By Beatrix S
To me, all books are interesting; but some books keep us engrossed more than others. An interesting book doesn’t necessarily have to be a hugely popular book, but one that will transport us into another world and keep us there. Here are five of the most interesting books ever written.
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides is a novel about the suicide of five sisters. It happens in the 70s and the main focus is the Lisbon family. The narration is by the boys who lived in the same neighborhood and they describe each of the sisters and how they were seen from the outside. The book starts with the suicide of one of the sisters and the influence it has on the family, a very strict Catholic family. The sisters try to cope however they can with the death, but soon things start to get worse as the neighbors watch on, and do nothing. The novel was published in 1993 and it was also adapted into a movie directed by Sofia Coppola.
Perfume by Patrick Suskind is a novel that celebrates the sense of smell and all its implications. This interesting book starts with the birth of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a boy with a remarkable sense of smell but lacking odor himself. He is in search of the perfect perfume and starts murdering women so that he can take their scent. The book describes a part of his childhood, his first encounter with a beautiful woman, and how he desperately searches for his own identity. The story is the journey of a man who suffers from not being accepted into society and his efforts to create the perfume that will make him loved. It also has great descriptions of the things he can smell and the emotions they induce. The book was published in 1985 and it was also adapted into a movie called Perfume: The Story of a Murderer; the movie depicts the character as having feelings, while the book portrays him as a cold-blooded assassin.
Carrie by Stephen King is one of the most famous novels by Stephen King. Published in 1974, the story follows the traumatic events in the life of Carry White, a girl who is not only abused by her school mates, but also abused by her religious mother. Carrie discovers that she has telekinetic powers, which get out of hand when she is furious. On prom night, two teenagers from her school pull a prank on Carrie and throw pig blood on her and she starts getting revenge on everybody who had harmed her. The book was also adapted into a movie, by the same name, and also had a sequel involving the half-sister of Carrie, who also has telekinetic powers. If you like horror books, you will enjoy King’s books and you will particularly like Carrie.
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden is the story of a geisha, based on the life of Mineko Iwasaki, a real geisha who Golden interviewed for the book. The story is about Sayuri, a girl who is sold by her parents as a servant in a geisha house. She becomes a geisha herself and faces many hardships. The story describes her life and the people she meets, as well as different aspects of a geisha’s life. If you like Japanese culture and if you are fascinated by the beautiful geishas, you will enjoy this interesting book. The book was published in 1997.
A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Connan Doyle is a novel about our favorite detective Sherlock Holmes. With his wit and his sense of logic, Sherlock Holmes lives to solve mysteries. This is Holmes’ first encounter with Doctor Watson, as they both need a roommate. They also have to solve a crime that happened in a deserted house, where there is a corpse with no wounds and a strange message written in blood on the wall. The book was published in 1887, but it initially met with little success. Later, Sherlock Holmes became a beloved character, adapted into numerous movies, and became an inspiration for many other detective characters.