If you enjoy reading books by Tom Perrotta then you might also like the following authors:
Jonathan Franzen writes modern, character-driven stories that capture the complexity of family relationships and everyday struggles. Like Tom Perrotta, Franzen creates relatable characters faced with real-life decisions and moral conflicts.
His novel The Corrections explores a family's dysfunction and desire for change through humor and sharp social observations.
Curtis Sittenfeld brings humor, gentle satire, and sharp insight into her stories about ordinary people navigating identity, class, and relationships.
Readers who connect with Perrotta's suburban realism and thoughtful characters might enjoy Sittenfeld's novel Prep, which captures the challenges of adolescence, insecurity, and belonging at an elite boarding school.
Nick Hornby creates funny yet heartfelt stories that tackle everyday personal struggles, relationships, and popular culture. His writing shares with Perrotta an ability to mix humor and sincerity while focusing on characters who are flawed but lovable.
High Fidelity is a standout Hornby novel that explores romantic setbacks, growing older, and the role music plays in shaping identity.
Maria Semple combines satire, humor, and a playful wit into stories about family life and unconventional characters. Like Perrotta, she highlights the absurdity lurking beneath the comfortable middle-class surface.
Her novel Where'd You Go, Bernadette centers around an eccentric mother's sudden disappearance, revealing hilarious and heartfelt details about daily life, parenthood, and community.
Elizabeth Strout writes quietly powerful novels that observe everyday lives with emotional depth and clarity. Fans of Perrotta's sensitive portrayals of ordinary people will enjoy Strout's perceptive storytelling and subtle yet profound emotional truths.
Her novel Olive Kitteridge skillfully depicts the interconnected lives of residents in a small Maine town, highlighting themes of loneliness, belonging, and human connection.
Jonathan Tropper writes funny and heartfelt stories about ordinary people coping with messy family issues and mid-life challenges. His novels blend humor, honesty, and relatable characters dealing with complicated relationships and emotional baggage.
If you enjoyed Perrotta's sharp insights into suburban life, you'll likely appreciate Tropper's This Is Where I Leave You, a humorous story following a dysfunctional family gathered to mourn their father's death.
Meg Wolitzer explores friendship, marriage, ambition, and social expectations with warmth and wit. Her books focus on complex relationships and the quiet disappointments that shape our adult lives.
Readers who appreciate Perrotta's nuanced character studies should try Wolitzer's The Interestings, which follows friends from adolescence through adulthood, exploring ambition, envy, and the roads we don't take.
Richard Russo writes insightful, carefully observed stories about the lives of ordinary people in small-town America. His characters struggle humorously and poignantly with personal disappointments and community changes, much like Perrotta's.
Readers who enjoy thoughtful explorations of everyday life should pick up Russo's Empire Falls, a moving novel depicting life, loss, and hope in a declining New England town.
Stewart O'Nan creates quiet yet powerful stories that zero in on the emotions hidden beneath everyday moments. His keen eye for small-town life, family dynamics, and emotional struggles will appeal to fans of Tom Perrotta's subtle character portraits.
Check out O'Nan's Last Night at the Lobster, a thoughtful look at ordinary people facing everyday realities, told through the perspective of a manager during his restaurant's final shift.
Rick Moody writes incisive stories that uncover the cracks in suburban life. His novels often feature dysfunctional families, struggling marriages, and characters wrestling with loneliness and self-discovery.
If Perrotta's suburban dramas resonate with you, try Moody's The Ice Storm, which vividly depicts wealthy suburban families falling apart during one pivotal weekend in the early 1970s.
A.M. Homes writes honest, sharp fiction about the complexities and oddities of suburban life. Her dark humor and keen eye for family dysfunction resonate with readers who appreciate Tom Perrotta's style.
Homes's novel The Safety of Objects captures everyday characters confronting unsettling truths beneath their seemingly normal lives.
Joshua Ferris creates funny yet poignant stories about our everyday anxieties—work, relationships, and the fear of meaninglessness. His novel Then We Came to the End perfectly blends humor and insight, showing the absurdities and tensions of office life.
Ferris explores everyday worries with the same humanity and wit you'll find in Tom Perrotta's books.
Matthew Quick writes emotionally resonant fiction full of warmth and sincerity. His characters often struggle with emotional pain or mental health, but the tone remains hopeful and gently humorous.
His novel The Silver Linings Playbook portrays a man's journey back from personal crisis, blending comedy and tenderness—just the sort of thoughtful storytelling that fans of Tom Perrotta will appreciate.
Kevin Wilson tells quirky, heartfelt stories with sensitivity and humor. He explores quirky family dynamics, loneliness, and people's yearning to find life's meaning within the chaos.
His novel The Family Fang presents eccentric parents whose obsession with art impacts their children's lives. Wilson's unique blend of humor and sincerity will appeal to readers who enjoy Tom Perrotta's nuanced take on family and relationships.
Claire Messud creates smart, honest fiction exploring the hidden struggles and ambitions lurking beneath seemingly ordinary lives. Like Perrotta, she excels at capturing believable characters navigating personal disappointments.
In her novel The Emperor's Children, Messud follows three close friends grappling with adulthood in New York City, skillfully capturing both the allure and anxieties of contemporary life.