If you enjoy reading books by Alan Hollinghurst then you might also like the following authors:
James Baldwin writes with honesty and emotional depth, exploring race, sexuality, and social injustice. In Giovanni's Room, he portrays a compelling story about David, an American man living in Paris struggling to accept his own identity.
Baldwin's storytelling brings intense personal conflicts and societal pressures vividly to life, making readers reflect deeply on their own perceptions.
E.M. Forster's stories often revolve around class divisions, personal growth, and the search for identity in a rapidly changing world. His novel Maurice boldly portrays a romantic relationship between two men at a time when openness was risky.
Forster's clear prose, sympathetic characters, and insightful portrayal of human emotions still resonate today.
Christopher Isherwood captures everyday life's beauty, sadness, and absurdity through straightforward prose filled with intimacy and humor. In A Single Man, he presents a day in the life of George, a gay professor mourning the loss of his partner.
Isherwood's quiet yet powerful writing conveys loneliness, longing, and resilience with touching honesty and simplicity.
Edmund White presents gay lives and experiences with thoughtfulness, sensitivity, and realism. His novel A Boy's Own Story explores the emotional and sexual awakening of a young man in 1950s America.
White portrays the challenges and joys of self-discovery with honesty, capturing the reader's empathy through richly drawn characters and relatable emotions.
Colm Tóibín's novels have a quiet power, filled with nuanced characters and emotional depth. His work often touches on identity, family dynamics, and the experience of solitude.
In The Story of the Night, Tóibín explores the struggles and personal growth of Richard, a gay man living through political turmoil in Argentina. His straightforward prose and emotionally-layered plots invite readers into deeply felt, memorable stories.
André Aciman writes elegantly about memory, desire, and identity. His stories often explore complex emotions with subtle clarity. In his novel Call Me by Your Name, Aciman captures the intensity of first love and longing, set against a vivid Italian summer.
Readers who enjoy Alan Hollinghurst’s deep and thoughtful approach to emotion and relationships will find much to appreciate in Aciman's work.
Garth Greenwell’s writing is thoughtful, lyrical, and honest. He explores themes of sexuality, connection, and vulnerability in a sensitive yet intense way.
His novel What Belongs to You tells the story of an American teacher in Bulgaria navigating desire, loneliness, and identity. If you appreciate Alan Hollinghurst’s thoughtful representation of queer experiences and emotional depth, Greenwell would make a great next read.
Ocean Vuong brings poetic insight and honesty to his prose. He explores identity, immigration, love, and loss with tenderness and vivid imagery.
In On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, Vuong crafts a heartfelt story written as a letter from a son to his mother, capturing deep personal emotions. Those who admire Alan Hollinghurst’s emotional clarity and evocative style may connect strongly with Vuong's quietly powerful voice.
Sarah Waters creates richly detailed historical fiction full of suspense, romance, and subtle social commentary. Her writing vividly brings past eras to life, telling absorbing stories about strong, layered characters.
For example, her novel The Night Watch explores hidden lives and emotional connections during and after World War II. Readers who enjoy Alan Hollinghurst’s careful exploration of relationships and hidden desires within historical contexts are likely to appreciate Waters' work.
Ian McEwan writes polished, emotionally nuanced stories that delve into human relationships and moral questions. He creates detailed characters and scenarios that invite thoughtful reflection.
In Atonement, McEwan skillfully narrates a story of love, misunderstanding, and the lasting consequences of choices. Readers who enjoy Alan Hollinghurst’s nuanced psychological portraits and attention to moral complexity may find McEwan's work equally satisfying.
Kazuo Ishiguro explores subtle emotions, suppressed feelings, and memory's complexities in his quietly powerful novels.
His prose is calm, precise, and thoughtful, perfect for readers who appreciate Alan Hollinghurst's insightful portrayals of emotional repression and hidden desires.
In The Remains of the Day, Ishiguro follows Stevens, an English butler whose journey becomes a poignant meditation on duty, regret, and lost chances.
Julian Barnes writes elegantly structured novels that examine memory, loss, and the truths we hide from ourselves. If you enjoy Hollinghurst's sharp insights and careful character studies, you'll appreciate Barnes' thoughtful and sophisticated storytelling.
His novel The Sense of an Ending tells the story of Tony Webster as he re-examines a distant past, peeling back layers of self-deception and forgotten events.
Patrick Gale portrays intricate family dynamics and explores human relationships with sensitivity and warmth. Like Hollinghurst, Gale creates authentic and deeply emotional characters, presenting them with both empathy and honesty.
In A Place Called Winter, Gale tells the story of Harry Cane, forced to leave behind Edwardian England to reinvent himself in the harsh Canadian frontier—showing the strength of love and resilience amid hardship.
Adam Mars-Jones writes fiction characterized by sharp wit, keen intellectual observations, and dry humor. Readers who appreciate Hollinghurst's nuanced explorations of gay identity and British culture may resonate with Mars-Jones' reflective yet playful prose.
His novel Box Hill vividly portrays a coming-of-age story in 1970s England, exploring power dynamics, self-discovery, and love with honesty and subtlety.
Andrew Sean Greer's novels blend humor, insight, and touching human stories, often featuring characters confronting mid-life anxieties and personal reinvention.
If you enjoy Hollinghurst's attention to the complexities of identity and relationships, you'll find echoes in Greer's fiction.
In his charming and tender novel Less, Greer introduces Arthur Less, a writer escaping personal heartache by traveling the world, resulting in a humorous, heartfelt meditation on aging, love, and self-acceptance.