Best books… Penelope Tree
The 1960s supermodel chooses her favourite books about coming of age. Her autobiographical debut novel, Piece of My Heart (Moonflower Publishing £18.99), is out this week
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, 1951 (Penguin £9.99). I read this quintessential coming-of-age novel on the brink of my own stormy adolescence, and Holden Caulfield’s account of his alienation from the adult world and his war against phoneys was a huge influence on me. For years I tried to write like Salinger, with absolutely zero success.
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 2003 (Fourth Estate £8.99). Adichie’s powerful debut novel is narrated by a young Nigerian girl struggling to come to terms with a fanatically religious father who is a hero to many but a violent abuser at home. In many ways it’s a natural sequel to Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, 2005 (Faber £9.99). In the course of growing up, Kathy slowly begins to comprehend the grim reason for her existence, and the inevitability of her preordained fate. The horror and pathos of her situation have haunted me ever since I first read this dystopian, genre-bending story.
Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones, 2011 (Oneworld £8.99). This opens with the great line, “My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist.” Set in 1980s Atlanta and narrated by the daughter of James’s secret marriage, it’s an unputdownable story about half-sisters whose contrasting perspectives on life are shaped by their very different circumstances.
Hideous Kinky by Esther Freud, 1992 (Penguin £8.99). I’ve just re-read this novel after an interval of 30 years and loved it even more the second time. Marrakech in the 1970s is experienced though the eyes of a young child trying to make sense of the bewildering world of adults, particularly her capricious mother and absent father. While nothing is explained outright, the story is skilfully revealed via Lucy’s observations and reactions to unfolding events. Titles in print are available from The Week Bookshop on 020-3176 3835. For out-of-print books visit biblio.co.uk