Nicolas Mathieu is a French novelist known for contemporary fiction exploring youth and social issues. His acclaimed novel And Their Children After Them won the prestigious Prix Goncourt in 2018.
If you enjoy reading books by Nicolas Mathieu then you might also like the following authors:
Édouard Louis writes sharp and intimate stories about class, sexuality, and working-class struggles in modern France. His style is direct and honest, often pulling from his personal experiences to explore inequality and rejection.
In his novel The End of Eddy, Louis vividly portrays his own childhood in a small French town, where he faced bullying and prejudice because of his sexuality and poverty.
Didier Eribon thoughtfully examines class, identity, and how communities shape us. His work often blends autobiography and sociology, creating powerful reflections on how our origins affect who we become.
In Returning to Reims, Eribon reconnects with his working-class roots, exploring the struggles and aspirations of his family, and considering how class identities evolve.
Virginie Despentes writes with anger and raw honesty about gender, sexuality, violence, and the darker underside of contemporary society. Her novels are bold and controversial, openly critiquing social norms.
In Vernon Subutex, she tells the story of an aging former record-store owner, offering a sharp critique of modern France's political, cultural, and economic state.
Annie Ernaux takes a clear, precise, and intensely personal approach to writing about memory, identity, and the everyday experiences of women. Her books blur the line between fiction and autobiography, often reflecting on social realities and the passage of time.
In her book The Years, Ernaux captures French society across many decades, blending personal recollection and collective memory to form a moving portrait of changing times.
Michel Houellebecq is known for his provocative and often controversial take on contemporary society. He writes bleakly humorous and direct narratives about alienation, loneliness, sexual politics, and the disillusionment of modern life.
His book Submission paints a disturbing but insightful picture of France undergoing a political and social transformation, raising uncomfortable questions about society, religion, and identity.
Leïla Slimani explores complex personal relationships, hidden secrets, and contemporary societal tensions. Her writing is simple and elegant, often dealing with the uncomfortable truths beneath seemingly ordinary lives.
Her novel Lullaby centers on a tragedy within a family, revealing layers of class conflict, motherhood, and loneliness. Readers who appreciate Nicolas Mathieu's social insights and psychological depth might find Slimani similarly engaging.
Ocean Vuong writes poetic and intimate stories that blend tenderness and trauma with lyrical brilliance. His novel On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous tells a heartfelt tale of identity, masculinity, and immigrant experience through a son's letter to his mother.
Vuong's strong emotional insights and exploration of small-town struggles will resonate with readers who enjoy Nicolas Mathieu's perceptive drama.
Douglas Stuart offers emotionally charged stories set against gritty social realities and family struggles. His narrative depth and powerful sense of place make his work strongly relatable.
Shuggie Bain, his notable novel, explores poverty, addiction, and growing up different in working-class Glasgow. Stuart captures people's lives with compassion, much as Nicolas Mathieu does.
Elena Ferrante creates deeply personal narratives filled with emotional insight into friendship, family relationships, and social environments. Her clear prose explores human dynamics and social shifts.
Her acclaimed novel My Brilliant Friend portrays the intense lifelong friendship between two women in Naples, alongside complex issues of class and identity.
Ferrante appeals to readers who value the detailed social portraits and characters that Nicolas Mathieu also handles well.
Karl Ove Knausgård provides intensely personal, detailed stories that capture everyday life and interior struggles, focusing closely on family relationships and individual experience.
His autobiographical work My Struggle authentically explores his life, emotions, and motivations, sometimes brutally honest and other times quietly reflective.
Readers who connect with Nicolas Mathieu's realistic style, emotional honesty, and careful observation of human behavior may greatly appreciate Knausgård's writing.
Sally Rooney writes thoughtful, intimate narratives that explore the complexity of human relationships. Her novels focus on young adults and their struggles with identity, love, class differences, and mental health.
Rooney handles dialogue realistically, making her characters believable and relatable. A good example is her novel Normal People, which portrays the shifting relationship between two young people as they navigate friendship, romance, and social pressures.
Kent Haruf was known for his quiet, subtle storytelling set in rural America. He created simply drawn but deeply affecting characters whose small-town lives are filled with universal truths about hope, loneliness, and unexpected friendships.
In his novel Plainsong, readers explore the interconnected lives of several townspeople in Holt, Colorado. With careful, restrained prose, Haruf brings out beauty and empathy from everyday moments.
Richard Price writes gritty, realistic fiction often set in urban America, especially New York City. His strength lies in vibrant dialogue, detailed characterization, and a strong sense of setting.
Price unpacks themes like crime, corruption, racial tension, class division, and moral ambiguity in novels like Clockers. His stories are vivid, intense portraits of cities and the people living at their margins.
Valeria Luiselli uses fiction to tackle difficult social issues, with special attention to identity, migration, and displacement. Her narrative approach feels innovative and emotionally powerful, often blending fiction and nonfiction elements.
Her novel Lost Children Archive tells the story of a family's road trip across America’s Southwest, addressing crucial contemporary issues about immigration, family bonds, and memory. Luiselli handles heavy subjects with precision and humanity.
Roberto Saviano writes bold, engaging nonfiction narratives that expose social injustice, organized crime, and corruption. His style combines deep investigative journalism with precise storytelling. He confronts dangerous topics head-on, shedding light on uncomfortable truths.
In Gomorrah, Saviano reveals the reality of Italy's ruthless Camorra crime syndicate. His work is insightful, brave, and socially urgent.