Who am I?
I’m a novelist who was first a reader. For me, books are windows, showing the world through lenses I haven’t experienced before. In difficult moments, they’ve been lifelines, proof that I’m not alone and happy endings (at least happier) are possible. What “feels good” in a book is a quality unique to each reader. Below are stories about imperfect characters who not only survive their pasts but succeed—in unwinding from the wounds, changing aspects of themselves that no longer fit who they choose to be now, and ultimately creating happier lives. That kind of success feels great to me. I hope it might for you, too.
Khristin's book list on feel good books about freeing yourself from your past
Why did Khristin love this book?
Bryan Washington’s story and characters are so riveting that I fell into the first page and didn’t want to come back out until I knew what had happened.
This is another book that for me was a huge expansion, providing windows into worlds I had not experienced—an opening to so many new perspectives.
This novel brims with complexity and seemingly impossible emotional knots, yet these characters find ways through. Washington beautifully illustrates that coming to peace with your past doesn’t mean you have to understand everything; that forward momentum can exist along with gaps and uncertainty; and that the how and when of understanding—of coming to terms with what happened and what we witnessed—is a unique journey for each of us.
1 author picked Memorial as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR
'This feels like a vision for the 21st-century novel... It made me happy'
Ocean Vuong, author of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
Benson and Mike are two young guys who have been together for a few years - good years - but now they're not sure why they're still a couple. There's the sex, sure, and the meals Mike cooks for Benson, and, well, they love each other. But when Mike finds out his estranged father is dying in Osaka just as his acerbic Japanese mother, Mitsuko, arrives for a visit, Mike picks…