Six Books That Shaped Me

A masterclass in worldbuilding and weaving together multiple storylines. This immersive dark fantasy takes on subjects such as identity, destiny, and divinity. Wildly imaginative settings and magic.

This one is a bit of a cheat, as it's an omnibus edition of a trilogy. Butler creates a truly alien species and culture, and grapples with themes of authority, power, hierarchies, and imperialism. A mind-expanding work.

This story about a family of carnival freaks is mesmerizing, weird, and transportive. Strange as the family and their situation are, the dynamics among the siblings are absolutely believable and the novel opens into broader themes of capitalism, money, power, and marginalization.

Emily Dickinson said “If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.” This novel did that to me, and is perhaps the most poetic work of fiction I’ve read. These interlinked storylines - each in a different genre - are rich explorations of themes of identity, personal agency, corruption, capitalism, oppression, and ultimately liberation. It’s ambitious in technique and grand in scope and I hope I write something this great one day.

This short collection of essays about writing was a balm and inspiration to me in my early days as a young, aspiring writer. It’s full of wisdom, gorgeous prose, and a deep love of the craft. It’s not a craft book, but the insights it conveys are helpful to any writer (or creative person in general). And if you’re a reader interested in understanding writers more, this is a great one to pick up.

This novel of ideas in which the main character receives lessons in the history of humanity and its impact on the natural world from a telepathic gorilla, is a marvel. The reinterpretation of Biblical stories is profound and mindblowing. The world felt different after I read this the first time - I felt changed as both a person and a writer.