Stories that get deep into the human soul often leave the reader with a powerful impression – these 10 books have the same effect. Each of them covers themes of desire, loss, identity, and the subtle intricacies that are part of our nature. The authors take us on different paths, employing everything from broken narratives to psychological portraits that haunt us, to a revelation of the brittleness, strength, and emotional intensity that characterize human life. They put the readers in front of truth, exposure, and the unvoiced communications of the inner self.

A Tale for the Time Being – Ruth Ozeki

Ozeki combines the diary of a teen girl and a writer’s quest for meaning into a stunning meditation on time, mind, and generational trauma. The novel remains to be felt emotionally and philosophically long after the reading..

Dept. of Speculation – Jenny Offill

Offill captures marriage, selfhood, and the creative process so well using fragile vignettes that are sharp and musical at the same time. The way she tells the story in fragments gives the reader a glimpse of the quiet collapses and rediscoveries that are part of growing up.

Fever Dream – Samanta Schweblin

Motherhood, fear and environmental hazards are the topics of the story. A Schweblin’s nightmarish plot gets the reader to doubt the reliability not only of memory and instinct but also of the limits of security.

Sweet Bean Paste – Durian Sukegawa

This is a light tale of friendship, healing through shame, and compassion. The characters are so tender that the story makes it evident how repairing lives through kindness is possible.

The Bell – Iris Murdoch

In a secluded community of worshippers, Murdoch sheds light on the subject of desire, ethics and self-deception. The author shows that the characters are nothing else than human since they try to purify themselves amidst the inner turmoil.

The Book of Disquiet – Fernando Pessoa

A lyric, gloomy and powerful work that, in fact, is like a diary of an extremely self-analytical person. The thoughts of Pessoa leave the reader with nothing but the feelings of universal desire, isolation, and existential unrest.

The Door – Magda Szabó

An eye-opening novel on the themes of pride, fidelity, and emotional intricacy through the lens of the relationship of two women. Szabó’s narrative unveils the powerful desire for comprehension and the subsequent hurts that arise from it.

The Emigrants – W.G. Sebald

Sebald mixes up memory, trauma and displacement into a very moving trail of narrative. He unveils the emotional price of exile through lives that are only partially told and powerful images.

The Vegetarian – Han Kang

A woman’s silent dissent turns into a raging fire of a discussion on her freedom of choice, trauma, and identity. Han Kang’s narrative does not only reveal the brutality of humans but also the purity of their needs.

The Friend – Sigrid Nunez

A tender-hearted, truthful examination of mourning and friendship as a writer goes through the process of grieving with a large Great Dane by his side. Nunez, through her remarkable yet simple style, gets to the very heart of the frail beauty of human relationships.