My Desert Island Reads

Recently I was asked, 'if you were stranded on a desert island, which three books would you take with you?'. For someone who has read so much, this was a surprisingly difficult question to answer. Naturally my favourite book of all time - Donna Tartt's The Secret History - sprung immediately to mind, but beyond that I had to pause to think about what makes a favourite/good/desert-island-worthy book. If I could never read anything else again outside of my three choices, what would I pick. Something comforting? Something exciting? Something challenging and outside my normal scope of reading? Ultimately I (and to nobody's surprise) I went with The Secret History, but I also chose Samantha Shannon's The Priory of the Orange Tree, and Taylor Jenkins Reid's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

The Secret History

Being my favourite book, The Secret History is an obvious choice, so I'm going to justify why I read this masterpiece annually (having read this three times already, and looking forward to round four next year) and give it to all my friends for their birthdays. The premise of the book is simple; it is narrated by Richard Papen, one of six Classics students at the elite Hampden College, who is recounting the story of how they came to murder one of their fellow students. The Secret History is my favourite book of all time not only because of the unique, nerve-wracking plot, but also because of its compelling cast of deeply flawed but still undeniably loveable characters - in fact, I change my opinion on each of them every time I re-read the book because of how nuanced they are. Additionally, anyone familiar with Tartt's work knows that she has such a way with words that she is able to romanticise even the most mundane scenarios, which creates such an incredibly atmospheric novel that it feels like Hampden is a real place. I'm also a sucker for anything dark academia, and this is a foundational book of the genre.

The Priory of the Orange Tree

When I was thinking about this list I was reflecting on the fact that my favourite books at any given time (with the exception of TSH, of course) tend to be the books that I've just read, I think because I feel closer to the plot and characters of a book I've just finished than one I read several years ago. It kind of makes me think of when Enzo Ferrari was asked what his favourite Ferrari was, and he replied 'the next one'. For me, if anyone asks what my favourite book is, its probably the last one. Therefore it is no surprise that I finished The Priory of the Orange Tree a few weeks ago and its currently one of my favourites. I would bring it to the desert island because I felt that it is completely original and captivating take on the fantasy genre and I loved it for that. In her book Shannon veers away from common fantasy tropes like the fae (and other Lord of the Rings style fantasy) and instead builds a world founded in both Eastern and Western mythology that is so well-crafted that the different countries and their politics seem real. Whilst the plot was beautifully crafted and kept me hooked until the very end, my favourite part of the book was its characters; for example, the two female leads were not one-dimensional copies of each other (which in my opinion happens too often in fantasy novels) but unique characters with their individual motivations and personalities. This book also gained popularity on TikTok for having a lesbian lead couple, and I relished the depiction of loving queer relationships throughout the novel.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

It's no secret that I'm also a big fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid (I actually just finished her latest novel, Carrie Soto is back, which I loved and will probably write about eventually), and I recently re-read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo on the beach when I was on holiday. I loved it the first time round, and it was no less addictive and heartbreaking upon reading it again. Reid tells the life story of the Marilyn Monroe-esque fictional movie star Evelyn Hugo, who is famous not only for her films, but for her seven husbands. It is set up as Hugo giving an interview for her biography to unknown reporter Monique Grant (with whom Evelyn's life intersects in an unexpectedly tragic way), with the twist that the love of her life wasn't any of her husbands, but fellow actress Celia St. James. It's no secret on TikTok that this book delivers a gay love story, but I really enjoyed how sweet and loving the relationship between the two women is - you're allowed to see gay love beyond it being used for tragedy. That being said, there is no shortage of devastating and bittersweet moments throughout the novel (if you don't cry reading this, you're a monster). The book drips in Hollywood glamour as it delivers both gut-wrenching plot twists, and delicate exploration of human emotion and how far one woman would go to protect the life and people she loves, and I particularly enjoyed how Evelyn Hugo is allowed to be a viscous, ambitious woman without having to apologise for it. She even acknowledges that she has done bad things to achieve what she wants, but she is so well-written as a character that you can understand and sympathise with her actions.

So there you have it, my three desert island reads (that is until I inevitably change my mind again about my favourites upon reading something else).