What to Read This Summer

There is something especially satisfying about finding the right novel for the summer months. Whether you are stretched out in a deckchair, tucked away indoors with the windows open, or taking a book on the train as you head somewhere new, the slower pace of the season invites a different kind of reading. This year’s edit is made up of carefully chosen fiction that feels absorbing, stylish, and thoughtful. Some of these titles are new, others have quietly stood the test of time, but each offers a compelling story and the kind of writing that stays with you long after the final page.

1. The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden

Set in the Netherlands in the aftermath of the Second World War, this atmospheric debut follows a solitary woman whose quiet life is upended by the arrival of a stranger. As secrets begin to emerge, so does a slow, surprising intimacy. It is a novel of desire, memory, and the legacy of silence.

2. The Image of Her by Simone de Beauvoir

Recently translated into English for the first time, this novella offers a sharp, psychologically complex look at a female friendship shaped by admiration, rivalry, and projection. Written in the 1950s, it still feels fresh in its examination of how we create and distort the people we love.

3. There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak

In this lyrical and multi-layered novel, Elif Shafak connects characters across continents and generations, from Istanbul to the Brazilian rainforest. The narrative explores migration, mythology, memory and belonging, written in Shafak’s poetic and thoughtful style.

4. Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin

This poignant debut tells the story of three Vietnamese siblings who find themselves alone in 1980s Britain after fleeing the aftermath of war. Told in spare and elegant prose, it explores themes of displacement, grief, and resilience with quiet power.

5. Sagittarius by Natalia Ginzburg

This short, striking novel focuses on the relationship between a mother and daughter whose lives become entangled with clairvoyants and social expectations. First published in 1957, Ginzburg’s storytelling remains sharp, economical, and emotionally resonant.

6. Brotherless Night by V. V. Ganeshananthan

Set in 1980s Sri Lanka during the civil war, this novel follows a young woman drawn into political resistance while trying to protect her family and seek justice. It is a moving story about loyalty, conflict, and the search for truth in the most complex of circumstances.

7. August Blue by Deborah Levy

A classical pianist on the verge of reinvention encounters a woman who seems to know her, yet remains a mystery. Deborah Levy's latest novel is dreamlike and elegant, exploring identity, freedom, and the strangeness of meeting a version of oneself out in the world.

8. The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton

A companion novel to The Miniaturist, this story returns to 18th-century Amsterdam, where a young woman dreams of independence while her family clings to fading respectability. Burton paints her historical world with richness, creating a novel full of subtle drama and beauty.

9. The Birthday Party by Laurent Mauvignier (translated by Daniel Levin Becker)

In rural France, preparations for a birthday celebration unravel into something far stranger and more unsettling. What begins as a slow-burning, observational tale gradually reveals hidden tensions and quiet complexities beneath the surface. Rich in atmosphere, this novel rewards patient readers with a story that is both deeply immersive and unforgettable.

10. The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li

In post-war rural France, two girls form an intense friendship that leads to literary fame, public fascination and eventual estrangement. This haunting novel examines storytelling, ambition and power, written in spare, controlled prose that leaves a lasting impression.