beach reads for literary fiction readers

a summer reading list for lit fic fans

Every summer I search for a light-hearted ‘beach read’, only to remember that I primarily read literary fiction, and that my book taste leans towards the dark and depressing. And then, I often wonder if I am committing some literary sin by wanting a literary fiction book to feel like a beach read.

The term ‘beach read’ can be simply defined as a light work of escapist fiction. In publishing, it’s often used as a catch-all marketing term for ‘blockbuster’ books that are published in the late-spring to summer. Around this time of year, you’ll start to see bright, glossy campaigns lauding new releases as ‘your next beach read’, and display tables in bookshops offering up this year’s selection of ‘summer reads’.

Over time, the term has been used to describe books with mass commercial appeal that aren’t particularly intellectually stimulating nor capital-L Literary. By this standard, a beach read is a book that’s ideal to be consumed while travelling or on holiday: fast-paced, simply plotted, and designed so you can easily pick it up and put it back down again (similar to an ‘airport read’).

Due to the intrinsic, patriarchal devaluation of women’s cultural interests and tastes, ‘beach reads’ (and ‘airport reads’) primarily refer to books regarded as ‘women’s fiction’: romance, domestic thrillers, or the derogatorily-titled ‘chick lit’. (The swathes of homogeneous, male-authored self-help books that line the shelves of most airport bookshops seem to get a pass, but I digress).

As a term in itself, ‘literary fiction’ is a bit harder to define, but it is usually regarded as ‘character-driven, introspective novels, a study of the human condition and often an exploration of difficult social or political issues that control our lives.’

From that definition then, you could easily argue that literary fiction is far too intellectual and high-brow to be considered a ‘beach read’. And I agree with that, but mostly because I don’t think the term ‘beach read’ has any merit as a parameter of literary value. It’s an outdated and sexist term, and should only be viewed as the marketing tool that is is, rather than any type of genre label.

Nevertheless, many of us literary fiction readers simply want to read a book on the beach that won’t 1) attract concerned looks from others, 2) make you sob, and 3) make you feel depressed. So I have put together this list of ‘lighter’ literary fiction books that you could pack in your beach bag this summer:

Tom Lake - Ann Patchett

While quarantining on their cherry farm, a mother narrates the story of her youth to her daughters, including her whirlwind romance with a now-famous Hollywood star.

This book feels like one huge gossip session, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. I read most of this on the beach last year, so I can attest to how much of a beach read it is. Also, it’s ideal if you have any interest in the theatre / acting.

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Evenings and Weekends - Oisín McKenna

During a heatwave weekend in London, a group of interconnected adults navigate their crises and desires.

This is an intimate, funny, queer, and just very human book. One of my favourite things about books set in the summer is how the suffocating heat increasingly makes the characters restless and pissed off, which is captured so well in this one.

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Happy Hour - Marlowe Granados

Two twenty-somethings navigate a hot summer in New York with only a few dollars between them, surviving by selling clothes at a market by day and charming their way through the city’s social circles by night.

This novel has all the components of the typical ‘sad girl in a city’ book, just without the ‘sad girl’ part. The characters party their way through a New York summer while making dry observations about their surroundings, à la Eve Babitz. Again, I read this on the beach a few years ago, so it’s tried and tested.

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Waist Deep - Linea Maja Ernst

A group of university friends reunite at a rural Danish lakehouse to recreate the radical, uninhibited magic of their youth.

Waist Deep is about insufferable people being insufferable, but that’s kind of the point. The book is very introspective, with a focus on the growing pains of adulthood and navigating our desires. It’s fun to spend some summer days with these characters as they try to sort out (and intellectualise) their problems.

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Call Me By Your Name - André Aciman

During a sun-drenched summer in 1983 Northern Italy, a sudden and powerful romance blossoms between teenager Elio and visiting American scholar Oliver.

No summer reading list is complete without this book. It’s full of stunning, wise, and philosophical writing, perfectly capturing the chaos of the teenage mind and how debilitating a crush can be. Aciman’s vivid descriptions easily transport you to the sunny, lazy afternoons in the Italian riviera.

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Sweetbitter - Stephanie Danler

After moving to New York, 22 year old Tess lands a coveted job at a celebrated Manhattan restaurant, where she’s swept into a whirlwind of fine dining and a complicated love triangle.

This has always felt like a summer book to me, although it does actually end up spanning all four seasons. At its core, it’s a relatable coming of age story about shifting into adulthood, especially in terms of learning your limits and knowing when to walk away. It also makes you romanticise working in hospitality, even though those of us who have worked in hospitality know it’s hell on earth.

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Scaffolding - Lauren Elkin

A dual-timeline novel set in Paris that follows two couples who living in the same apartment decades apart, navigating marriage, grief, and desire.

This book is very messy and very French - two of my favourite things! There’s not a lot of plot in this one, the book’s weight really rests on the interiority of the characters as they wrestle with desire and the fleeting, yet sometimes haunting, nature of human relationships. It also has a touch of Lacanianism, which is a plus if you’re into psychoanalytical theory.

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Greta and Valdin - Rebecca K Reilly

Follows two siblings navigating multiracial identity, queerness, and unattainable lover in present-day New Zealand.

Though it does delve into some deeper themes, this book is just fun. It’s quirky and heartwarming, full of dry humour and insights about early adulthood that feel honest and relatable. It’s hard for a book to be funny as humour is so subjective, but I found this very funny.

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Almost Life - Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Two women who first meet in Paris continue to fall in and out of each other’s lives over the decades.

This is a tender, bittersweet love story made up of missed chances, bad timing, and lots of yearning. It’s full of people being messy and making the wrong choices, which I always enjoy in literary fiction. An ideal read if you’re chasing that Euro-summer feeling.

Thanks for reading - I hope you discovered some new books to pick up this summer. If you can think of other books that belong on this list, leave a comment and let me know! I will need some new ones to take to the beach.