Colum McCann crafts stories that explore humanity. He writes books with sprawling narratives and characters that feel very real. His novels often touch on historical events and global issues, but always with a focus on the personal stories within them.
If you are drawn to authors who write books with a similar scope and emotional depth, here are some writers you might want to check out.
Readers who enjoy Colum McCann’s storytelling might find Sebastian Barry equally captivating. Barry is an Irish novelist known for lyrical narratives and richly crafted characters.
His novel “Days Without End” follows Thomas McNulty, an Irish immigrant who enlists in the U.S. army in the 1850s alongside his companion John Cole. Together they endure hardships on the frontier and experience the brutality of the Indian Wars and the American Civil War.
The novel explores themes of love, friendship, identity, and resilience set within a vivid historical backdrop, told in Barry’s signature poetic style.
Readers who enjoy Colum McCann’s storytelling style may also appreciate Jhumpa Lahiri’s thoughtful exploration of identity and belonging.
In her Pulitzer Prize-winning collection “Interpreter of Maladies,” Lahiri presents nine short stories that reflect the lives of Indian-Americans caught between two cultures.
The stories capture detailed emotional moments in simple everyday settings, such as a couple silently drifting apart during a power outage, or a tour guide unexpectedly moved by a tourist family’s dynamics.
Lahiri’s careful attention to characters and their quiet struggles paints a moving portrait of isolation, love, and the search for connection.
Michael Ondaatje is a writer whose lyrical storytelling weaves history and human experience into rich narratives. If you enjoyed Colum McCann’s “Let the Great World Spin,” Ondaatje’s “The English Patient” might resonate with you.
Set against the backdrop of World War II, this novel centers on four diverse characters brought together within the ruins of an Italian villa.
At its heart is an enigmatic injured pilot known only as the English patient, whose memories slowly reveal a passionate love affair, hidden secrets, and the chaos of war. Ondaatje’s poetic prose and deep exploration of identity and love offer a powerful reading experience.
Anne Enright is an Irish author known for her deep, honest explorations of family and identity. If you enjoyed Colum McCann’s powerful storytelling and complex relationships, you might appreciate Enright’s novel “The Gathering.”
It centers on Veronica Hegarty, who comes from a large Irish family and must piece together memories after the death of her troubled brother Liam. The story skillfully weaves between past and present, ultimately revealing hidden secrets and truths about family life.
Rich characters and emotional depth give this tale an unforgettable voice.
Kazuo Ishiguro is a British author known for subtle storytelling and emotional depth, qualities readers of Colum McCann might appreciate. His novel “Never Let Me Go” explores a haunting friendship among three young people raised in a secluded English boarding school.
As they grow older, they begin to uncover unsettling truths about their purpose. The book blends quiet introspection with deep questions about love, memory, and humanity, delivered in Ishiguro’s clear, understated style.
Nicole Krauss is an American novelist known for her thoughtful storytelling and characters who explore questions of identity, memory, and human connection. Readers who appreciate Colum McCann’s reflective narratives might connect with Krauss’s writing style and themes.
Her novel “The History of Love” revolves around Leo Gursky, an elderly Polish immigrant living in New York, who deeply mourns a lost love and feels invisible to those around him.
Parallel to Leo’s story is fourteen-year-old Alma, named after a character from a mysterious book titled “The History of Love.” Alma embarks on a journey to uncover the story behind her name and the enigmatic author behind the book.
Krauss intertwines these narratives beautifully, drawing the reader into a world of rich characters and emotional depth.
Books by Colm Tóibín often explore themes of identity, family, and displacement, which readers of Colum McCann may appreciate. In his novel “Brooklyn,” Tóibín introduces us to Eilis Lacey, a young woman from Ireland who moves to America in the 1950s.
Eilis struggles with adapting to her new life abroad while an unexpected event back in her hometown pulls her loyalties in different directions.
The story sensitively captures the tension between personal ambition and family responsibility, a theme readers familiar with McCann’s narratives might find appealing.
Tóibín’s straightforward yet emotionally rich prose vividly portrays Eilis’s inner conflict and the immigrant experience of that era.
Richard Powers is an American author known for his thoughtful writing style and deeply human stories. If you enjoy Colum McCann’s narratives about interconnected lives, you might also appreciate Powers’ novel “The Overstory.”
This book weaves together multiple characters whose lives become intertwined through their shared bond with trees.
Each character has their own relationship with nature, and their stories gradually merge into a powerful message about activism, community, and the importance of protecting our world.
Powers’ storytelling pulls you into a larger conversation about humanity’s role in the natural environment, leaving you thinking deeply about connection and responsibility.
Readers who enjoyed Colum McCann’s thoughtful storytelling might also appreciate the novels of Barbara Kingsolver. Kingsolver often explores themes of family, community, and cultural identity in her works. One excellent book to start with is “The Poisonwood Bible.”
It tells the story of the Price family, an American missionary family who move to the Belgian Congo in the late 1950s. Through the distinct voices of four sisters and their mother, you see how their new environment challenges their beliefs and assumptions.
The novel combines deeply personal stories with historical context, illustrating the complex relationship between Western ideals and African culture. It’s a powerful read filled with memorable characters and thought-provoking moments.
If you enjoy author Colum McCann for his vivid storytelling and deeply human characters, you might also connect with David Mitchell.
Mitchell creates worlds that span across history and cultures, each filled with intricate characters whose lives overlap in surprising and meaningful ways.
In his novel “Cloud Atlas,” Mitchell weaves together six narratives across different time periods—from a nineteenth-century sailing voyage in the South Pacific to a futuristic society faced with catastrophe.
Each story feels like its own distinct journey, yet as you read further, connections begin to emerge, linking characters across time and space.
The novel explores themes of human connection, power, and resilience, reminding you how deeply our lives can intertwine, even across centuries.
If you enjoy Colum McCann’s ability to weave together lives from different worlds, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie might be your next favorite author. Adichie is a Nigerian writer known for vivid storytelling and insightful character portraits.
Her book “Americanah” follows two Nigerians, Ifemelu and Obinze, who leave home looking for better opportunities abroad. Ifemelu goes to America and faces the everyday challenges of race, identity, and cultural expectations.
Obinze takes a different route, eventually ending up in London navigating his own set of challenges. The book captures struggles of immigration and love, alongside thoughtful insights about modern society, all told through characters you can’t help but care about deeply.
Marilynne Robinson is an American novelist known for her thoughtful storytelling and insightful exploration of human emotions and relationships.
Her novel “Gilead” tells the story of John Ames, a small-town preacher in Iowa who, aware that he doesn’t have much time left, writes a heartfelt letter to his young son.
The book unfolds through Ames’ memories and reflections, touching on family secrets, forgiveness, faith, and the quiet beauty of everyday life. Robinson’s quiet yet powerful prose and memorable characters share the same depth and humanity found in Colum McCann’s writing.
Readers who enjoy Colum McCann may appreciate the storytelling of Louise Erdrich, an author known for her emotionally rich novels about indigenous life and relationships.
Her book “The Round House” focuses on a thirteen-year-old boy named Joe Coutts, whose mother suffers a violent attack on their reservation in North Dakota.
As Joe and his friends attempt to understand and confront what happened, they face challenges related to tribal law, family secrets, and the complexity of justice.
Erdrich explores the bonds of community, the vulnerability of adolescence, and the strength required to seek truth against difficult odds.
Books by Claire Keegan often explore quiet lives with compassion and depth, qualities readers of Colum McCann may find familiar. Her novella “Small Things Like These” takes place in a small Irish town during the 1980s.
It follows Bill Furlong, a thoughtful coal merchant who discovers unsettling realities buried beneath his community’s surface. Keegan subtly explores moral choices and personal courage within ordinary lives.
Her crisp prose and emotional insight bring quiet power to Bill’s story, making it memorable and thought-provoking.
If you enjoy Colum McCann’s storytelling, you might also appreciate Tim Winton, an Australian writer known for his vivid stories about ordinary people confronting life’s challenges.
In his novel “Cloudstreet,” Winton introduces two working-class families forced to share a large, rundown house in Perth after personal tragedies push their lives together. Over two decades, with humor, sadness, and hope, they struggle to build a sense of home and belonging.
Winton’s honest portrayals of family relationships, personal struggle, and resilience in tough circumstances create memorable scenes and characters. “Cloudstreet” offers readers a thoughtful, emotional narrative about ordinary lives intertwined by fate and circumstance.