London makes for a picture-perfect backdrop for any story – from it’s stunning old architecture to new. London’s always been the melting pot of diversity and culture – explore London through the pages and discover 8 of the best books about London that will make you smile, make you laugh or even make you cry. From Charles Dickens to Zadie Smith, our list showcases the best stories that truly capture the essence of the city.
1. Brick Lane by Monica Ali
Monica Ali’s Brick Lane (2003), follows a young Bangladeshi woman named Nazneen who navigates the complexities of culture, identity, and love in modern-day London. At the age of 18, Nazneen’s life is turned upside down. After an arranged marriage to a man twenty years her older to her she finds herself in a flat in East London than her Bangladeshi village for. Navigating through this new world she struggles to make sense of her existence, her duty to her traditions and husband.
2. White Teeth, Zadie Smith
Set against London’s diverse racial and cultural backdrop, the novel follows two unlikely friends, Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal, and in a humorous way the story explores the intricacies of marriages – arranged and otherwise. The challenges faced by their children as they navigate their identities in a multicultural world.
3. The Lonely Londoners, Sam Selvon
Sam Selvon’s poignant tale takes us back to the heart of the Windrush era in the ’50s. At Waterloo Station, hopeful new arrivals from the West Indies step into a new environment, ready to start a new life in London – with excitement and fear ahead of what it’s like to arrive in a predominantly white majority place as a non-native. It’s funny yet equally heartbreaking as it explores what its like to be an immigrant.
4. Absolute Beginners, Colin Macinnes
Set against a backdrop of the jazz clubs of Soho and trendy coffee shops of Notting Hill, the capital’s youth are embracing a new lifestyle – sex, drugs, rock’n’roll. I guess it’s safe to say, not much has changed…
5. The Ballad of Peckham Rye, Muriel Spark
Drawing upon themes of Irish and Scottish migrancy and the working class, The Ballad of Peckham Rye tells the story of a devilish Scottish migrant, Dougal Douglas, who moves to Peckham in London and wreaks havoc amongst the lives of the local people.
6. London Fields by Martin Amis
Set against the backdrop of Hackney’s famous park, this is dark murder story centred around the mesmeric and doomed Nicola Six who has predicted her murder on the 35th birthday. A seemingly dystopian look at the London we love.
7. Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens
A Dickens story makes London entirely whole. The evergreen and classic Great Expectations is a coming of age novel that follows the life of Pip, an orphan who thanks to a ‘generous patron’ is given great expectations of becoming a gentleman.
8. One Day, by David Nicholls
If you’ve not already had a sob-fest to the new Netflix series One Day based on David Nicholl’s novel then what are you doing? As seen in both the novel and the adaptation, Dexter and Emma spend the night together following their graduation from the University of Edinburgh, in 1988 before going their separate ways the next day. What follows is the journey of two individuals over the span of 20 years that revisits their lives and their relationship on 15 July, St Swithin’s Day every year.
And so there you have it. Discover London through the pages and explore contemporary tales that will make you fall in love with, or teach you something new about good old London town.
