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15 Authors like Miranda Cowley Heller

Miranda Cowley Heller is known for contemporary fiction that explores family and relationships. Her debut novel, The Paper Palace, was widely acclaimed and became a bestseller.

If you enjoy reading books by Miranda Cowley Heller then you might also like the following authors:

  1. Celeste Ng

    Celeste Ng captures readers with thoughtful stories about secrets lurking beneath the surface of family life. She explores issues like identity, race, motherhood, and belonging, and is especially skilled at exposing subtle tensions.

    Her novel, Little Fires Everywhere, skillfully portrays two families whose lives intertwine, gradually uncovering hidden truths and challenging readers to reflect on privilege and conformity.

  2. Ann Patchett

    Ann Patchett writes beautifully crafted novels about the complexities of relationships and the human heart. Her storytelling is thoughtful and empathetic, carefully exploring family bonds, friendship, and the challenges of ordinary people's lives.

    In Commonwealth, Patchett narrates the story of two blended families over decades, revealing how a single event shapes the course of their intertwined lives.

  3. Liane Moriarty

    Liane Moriarty is known for her engaging, conversational storytelling about everyday women facing dramatic, life-changing situations. Her characters feel authentic and familiar, each struggling with secrets, family dynamics, and the pressures of modern life.

    In Big Little Lies, Moriarty explores friendship, domestic turmoil, and hidden truths, creating a sharp, thought-provoking story that feels real.

  4. Taylor Jenkins Reid

    Taylor Jenkins Reid writes engaging novels about fame, relationships, and individual struggles, setting her stories across vivid time periods like the iconic world of Hollywood or the 1970s rock scene.

    Reid brings emotional depth and insight into human connections, effortlessly pulling readers into her stories.

    In Daisy Jones & The Six, she offers an absorbing look at the rise and fall of a fictional rock band, capturing the complexities and tensions that come with ambition, fame, and love.

  5. Elizabeth Strout

    Elizabeth Strout has a unique ability to illustrate quiet moments of ordinary lives with simplicity and emotional honesty.

    Her writing gently uncovers the hidden emotions, regrets, desires, and truths that lie beneath polished exteriors in small-town life and family relationships.

    Her book, Olive Kitteridge, is a remarkable collection of linked stories about a restless, difficult, yet fascinating woman, exploring themes of loneliness, connection, and the complexity of everyday lives.

  6. Meg Wolitzer

    Meg Wolitzer writes smart, engaging novels about relationships, identity, family, and the struggles within daily life. Her style is thoughtful and perceptive, and she often deals with complex feelings people rarely talk about openly.

    Her novel The Interestings traces a group of friends from their teenage years to adulthood, capturing the big hopes, crushing realities, and shifting friendships that shape their lives.

  7. Maria Semple

    Maria Semple creates witty, humorous, and insightful stories about family dysfunction, personal crises, and eccentric characters. Her writing is sharp, funny, and often satirical, yet warm enough to capture the humanity beneath flawed characters.

    Her novel Where'd You Go, Bernadette tells the story of a brilliant, quirky, agoraphobic mother who suddenly disappears, leaving her daughter to unravel her secrets in unpredictable and funny ways.

  8. Emma Straub

    Emma Straub tells relatable stories about families going through turning points and life transitions. Her novels are authentic and warm-hearted, highlighting the subtle emotional tensions beneath the surface of family life.

    Her book All Adults Here explores the complexities, misunderstandings, and bonds within one family as they navigate changes, parenthood, aging, and love.

  9. J. Courtney Sullivan

    J. Courtney Sullivan captures women's lives, friendships, and family dynamics in compassionate and emotionally resonant novels. She has a gift for portraying characters with depth and honesty, allowing the reader to feel deeply connected to their struggles.

    Her novel Saints for All Occasions follows two sisters who immigrate from Ireland to America, spanning decades of complicated family history, secrets, regrets, and the powerful bonds that connect them.

  10. Brit Bennett

    Brit Bennett writes thought-provoking, perceptive novels centered around complex themes like race, identity, family, and belonging. Her prose is elegant and clear, powerfully capturing the subtle forces and decisions that shape people's lives.

    Her novel The Vanishing Half tells the moving story of twin sisters whose lives diverge dramatically when one chooses to live as white, forcing them to grapple with identity, secrets, and the enduring effects of their choices.

  11. Maggie Shipstead

    If you enjoyed Miranda Cowley Heller's explorations of family secrets and complex relationships, Maggie Shipstead offers something similar. Shipstead's novels are thoughtful, often exploring personal truths, family dynamics, and human connections.

    Her book Great Circle is an absorbing story about a daring aviator and the actress who later portrays her, weaving together two narratives linked through ambition, freedom, and the impact of legacy.

  12. Amor Towles

    Amor Towles writes novels rich in detail, with thoughtful characters navigating important moments in history. His style is quiet yet vivid, creating stories that feel both intimate and expansive.

    Like Heller, he captures the experiences and inner lives of his characters beautifully. A great choice is his book A Gentleman in Moscow, about a charming aristocrat placed under house arrest in Bolshevik Russia, reflecting on life, culture, and humanity in changing times.

  13. Lauren Groff

    Lauren Groff might appeal to readers who appreciate the detailed emotional depth found in Miranda Cowley Heller's work. Groff's novels reveal the complexities beneath relationships, family roles, and personal identity.

    She has an elegant writing style that evokes strong feelings without sentimentalism. Check out Fates and Furies, a thought-provoking novel that examines the hidden corners of a marriage from both sides, revealing how differently two people can experience the same events.

  14. Kate Atkinson

    Kate Atkinson is known for her imaginative and clever storytelling, blending historical elements with emotional depth. Her novels often involve family secrets, complicated relationships, and shifting perspectives, qualities that fans of Miranda Cowley Heller may appreciate.

    One of her standout books is Life After Life, a beautifully inventive novel in which the heroine lives multiple lives, reflecting how decisions and chance shape our paths.

  15. Claire Lombardo

    If you enjoyed the insightful portrayal of family dynamics by Miranda Cowley Heller, you might appreciate Claire Lombardo. Her writing brings warmth and authenticity, particularly in depicting sibling relationships and family bonds through the years.

    Lombardo's novel The Most Fun We Ever Had centers around four sisters, their complicated relationships, and the secrets and tensions that both pull them apart and keep them together.