Craving change? Here are eight books about living abroad and wandering around a new city
image via @service95/instagram
words by daisy henry
A reading list.
I’m sure most people, at one point in time, have harboured dreams of moving to a new city. Whether it’s across the country, a semester in Europe, or a stint in the Big Apple, there’s a certain romance in packing up your bags and booking a one-way plane ticket.
For more author interviews and book recommendations, head to our Life section.
Regardless of whether you’re ready to make the move or not, there’s nothing wrong with letting yourself dream. And what better place to start than by transporting yourself via the pages of a book? From memoirs set in 1960s New York to novels tracing life in Berlin, these stories act as both an escape and a refuge for those who have already taken the plunge.
Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados
Happy Hour follows 21-year-old Isa over a New York summer. Running low on finances but socially agile, she and her best friend Gala drift between market stalls and Manhattan parties, testing how far their charm can take them. A sharp portrait of youth and the pursuit of pleasure, it’s the kind of book that makes you feel free and limitless.
Get it here.
Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico
View this post on Instagram
Vincenzo Latronico’s novel, Perfection, follows Anna and Tom, a millennial expat couple living a carefully curated life in Berlin. As their freelance work runs dry and their friendship circle moves on, they grow restless. Honest and unsentimental, it follows their attempts to relocate to new cities, like Portugal and Italy, in search of that ever-evading spark.
Get it here.
Flâneuse by Lauren Elkin
Flâneuse by Lauren Elkin blends memoir and cultural essay as it moves through cities like New York, Paris, Venice, Tokyo and London. In it, she explores the idea of the ‘flâneuse’, a woman who walks the city, observes it and makes space for herself within it. It’s a thoughtful look at how walking can shape creativity – an ideal read for a newly arrived expat looking to get their steps up.
Get it here.
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
View this post on Instagram
Americanah is perfect for anyone curious about what it feels like to move between countries, identities and versions of yourself. It follows Ifemelu and Obinze, who leave Nigeria as young lovers and end up in the US and UK. Years later, they reunite in Nigeria and have to reckon with everything that time and distance have done to them.
Get it here.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
From the author of Red, White and Royal Blue comes One Last Stop. The story follows August, who moves to New York, determined to stay cynical despite the cinematic landscape surrounding her. However, her plan slowly unravels after she falls for a girl she meets on her subway commute, who just happens to be displaced from the 1970s. A fun, sexy read, it’s a unique spin on the chaos of building a new life in a new city.
Get it here.
Just Kids by Patti Smith
View this post on Instagram
Just Kids is perfect for anyone who’s ever fantasised about moving to an iconic city like New York. Set across the ’60s and ’70s, it follows Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe as they arrive in the city and try to make it as artists together.
Get it here.
Almost French by Sarah Turnbull
First published in 2010, Almost French follows journalist Sarah Turnbull after she extends a final European stop into an impulsive trip to Paris for a week (spoiler, she ends up staying). What follows is a series of comical encounters as Sarah navigates and eventually learns to love Parisian life.
Get it here.
My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein by Deborah Levy
View this post on Instagram
Deborah Levy’s latest release begins as her unnamed protagonist arrives in Paris, drawn into a new circle of friends. As she navigates anxiety, modernity and the challenge of making a life for yourself in a new city, her thoughts circle back to Gertrude Stein, another woman in Paris in another moment of cultural and personal upheaval.
Get it here.
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue
Caroline O’Donoghue’s The Rachel Incident follows Rachel, a university student in Ireland, whose life becomes entangled with her charismatic best friend, James. Framed by Rachel’s later move to London, it’s a coming-of-age novel that’s tender, witty and perfectly melodramatic.
Get it here.
For a look into this year’s best-selling books, try this.
Liked this? You’ll love these...
