1.Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice is a classic novel by Jane Austen that explores the relationship, misunderstandings, and personal growth between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth is an intelligent and independent young woman who is irritated by Darcy’s arrogance, while Darcy judges Elizabeth for her middle-class background. Throughout the story, both characters confront their pride and prejudice, gradually changing and recognizing each other’s true humanity and goodness. Through this, the author highlights the pressures of marriage, class divisions, and emotional maturity in 19th-century British society. In the end, Elizabeth and Darcy get married, showing that true love is only possible when we accept our flaws and make an effort to understand others.
2. Life of Pi – Yann Martel
Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a philosophical adventure novel that tells the story of a boy named Pi Patel. Pi is an Indian boy whose family runs a zoo. When his family travels by ship to move to Canada, the ship wrecks. Pi ends up alone on a lifeboat—with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. The entire story revolves around their survival—227 days at sea, against nature, and alongside a dangerous tiger.
But this story is not just about survival—it explores deeper concepts like faith, belief, storytelling, and reality. Pi follows three religions—Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam—and learns something from each. In the end, the author presents two versions of the story: one with animals, and one with humans. The reader is asked, “Which story do you prefer?”—a question that shows how sometimes we choose the story that gives us hope over the one that may be true.
3. Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami is an emotional and introspective novel that explores themes of love, loss and mental health. The story revolves around a boy named Toru Watanabe who recalls his past during his college days especially the moments spent with his first love Naoko. Naoko is a sensitive and emotionally fragile girl who goes through a deep psychological struggle after the death of her boyfriend. Toru stays emotionally connected to her but another girl enters his life Midori who is lively and open minded.
This novel shows how grief and loneliness can break a person from within and how every individual deals with emotional pain in their own unique way. Murakami’s writing style is poetic and melancholic and the cultural backdrop of 1960s Japan plays an important role in the narrative. The title “Norwegian Wood” is inspired by a Beatles song which reflects the mood of the novel nostalgic bittersweet and haunting.
4. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a powerful novel set in the American South during the 1930s. It explores themes of racism, justice, and childhood innocence. The story is told from the perspective of a young girl named Scout Finch, who lives with her brother Jem and their father Atticus Finch. Atticus is a lawyer who defends a Black man named Tom Robinson, falsely accused of raping a white girl.
The novel reveals how society’s biased rules and racial prejudice can turn an innocent person into a guilty one. At the same time, Scout and Jem begin to understand the harsh realities of the world during their childhood and learn morality and empathy through their father. One of Atticus’s iconic lines is:
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
5. 1984 – George Orwell
1984 by George Orwell is a dystopian novel that portrays a future world where the government controls every aspect of a citizen’s life. In this world, an authoritarian leader called Big Brother monitors everything—people’s thoughts, actions, and even their emotions. The story is told through Winston Smith, a man who secretly questions the system and tries to search for truth.
Orwell shows how totalitarian regimes can destroy freedom, truth, and individuality. The government manipulates history, controls language through Newspeak, and maintains obedience through fear. Winston’s struggle is for truth and freedom, but in the end, the system is so powerful that it breaks even his ability to think freely.