If you enjoy reading books by Celeste Ng then you might also like the following authors:
Ann Patchett is a storyteller who writes about relationships and human connections in ordinary and extraordinary moments. In her book “Bel Canto,” a group of hostages and captors are trapped together in a mansion after a botched kidnapping during a lavish party.
Over time, unexpected bonds form, and the characters reveal their vulnerabilities. It’s a quiet yet tense story that focuses on how people adapt and connect in unusual circumstances.
Lisa Ko is the author of “The Leavers,” a story about family, identity, and the bonds that hold people together or pull them apart. The novel begins when Deming Guo, an 11-year-old boy, comes home to find his mother, Polly, missing.
Polly, an undocumented Chinese immigrant, never returns, and Deming is eventually adopted by a pair of white professors.
The story moves between Deming’s life as an adopted child, renamed Daniel, and Polly’s journey as a woman chasing her own dreams while grappling with impossible choices. Ko explores the impact of displacement and loss in a way that grips your attention from the start.
If you’re drawn to stories that focus on the complexities of family, you might connect with this novel.
Liane Moriarty writes stories that explore family, friendships, and hidden secrets within everyday lives. Her book “Big Little Lies” revolves around a group of school moms whose seemingly perfect lives unravel after a mysterious death at a school event.
Beneath the surface, there are layers of betrayal, domestic drama, and long-buried grudges. The book keeps you piecing together how these tangled relationships lead to the shocking incident.
If you enjoyed the deep emotions and complex connections in Celeste Ng’s work, you might appreciate Moriarty’s storytelling style.
Louise Erdrich is an author known for her rich storytelling that often focuses on Native American life, family, and history. Her novel “The Round House” tells the story of a teenage boy named Joe living on a reservation in North Dakota during the 1980s.
When his mother suffers a violent attack and withdraws from the world, Joe sets out to uncover what happened. The book weaves Joe’s search for answers with the culture and laws that shape his community.
The emotional depth and connection to family in this story make it one that fans of Celeste Ng’s work might enjoy.
Madeline Miller is a writer who brings ancient myths to life in a way that feels deeply personal. Her novel “The Song of Achilles” tells the story of the Greek hero Achilles and his companion Patroclus.
It reimagines their bond as a tender love story set against the backdrop of the Trojan War. The book explores their friendship, love, and the choices they make when destiny pushes them to the brink.
Miller’s work is rooted in emotion, turning these legendary figures into relatable characters.
Brit Bennett writes stories about family, identity, and the weight of personal choices. Her novel, “The Vanishing Half,” follows the lives of twin sisters who grow up in a small, Southern Black community. They run away as teenagers, but their paths soon split.
One sister chooses to live as a Black woman, the other passes as white, hiding her past even from her new family. The story spans decades and explores how their choices affect their daughters and the people around them.
Tayari Jones is an author known for writing about family, love, and the weight of secrets. Her book “An American Marriage” tells the story of Celestial and Roy, a couple whose lives are turned upside down when Roy is imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit.
The novel explores how their relationship shifts under the strain, as Celestial pursues her ambitions and Roy wrestles with his new reality. It’s a story that looks at loyalty and what happens when circumstances force people to rethink the lives they thought they would have.
Jhumpa Lahiri writes with a focus on family, identity, and the emotional struggles of displacement. Her book “The Namesake” tells the story of Gogol Ganguli, the son of Bengali immigrants living in the United States.
Gogol wrestles with his unusual name and what it represents about his heritage, while navigating the pressures of growing up in America. The book captures his journey across decades, highlighting his complicated relationships with his family and his own sense of self.
Lahiri’s style brings characters to life and captures both the beauty and challenges of navigating two cultures.
Elizabeth Strout writes stories that dig deep into human relationships and small-town life. In her book “Olive Kitteridge,” she introduces Olive, a retired schoolteacher in a coastal Maine town. Olive is blunt and complex, sometimes hurting those around her without realizing it.
The book is made up of interconnected stories featuring different people in town, but Olive’s presence ties them together. There’s one story where a young waitress has a haunting encounter with Olive that changes the way she sees her own life.
Strout’s characters feel so real, and her focus on their connections is powerful.
Yaa Gyasi is an author whose writing often explores family, identity, and the ways history shapes people’s lives. Her debut novel, “Homegoing,” begins in 18th-century Ghana with two half-sisters who are unaware of each other’s existence.
One is married off to a British slaver, while the other is sold into slavery and sent to America. The story follows the lives of their descendants, spanning generations and continents.
Each chapter introduces a new perspective, creating a rich tapestry of experiences tied back to those two sisters. Gyasi captures moments of pain, resilience, and connection across years, offering a deep sense of how the past lingers in the present.
Marilynne Robinson is an author known for her thoughtful and tender storytelling. Her novel “Gilead” is written as a letter from an elderly preacher, John Ames, to his young son. Set in a small town in Iowa, the story reflects on family, faith, and the weight of past choices.
Through Ames’s reflections, the novel offers intimate moments, like his memories of his father and grandfather, adding depth to the theme of generational bonds. Readers who enjoy Celeste Ng’s exploration of family relationships may find Robinson’s work equally moving.
Sue Monk Kidd is an author known for her powerful storytelling and rich characters. Her novel “The Secret Life of Bees” takes place in 1964 South Carolina and tells the story of Lily Owens, a teenager haunted by the death of her mother.
Fleeing her troubled home, she finds refuge with three beekeeping sisters who welcome her into their world. Through themes of love, loss, and resilience, this book weaves a heartfelt tale set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement.
Nicole Krauss writes stories that dig deep into relationships and identity. Her novel, “The History of Love,” tells the story of an old man named Leo Gursky, who once wrote a book about his great love.
That manuscript’s journey connects people across time and continents in surprising ways. It’s heartfelt, sometimes funny, and filled with characters who feel so real you almost miss them when you finish the book.
Fans of Celeste Ng might enjoy how Krauss explores family bonds and human resilience with the same kind of sensitivity.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian author celebrated for her thoughtful and character-driven storytelling. One of her standout novels, “Half of a Yellow Sun,” is set during the Nigerian Civil War in the 1960s.
The book focuses on the lives of characters from different walks of life, including a university professor, a houseboy, and a woman who works for the government. Their lives cross and intertwine as they face the upheaval of war.
This is a story shaped by personal relationships, loyalty, and survival. Adichie’s writing brings these characters to life in a way that resonates deeply.
Alice Hoffman is a writer known for blending the everyday with a touch of magical realism. Her book “The Rules of Magic” tells the story of the Owens siblings, who grow up in 1960s New York in a family cursed in love.
Forbidden from falling in love, they still find themselves drawn to it, each in their own unique way. The book explores family bonds and personal struggles while weaving in a sense of wonder through their inherited magical abilities.
It’s an engaging mix of family drama and quiet enchantment.