"Old adult" literature reading list

I'm giving my paper on "old adult" literature at the Michigan College English Association tomorrow. I've reviewed a few of the books I read earlier on this blog. Here's the complete list of novels I read for the project in case others are interested.

All Passion Spent, Vita Sackville-West (British, 1931)

Lady Slane vexes her middle-aged children by choosing to spend her final years in a small house on her own terms. Beautifully written. Nice exploration of the way memory works in old age.

The Book of Eve, Constance Beresford-Howe (Canadian, 1973)

Eva walks out on suburban life and a petulant, bed-ridden husband to live alone and broke in an apartment with a collection of grim, hard-luck characters. Eva's stubbornness is frustrating sometimes, and she's not wholly likable. A little dated but still worthwhile.

The Brooklyn Follies, Paul Auster (American, 2005)

Nathan is divorced and assumes that he will die from the lung cancer he just completed treatment for. An encounter with a long-lost nephew leads to a self-discovery road trip. Auster's florid prose and noir elements are always fun for me.

Deaf Sentence, David Lodge (British, 2008)

A retired college professor who suffers from hearing loss has one last fling at directing a dissertation—and with the possibly psychopathic student writing it. By turns hilarious and scary. One of the best in the list.

The Fixed Period, Anthony Trollope (British, 1882)

In a utopia set in 1980, it is decreed that people will live a fixed period of 67 years and then be dispatched to spare them long illness and society the burden of their care. This novel really goes off-point a lot, but has moments of satiric humor.

A Friend of the Earth, T.C. Boyle (American, 2000)

Tyrone O’Shaugnessy Tierwater runs a menagerie for a deranged rock star, who wants to “save the animals no one loves” as near-future global warming threatens the planet. A novel full of misguided dimwits. No wonder the world is burning up. 

Go, Went, Gone, Jenny Erpenbeck (German, 2017)

Retired classics professor Richard, curiosity piqued by refugees protesting in Berlin, begins visiting them in their shelter and learning their stories and becoming involved in their lives. Really fine novel.

The Human Stain, Philip Roth (American, 2000)

At Athena College, writer Nathan Zuckerman befriends Coleman Silk, who has resigned in bitterness over an allegedly racist remark, and whose story is riddled with deception. Seems to be agnostic Roth's attempt to come to terms with original sin in this angry novel. I liked it.

Man in the Dark, Paul Auster (American, 2008)

August Brill spends sleepless nights making up a dystopian novel in which he himself is a dark force who must be killed by his imaginary protagonist. During the day, he comforts his widowed daughter and granddaughter, whose boyfriend has committed suicide. As close to heartwarming as Auster gets.

Memento Mori, Muriel Spark (British, 1959)

A group of aging friends and nemeses respond variously to the same crank telephone caller, who merely says, “Remember you must die.” The usual awful Spark people appear in this novel, but there are moments of grace and tenderness, too. 

Mr. Mercedes, Stephen King (American, 2014)

Detective Bill Hodges comes out of retirement when he receives a note from a sadistic killer. I didn't click with King's foray into crime noir, but I might watch the TV series, which features Brendan Gleeson.

The Old Devils, Kingsley Amis (British, 1986)

Alun Weaver, a retired TV personality, meets up with a group of mostly ghastly former friends in Wales where their past relationships create havoc in the present. It is really hard to care about any of these people, but I admire Amis as a stylist.

The President Is Missing, James Patterson and Bill Clinton (American, 2018)

The president of the United States rushes off to save the country from hackers threatening democracy. He also has a chronic disease that might sink the whole deal. Patterson writes a page-turner which Clinton spoils with long disquisitions on freedom and American values.

Quartet in Autumn, Barbara Pym (British, 1977)

Four lonely co-workers face retirement with fear and desperation. This is dark, dark, dark, and I was depressed for a week after I read it, even though I generally love Pym. Wholly lacks her wicked humor.

The Spectator Bird, Wallace Stegner (American, 1976)

Joe struggles with retirement, arthritis, and resentment of his cheery wife who wants him to keep busy. He finds a diary he kept about an interlude in mid-life and wonders what to make of his life now. Read this one if you want an uplifting ending.

The Unit, Ninni Holmqvist (Swedish, 2009)

In a dystopian future, childless people over 50 go to Units, where they are warehoused until boredom spurs them to participate in medical experiments or organ donations. The Unit is a metaphor for the way elders are even now nudged into warm-weather retirement complexes and age-appropriate activities like casino trips and color tours of New England. One of my very favorite books of all time. 

An Unnecessary Woman, Rahmi Allemedine (Lebanese, 2014)

Beirut’s violence has pushed Aaliya into a state self-imposed exile. For years, she has secretly translated scores of books for her own enjoyment—translations that seem doomed when her apartment floods. Worth reading several times. 

The Woman Next Door, Yewande Omotoso (South African, 2016)

Next-door neighbors Muriel and Hortensia are divided by race and temperament in post-apartheid South Africa. A series of calamities helps them break long-ingrained attitudes. Funny and deeply sad by turns. Kudos to the author for not falling into a syrupy ending of racial peace and harmony.