Genevieve Wheeler's Desert Island Books
Featuring a small but mighty children’s tale, and some of Genevieve's first-ever fictional best friends...
There are some truly excellent book covers around at the moment, and Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler is one of them. But beyond its gorgeous jacket lies an impressive debut—one that explores love, longing, and the heartbreak of wanting someone who can’t, or won’t, love you back (been there, done that).
A novel that perfectly captures the raw, all-consuming intensity of being young and in love, Adelaide takes readers from the dizzying heights of romance to the depths of heartbreak. Emotionally charged and deeply relatable, it’s a book to devour in one sitting—and one that will transport you back to the first flush of young and reckless love.
And if you’d like to get your hands on a copy of Adelaide, consider becoming a paid subscriber to my Substack for your chance to win a copy. Each week, paid subscribers are automatically entered into a draw to win a book by that week’s featured author. Otherwise, consider buying it Bookshop.org—a better way to shop online, where every purchase supports local independent bookstores.
Now, without further ado, read on to find out which eight books Genevieve would take with her to the sandy shores of a desert island…
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
If I could only pack one book to bring on a desert island, it would be The Little Prince. It’s a small but mighty children’s tale by French writer (and pilot!) Antoine de Saint-Exupéry — which, coincidently, involves being stranded in the desert. I’ve read it more times than I can count, in both English and French, but I always find something new and profound in its pages, no matter how ‘grown up’ (in quotes, of course) I may be.
Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman
I’m never really sure what to think when someone says a book ‘changed their life,’ but I do know that André Aciman’s Call Me By Your Name changed mine. I’ve only read it once — at age 25 — but its portrayal of pure, unadulterated love quickly tore my heart to pieces and then put it back together again. Beyond its capacity for showing me the depths of true love (cliché as that may sound), it’s also a stunningly written novel, set in the sun-kissed, Italian countryside. I couldn’t not take it.
From The Corner of the Oval Office by Beck Dorey-Stein
Another life-changer of a book, for reasons I’ll never be able to fully articulate or explain. This memoir—written by the wonderful Beck Dorey-Stein, who fell into a role as a White House stenographer during the Obama administration—is my absolute favourite kind, all about coming of age and falling in love and finding yourself. It’s messy and funny and poignant and extraordinary and real—a reminder that we all have great stories within us, if only we’re willing to look around (and write them down).
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
A warm, cosy hug of a novel about the March sisters, who were some of my first-ever fictional best friends. Little Women is one of those books that, despite being published in 1868, never seems to get old. I have always loved (and imagine I always will love) reading little vignettes from the lives of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, and I have no doubt they’d be excellent company on a desert island as well.
The Source of Self-Regard by Toni Morrison
A selection of essays, speeches, and meditations by the inimitable Toni Morrison, you’d be hard-pressed to find greater wisdom or writing than The Source of Self-Regard. Chock-full of Morrison’s musings on society and culture—pulled from bits and pieces she wrote throughout her life—it’s reflective as well as confronting, and I’ve gained and learned so much from flipping through its pages.
Heartburn by Nora Ephron
Nora Ephron’s classic (and largely autobiographical!) novel, Heartburn is short and sweet and full of, well, heart. It’s a perfect exemplification of the words ‘everything is copy’ (also made famous by Ephron) and a masterclass in turning one’s most tragic moments into art, into something about which many can delight and derive joy. It’s also tender and whip-smart and laugh-out-loud funny—another book I’ll never tire of reading.
The Unabridged Diaries of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath
As a self-proclaimed Sad Girl™, it’d be criminal for me not to include Sylvia Plath on this list. Her unabridged diaries contain so much turmoil and tenacity, capturing soaring highs and sweeping lows. They’re a helpful, powerful guide to grappling with one’s emotions, which I’m certain would come in handy (if and when left alone with my thoughts) on a desert island.
Anything by Ann Patchett
A bit of a cop-out, I know. But I truly can’t decide which of Patchett’s brilliant works (of fiction or non-fiction!) I’d bring along. From Bel Canto to The Dutch House, Truth and Beauty to These Precious Days, her words are perpetually and unfailingly infused with such keen observations about life and humanity and the relationships—of all stripes—that shape us. It’s no wonder she was nominated for a bloody Pulitzer.