Must-Read: Books Written by Women I Consider Perfect

Must read(s) that explore the depths of the feminine human experience.

Philosophical introspections, eerie speculations, gothic romances and dystopian realities, these stories will inspire you!

1. Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector

Full of commentary on womanhood, philosophy and beauty, this is one of the best books. Near to the Wild Heart does not follow a conventional narrative plot. Instead, it presents fragmented glimpses into the life of Joana, shifting between her experiences as a young woman and her early childhood. The novel, like much of Lispector's work, focuses intensely on Joana's internal and emotional states, exploring her consciousness and existential reflections.

Image: Penguin Books Australia

2. Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke

A compilation of ten correspondences from Bohemian-Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke to Franz Xaver Kappus, a 19-year-old officer cadet at the Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt. Rilke is somehow able to put into words every single emotion I’m unable to convey.

Image: Amazon UK

3. Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Image: Goodreads

If a quiet, eerie and speculative read is what you’re after this story will leave you in awe and aching for more. Armfield tells the story of Miri and Leah, a couple who are separated for six months when Leah's deep-sea mission goes awry, leaving her trapped underwater. Upon her return, everything has changed, and life is no longer as it once was.

4. Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval

The feminine urge to rot into a forbidden fruit. Paradise Rot is rich in religious imagery, gothic antidotes and fever dream writing. Translated from Norwegian by Marjam Idriss, follows Jo, a Norwegian student abroad who moves into a warehouse apartment with Carral, a solitary young woman. Jo becomes intensely aware of her surroundings, especially sounds.

Image: Goodreads

5. The Secret History by Donna Tart

There’s not much that needs to be said about this book? It changed the trajectory of a lot of people’s reading (including mine). It's an essential to every reading list ever! A group of elite college students studying ancient Greek at a small Vermont college become entangled in a web of moral and ethical dilemmas, leading to murder. Need I say more?

Image: Penguin Books

6. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

A dystopian read to say the least, it showcases patriarchy, womanhood and how we survive. The novel's plot is straightforward: forty women of varying ages are held captive in an underground cage, monitored by armed guards. They are unaware of the catastrophic event that led to their imprisonment and have only a faint memory of their lives before being captured.

Image: Goodreads

7. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

This classic Victorian novel revived the entire Gothic genre of literature. Read this tale that revolves around the antihero, Heathcliff, who seeks vengeance on those who separated him from his beloved Cathy Earnshaw.

Image: Barnes and Noble Collectible Edition