What’s Left Unsaid
When memory meets love, loss and regret.
In this post I recommend five contemporary novels that deal with one of the most universal and complicated themes—love.
This selection of books share a common element: they depict pain and unexpressed feelings, mingled with remorse and lost opportunities. They portray a kind of love in which time wasn't enough for it to entirely bloom, alongside knotty human connections, trapped in the threads of their own complexities.
Lie With Me by Philippe Besson
This novel revolves around a man's memories and his love story with Thomas during their teenage years. They met in the last year of school and got romantically involved. Their relationship was complex though, for they saw each other in secret, hidden from watchful eyes and, at times, even denied the reality of their emotions. Besson's lyrical pen invites the reader to join the character's past remembrances where, now matured, realizes everything that eventually got wrong. However, time cannot go back—it just flows, endlessly.
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
This book tells the story of Stevens, a devoted butler, who takes a few-days trip into the Western, English countryside. During his journey, Steven's past blends with the present, and different kinds of memories are brought to his mind concerning several historical events and his, very dear to him, career. While remembering, he finds comfort in the belief that his actions have always been the right ones, hiding his flaws under the image of the perfect butler he is. It's a beautifully written novel that deals with emotional repression, even reality distortion and self-denial.
Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman
Aciman's story follows Elio, an adolescent boy, during his summer, family vacation in the Italian Riviera. Eventually, they receive Oliver, an American student who sojourns in their house, while working with Elio's father. During these weeks, as Elio's and Oliver's relationship develops, the former goes through several changes, discovering for the first time emotional layers that desire and other powerful feelings awake. Once they realize that Oliver's short stay will serve as the only proof that their passion for each other once existed, they strive to spend the time left in the best way possible.
Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers
This book revolves around Jean. She is a writer in a local paper, whose gloomy existence, conditioned by limited opportunities, love disappointment and family responsibilities, leads her to emotional drainage. One day, Jean decides to investigate Gretchen's unusual case: a woman who asserts to have given a virgin birth. From then on, things unfold unexpectedly around Jean, creating an inner conflict between her personal desires and rightfulness. When she finally gets to experience a glimpse of happiness, life takes a sudden turn.
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
This semi-autobiography is basically a long letter written for Ocean's mother, although she will never read it, since she is illiterate. It shares bits of Vuong's life and family history, the war in Vietnam, alongside their immigration to America. It's a book that partly deals with transgenerational trauma, featuring the results of war on both an individual and a collective level, while touching the post-modern expansion in the US. On the other hand, Vuong uses this space to expand on more personal aspects as well, such as love, desire and self-acceptance, exposing private aspects of his life in their rawest form.
Note: No AI was used to write this post. Only my partner's valuable help to spot little mistakes.