Emily Nussbaum’s latest book, , chronicles the rise and fall of reality television. In chipper prose, the rigorously researched history explores how certain networks have managed to seize our collective attention span with a spate of “real” programming. From to and beyond, what is it about this narrative model that’s so hearty? Inspired by Nussbaum’s project, I’ve assembled a reading list that treats your guilty pleasure as a springboard.
If you like those fake-reals, try these real-fakes. For fans of fine cuisine and the penetrating gaze of Paul Hollywood, is a moveable feast. This slim, engaging novel follows Mauro, a young chef on a journey of sense-based self-discovery.
It shouldn’t surprise you that this ode to the epicure is filled with tantalizing food descriptions. Here, a U-Bahn station kebab is not a quick snack, but “ .” On the page and on the plate, we’re snacking.
Nora Ephron’s , and Laura Esquivel’s These two novels also enlist food as a love language. Bonus points for the recipes. If your interest in this super-yacht is purely nautical, may seem an unusual recommendation.
But this tightly plotted portrait of a wealthy white family and the black servants they exploit perfectly captures the upstairs/downstairs dynamic familiar to all passengers of a certain troubled ship. The novel is also built of fascinating characters. Like Mr.
Sitwell, a groundskeeper turned butler with a history-sized chip on his shoulder. For more slow-boiling class and romantic tension, look no further than Kazuo Ishiguro’s And for an ocean-forward entry, try Samantha Hunt’s odd jewel of a coming-of-age novel, Most romantic novels lean on the marriage plot. Drama builds as two unlikely souls come together, then apart, then together for Part of the appeal of a show like is its rendering of the aftermath.
Once you’ve jumped the broom or kissed under the mistletoe, what comes next? is a refreshing, often unsettling look at a foundering partnership. Or more specifically? The woman on the cusp of foundering. Full of razor-sharp psychological insight and lacerating social observations, this crisp novel will incline you to look at your own house and desires with fresh eyes.
Tessa Hadley’s is another close look at a woman’s conflicting wants And for a frank and unusually cheerful take on partnership, pick up Laurie Colwin’s Oh, Your unhinged premise and the fact that you functioned as cultural bonding glue in the early days of the pandemic mean I will always see you as a surreal and dream-like fiction. What an odd, odd idea for courtship. I mean, does this show really exist? Are those weird little people in the boxes even real? is as thrillingly strange.
Following a woman tapped to participate in a reality show that lets its contestants “revise their pasts and change their present lives,” this book dissects the perils and pleasures of romantic choice in high-octane, vivid prose. The world is deeply imagined. And as a choose-your-own-adventure novel with a branching plot, it’s got agency baked into the structure.
(Like, allegedly, .) For another unlikely union forged through (metaphorical) walls, consider Elizabeth McCracken’s Or on the more straightforward end of the relationship-survey spectrum, Norman Rush’s . As this show is about Work, here’s some nonfiction for you.
Dana Thomas’ exhaustively reported, utterly engaging portrait of two era-defining designers is a must read for the fashionista in your life. dramatizes an incredible creative partnership. But it pulls no punches about the price of making beautiful things.
Yasmin Zaher’s This debut novel hinges on a Birkin bag heist, and also engages the dark side of fetishizing shiny things. The assorted housewives remind me of nothing so much as the Machiavellian power brokers peppering Wharton and James’ novels. (Also, may I point you this ?) But if you love infighting among the leisure class, I suspect the canon is already on your nightstand.
For an off-the-beaten-path look at a Very dramatic, Very wealthy family, consider This memoir explores the early years of the famous and infamous Mitford sisters, stars of mid-century London’s social scene. All of Edith, really. But which features sneaky protagonists pretending to wealth, may scratch your itch for bad behavior in beautiful places.
.
