Rufi Thorpe is an American novelist known for thoughtful literary fiction. Her notable works include The Girls from Corona del Mar and The Knockout Queen, exploring complex relationships and life's difficult choices.
If you enjoy reading books by Rufi Thorpe then you might also like the following authors:
Megan Abbott writes stories filled with tension and psychological depth. Her novels often focus on complex female characters, jealousy, secrets, and the darkness beneath everyday life.
In Dare Me, Abbott explores the world of competitive cheerleading, revealing the intensity of friendship, rivalry, and ambition among teenage girls.
Her sharp, perceptive writing about adolescence and the pressures that shape identity make her a great choice for fans of Rufi Thorpe.
Emma Cline creates thoughtful and unsettling narratives, often focused on the pressures and vulnerabilities of young women. Her debut novel, The Girls, follows a teenager drawn into a dangerous cult-like group reminiscent of the Manson family.
Like Thorpe, Cline excels in capturing youthful confusion and examines how ordinary young women can be drawn into dark, unusual circumstances.
Celeste Ng writes thoughtful, emotionally resonant stories about family dynamics, community tensions, and individual identity.
Her novel, Little Fires Everywhere, portrays two very different families in suburban Ohio whose lives become intertwined, leading to tensions around race, motherhood, and privilege.
Readers who appreciate Thorpe's thoughtful character portrayals and social insights would likely connect with Ng's sensitive exploration of family relationships and societal dynamics.
Ottessa Moshfegh offers darkly funny, provocative stories with flawed, complicated protagonists. Like Thorpe, she exposes the uncomfortable truths beneath ordinary lives.
In her novel My Year of Rest and Relaxation, she depicts a young woman choosing isolation and sleep as a way of coping, shedding sharp light on themes of alienation, privilege, and existential malaise.
Moshfegh's unapologetic characters and dry humor will appeal to those who enjoy Thorpe's candid, sometimes unsettling look at human nature.
Sally Rooney is known for her insightful portrayal of relationships, friendships, and coming-of-age stories, rich with dialogue and emotional honesty.
Her novel, Normal People, follows the complicated relationship between Connell and Marianne, two young people navigating love, class conflict, and personal identity.
Rooney shares Thorpe's strength in creating characters who feel genuine and vulnerable, and exploring how social dynamics shape their lives and relationships.
Brit Bennett writes engaging novels that explore race, family, identity, and belonging. In her book The Vanishing Half, Bennett presents the lives of twin sisters who choose very different paths, one passing for white and one embracing her Black identity.
Her storytelling captures the complexity of personal choices and their lasting impact.
Raven Leilani crafts sharp, darkly humorous narratives about young people navigating intimacy, ambition, and loneliness. Her debut novel, Luster, follows a young Black woman struggling with work, life, and relationships in New York City.
Leilani offers insight into modern relationships and emotional vulnerability through honest, vibrant prose.
Miranda July creates quirky, heartfelt stories that celebrate everyday moments, emotions, and oddities. Her novel, The First Bad Man, is about a neurotic woman whose ordinary world is disrupted by an unlikely roommate, forcing her into surprising self-discoveries.
July’s writing is tender, funny, and filled with human warmth.
Taffy Brodesser-Akner brings wit and authenticity to storytelling that explores marriage, career struggles, modern dating, and self-discovery. Her novel, Fleishman Is in Trouble, follows a newly separated doctor whose life spirals when his ex-wife suddenly disappears.
Filled with sharp observations and clever humor, the book deeply examines marital expectations and midlife crises.
Mary Beth Keane thoughtfully examines family bonds, trauma, forgiveness, and community through empathetic character-driven storytelling. In her novel Ask Again, Yes, two suburban families become intertwined through tragedy, friendship, and love over the years.
Keane vividly portrays the strength, resilience, and complications that define relationships and family life.
Meg Wolitzer writes smart, perceptive novels that explore friendship, family, gender dynamics, and ambition. Her sharp insights and relatable characters make her stories feel intimate yet expansive.
If you enjoy Rufi Thorpe, you might appreciate Wolitzer’s novel The Interestings, which follows a group of friends from adolescence through adulthood, capturing their evolving relationships, desires, and the realities of growing older.
Curtis Sittenfeld specializes in thoughtful novels with keen psychological insight. Her quiet humor and nuanced storytelling examine friendship, identity, privilege, and life’s awkward truths.
Readers who connect with Thorpe's vivid, realistically flawed characters might enjoy Prep. It's a perceptive coming-of-age story about a teenager navigating the challenging social landscape of an elite boarding school.
Kate Elizabeth Russell writes bold, sensitive fiction that bravely tackles complex issues such as power, consent, and personal trauma.
Her novel My Dark Vanessa thoughtfully explores the complicated inner life of a young woman caught in the lasting trauma of an abusive relationship, raising difficult questions with nuance and depth.
If you're drawn to Thorpe's honest treatment of complicated characters and intense relationships, Russell might resonate with you too.
Lauren Groff's writing style blends poetic language with emotional intensity and narrative depth. She writes memorable characters caught in tensions of family, love, secrets, and identity, exploring bonds and divisions alike with compassion and honesty.
Fans of Thorpe might appreciate Groff's novel Fates and Furies, which offers an intricate portrait of marriage, revealing how two people see the same relationship through completely different lenses.
Sheila Heti pushes boundaries with her playful yet deeply introspective novels. She skillfully mixes fiction, philosophy, and autobiography while exploring questions about art, identity, and what it means to live an authentic life.
If you love Rufi Thorpe's insightful storytelling and willingness to explore what makes people tick, try Heti's Motherhood, an honest, thought-provoking exploration of a woman's struggle to figure out whether or not she wants to have children.