Philadelphia is such a great city, and it really comes alive in some fantastic books. If you love stories set there, or just want to see the city through different eyes, I’ve gathered some novels that use Philly as their backdrop.
They span different times and genres, from historical accounts to modern dramas and even some wild speculative fiction!
Charles Brockden Brown’s Arthur Mervyn drops you right into late 18th-century Philadelphia when yellow fever terrified everyone. Arthur arrives from the quiet countryside full of hope, but the city quickly tests him. He faces illness, betrayal, and some tough moral decisions.
You really feel the chaos and danger of city life during that epidemic.
In Duane Swierczynski’s Expiration Date, journalist Mickey Wade is having a rough time. He moves into his late grandfather’s Philly apartment and finds some old migraine pills. When he takes them, he doesn’t just get headache relief; he gets trips back into the city’s past!
It’s a wild ride as Mickey uncovers secrets about his family and Philadelphia’s history. You see the city shift between then and now.
Jennifer Weiner’s Good In Bed introduces us to Cannie Shapiro. She’s a smart, funny journalist in Philadelphia whose life turns upside down when her ex-boyfriend writes a very public article about their relationship, specifically about her body.
Cannie has to deal with the fallout, her family, and figure out who she is. It’s a journey about self-discovery and finding strength.
Kitty Foyle by Christopher Morley gives a voice to a working-class Irish American woman in Philadelphia during the early 20th century. Kitty has ambitions and falls for Wyn Strafford, who comes from a wealthy background.
Their different social standings create real conflict in their relationship. The book offers a clear window into the city’s social divisions and expectations of that era.
Kiley Reid’s Such a Fun Age starts with a sharp incident. Emira, a young Black woman, is babysitting for a wealthy white family in Philadelphia. While at a high-end grocery store late at night with the child, a security guard accuses her of kidnapping.
This event triggers a series of interactions that explore race, class, and the awkward relationship between Emira and her well-meaning but unaware employer.
William Wharton’s Birdy focuses on the intense friendship between two Philadelphia boys, Birdy and Al. Birdy is completely fascinated by birds; he even tries to fly and thinks he can become one. Al is more conventional.
The story unfolds as they reconnect in a military hospital after World War II, and it reveals how trauma affected them, especially Birdy’s retreat into his avian world.
This thriller, Deadly Assets, throws you into the Philadelphia Police Department. There’s a new push for community relations, but violent crime is spiking, and resources are stretched thin. Detectives Payne and Bennett are caught in the middle.
They have to chase dangerous criminals while dealing with the political pressure for better public perception. It highlights the tough balance between PR and real police work.
Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones is told from a unique perspective. Susie Salmon, a teenage girl from suburban Philadelphia in the 1970s, narrates her story from the afterlife after she is murdered. She watches her family and friends grieve and try to cope.
Her killer is still living nearby, which adds a chilling layer as Susie observes the world she left behind.
Jessamine Chan’s The School for Good Mothers imagines a near-future society with intense scrutiny on parenting. Frida Liu makes one mistake in a moment of stress, and the state sends her to a special institution.
There, mothers must prove their competence according to strict, unforgiving standards. The book follows Frida’s struggle within this cold system where the government constantly monitors her fitness as a parent.
Written way back in 1919, The Heads of Cerberus by Francis Stevens is an early dystopian tale. Three people in Philadelphia inhale a strange gray powder and find themselves thrown into a future version of the city, possibly around 2118.
This future Philly is under totalitarian rule. Life is bleak, and personal freedom doesn’t exist. They must figure out how to survive and maybe, just maybe, get back home.
Fran Ross’s Oreo is something else! It follows Christine, who goes by Oreo, on a quest from Philadelphia to New York. She’s searching for her absent white father and details about her mixed-race background. The book is incredibly funny and smart.
Oreo uses her sharp wit to handle absurd situations. The story even plays with Greek myths, like the tale of Theseus, but puts them in a modern, urban context.
Jessie Redmon Fauset’s Plum Bun, set in the 1920s, tells the story of Angela Murray. She is a young Black woman in Philadelphia who is light-skinned enough to pass for white. After her parents die, she moves to New York City to live as a white woman.
She hopes this change will bring her freedom and opportunity. The novel explores the complexities and costs of her decision on her identity and relationships.
John Edgar Wideman’s Two Cities portrays love found amidst grief and hardship in Philadelphia. The story connects two people who are trying to build a life together despite loss. It paints a powerful picture of urban existence.
Community struggles, memory, and the possibility of healing are central themes. The city itself, with its specific neighborhoods and history, feels like a character in their journey.
Marguerite de Angeli’s Bright April is a gentle, thoughtful children’s book from the 1940s. It follows April, a young African American girl who lives in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia. April is excited about her birthday and being part of a Brownie Scout troop.
She also encounters prejudice, but the story focuses on her kindness, family warmth, and the friendships she builds.
In Losing Absalom by Alexs Pate, a family gathers in Philadelphia around the bedside of the dying patriarch, Absalom Goode. As they confront his impending death, their memories, secrets, and conflicts surface.
The novel examines family dynamics, the weight of the past, and questions of identity and legacy within the Black community. The Philadelphia setting provides a rich background for their personal reckonings.