to split up, pressured by her boyfriend to have sex, and saddled with a case of chicken pox, fifteen-year-old Keek finds consolation in her beloved, well-worn copy of Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar.” |
Emily’s Dress and Other Missing Things by Kathryn Burak — an obsession with all things Emily Dickinson. Reviewed here.
A new girl in Amherst, Massachusetts, comes to terms with her mother’s suicide and her best friend’s disappearance with the help of Emily Dickinson’s poetry–and her dress.
Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos — an obsession with all things Walt Whitman. Reviewed here.
A sixteen-year-old boy wrestling with depression and anxiety tries to cope by writing poems, reciting Walt Whitman, hugging trees, and figuring out why his sister has been kicked out of the house.
Kiss the Morning Star by Elissa Janine Hoole — a road trip spurred by Jack Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums. Reviewed here.
The summer after high school graduation and one year after her mother’s tragic death, Anna and her long-time best friend Kat set out on a road trip across the country, armed with camping supplies and a copy of Jack Kerouac’s Dharma Bums, determined to be open to anything that comes their way.
Being Henry David by Cal Armistead — an obsession with Henry David Thoreau and Walden Pond.
Seventeen-year-old ‘Hank,’ who can’t remember his identity, finds himself in Penn Station with a copy of Thoreau’s Walden as his only possession and must figure out where he’s from and why he ran away.
Can you think of other YA books that fall into this category? I’d love to know more.
I love this trend – it's almost like you're discovering two books at once.
Jessi Kirby's Golden is a good one, the narrator is a distant descendant of Robert Frost and loves his poetry.
I haven't read that one yet but it sounds like a good fit.
In Search of Mockingbird by Loretta Ellsworth
Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. The main character Christopher is obsessed with Sherlock Holmes.