The Member of the Wedding
Carson McCullers · 1917–1967 · United States
Why it matters
A lonely twelve-year-old tomboy becomes fixated on her brother's wedding as her own ticket out of isolation. McCullers's compact, aching study of adolescent longing to belong to something larger than oneself.
At a glance
bildungsromanpsychological novel
Difficulty 5/10slow pace153 pagesClose, claustrophobic interiority inside a lonely adolescent's mind.
Where to go next
Carson McCullers · 1940The Heart Is a Lonely HunterLvl 5Medium pace
Cormac McCarthy · 1992All the Pretty HorsesLvl 6Medium pace
Eudora Welty · 1972The Optimist's DaughterLvl 4Medium pace
Flannery O'Connor · 1955A Good Man Is Hard to FindLvl 5Fast paced
John Kennedy Toole · 1980A Confederacy of DuncesLvl 4Fast paced
Toni Morrison · 1987BelovedLvl 8Slow burn