All of us here would like to read more and more. Sometimes due to lack of time or other tasks that come our way in daily life, it becomes difficult for us to maintain a good reading rhythm. The short novels are on the border between the story and the long stories that we are passionate about. In this article you will find recommendations for short novels of no more than 192 pages (of course, the number may vary depending on the edition).
Although making this selection has been a painful task because there are many novels that could fit in this article. In addition, different classifications can be made: do we choose the novels for their quality, or their nationality, for being classics, for being easy reads, summer readings, for being the most famous, the best sellers? And how many recommendations should we make? We don't want to scare the reader.
A good idea to encourage reading is to pick up an entertaining, valuable novel that is worth reading for some reason, and, of course, that is not very long.. We have mixed it a bit with this summer weather and the desire to read and we have come up with the following list. Enjoy it.
10 recommended short novels
Smart, beautiful, clean
Number of pages: 192. Original language: Spanish. Year of publication: 2019.
Smart, beautiful, clean is a novel that shows a girl who takes her first steps in adult life, who has hopes and concerns, but also social, family and own limitations, mirror of a generational reality that has not been given the necessary visibility. A millennial girl who is creating herself with all the difficulties of being independent and who returns during the summer to the family circle and childhood space.
Anna Pachecho, its author, is that millennial who with this novel stands up and uncovers an entire generation. Her feminine and young vision makes this book special because it is seen from a class perspective.. Perfect summer read to follow this college student's return to her humble neighborhood and her grandmother's house during her summer vacation. Emphasizes humor and attention to detail, which is what makes up this novel.
Metaphysics of the aperitif
Number of pages: 136. Original language: French. Year of publication: 2022.
This book by Stéphan Lévy-Kuentz is perfect for summer. Title and plot. It brilliantly couples the simplistic (and wonderful) habit of having an aperitif with the sour reflection a man experiences as he enjoys his pre-meal drink. An elaborate and meditative discernment about life while the protagonist delights in the preamble of lunch.
The aperitif is that ideal moment, leisurely, and that is sometimes best enjoyed alone while the alcohol flows serenely. It is so simple and so complicated that it does not need more to be a great option this summer (or during the aperitif of any time). And, pay attention to the touch, the space is the terrace of a Montparnasse bistro.
Chess novel
Number of pages: 96. Original language: German. Year of first publication: 1943. Edition: Acantilado.
Chess novel with a novel in the title is a benchmark in the fictional world of chess. Now that chess is in fashion thanks to different manifestations in the world of culture, we will not miss the opportunity to remember how interesting it can be to learn a little more about this game (sport?) that is fascinating for many.
In addition to this, a very good reason to start with this novel is to know that chess is a game (sport?) of such immensity that it has more possible games than atoms in the universe.
Chess novel stars Mirko Czentovic, world chess champion. On a boat trip to exile he meets another character who becomes his opponent on the board, a strange Mr. B. The work is considered a criticism of Nazism. It was published posthumously shortly after its author, Stefan Zweig, committed suicide.
the soldier's return
Number of pages: 160. Original language: English. Year of first publication: 1918; reissues Six Barral (2022)
Its author, Rebecca West, can be in itself a good pretext to dive into this short novel of love and war that takes place during the First World War (correlated to the conflict, remember that the novel was published in 1918), although far from the front . Thus focuses on the psychological repercussions of war on soldiers returning home, and their families.
Why Rebecca West? If it's not reason enough that she was considered one of the most important and talented writers of her day, you might like the gossip and know that she had a child with George Wells and a relationship with Charles Chaplin. She was a step ahead of her time and had to learn to live with the penalties for her actions due to her status as a woman. However, her figure is still largely unknown to us.
Three bedrooms in Manhattan
Number of pages: 192. Original language: French. Year of first publication: 1946.
Let's cheat a bit. Because the edition that we present here (Anagram + Cliff, 2021) contains two other short novels by its author, Georges Simenon. Three bedrooms in Manhattan is a love trio between Kay, Franck and the city of New York. An already weak strip of two characters who have quite a difference in age and who after meeting one night will try to leave their past behind and start a new relationship.
The other two texts are bottom of the bottle (176 pages) and Maigret doubts (168 pages). They were first published in 1949 and 1968, respectively. bottom of the bottle It is about the relationship between two brothers after the arrival of one of them overwhelms the life of the other and that of an entire community of ranchers on the border of the United States and Mexico. Maigret doubts it is circumscribed in the detective and criminal genre; Maigret being a recurring character in Simenon's prolific literary career.
the postman Always calls two times
Number of pages: 120. Original language: English. Year of first publication: 1934.
Its author, James M. Cain is known for the black genre. Despite having different versions on the big screen, the novel is still the best. The story takes place during the tense romance of a traveler who arrives at a roadside cafe and the woman who runs it, Mrs. Papadakis.. Together they will try to get rid of Mr. Papadakis in the most convenient way, but fate is capricious and that is the postman, the one who always calls twice.
A story full of ambition and interest told in a handful of pages. A true classic suitable for those who have already approached him through the cinema or want to start with the original text, a jewel of the genre.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Number of pages: 144. Original language: English. Year of first publication: 1886.
Classic of classics written by Robert Louis Stevenson. With this short novel we delve into the terror of otherness, the irrepressible transformation of the personality that is incomprehensible in the eyes of sanity and that stirs up all stability. We are located in the dark XNUMXth century London of night and tortuous streets, a symbol of the human psyche. We follow in the footsteps of Dr. Jekyll and we will discover that Mr. Hyde.
A Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Number of pages: 144. Original language: Spanish. Year of first publication: 1981.
A chronicle, a story, of the day Santiago Nasar was assassinated. This character is doomed, we know that from the beginning. This brief narrative is told in reverse, which is why the reader may be reluctant to accept the vindictive murder of the Vicario brothers. This masterpiece of realism It is signed by the hand of the excellent Gabriel García Márquez. In the novel you can see the cyclical symbol of time, an immanent element of the Colombian writer.
Pedro Paramo
Number of pages: 136. Original language: Spanish. Year of first publication: 1955.
Work of the Mexican Juan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo has become a symbol and precursor of the magical realism Latin American. The story moves between dream and reality, between life and death, between heaven and hell. A weathered story located not by chance in an arid landscape without hope and lost, Comala, from which it will be difficult for both the protagonist and the reader to escape. A novel that you will not forget if you have not yet read it or that you will relive like the first time if you have not yet done so. The essence of the most authentic Mexico is embodied in Pedro Paramo.
lost durango
Number of pages: 180. Original language: English. Year of publication: 1992.
Get ready for this bizarre story full of destruction, sex and violence. lost durango It is a terrible journey full of black humor that has been adapted to the cinema by Álex De la Iglesia with a film of the same name. lost durango belongs to a kind of saga that begins with The story of Sailor and Lula and that David Lynch brings to the screen in Wildheart.
The novel written by Barry Gifford tells the story of Perdita and Romeo, a pair of bloodthirsty young men who are carried away by their most sordid instincts without respect for human or non-human life. This translates into a road trip with crazy characters who practice some kind of satanic cult. If we had to describe this story with three words it would be: a real madness.
