hi! i was just looking for novels about people over the age of 20, but something written by a POC author. as a poc myself, im just looking for a bit more solidarity and even hints of culture as well
I’m sure there’s more I can’t think of right now, since I can’t remember the ages of a lot of characters in the books I’ve read, but here are some:
* [Kindred](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60931.Kindred) by Octavia E. Butler. I think the main character is 26? I don’t remember exactly. Very strong themes of race and systems of oppression.
* [Infomocracy](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26114433-infomocracy) by Malka Older. This book follows multiple characters, with two main ones, Mishima and Ken. We don’t learn how old Mishima is, but Ken is somewhere in his late 20s. Be warned, the politics in this book somehow manage to be timeless but also extremely stress inducing about real world conflicts! It’s hard for me to describe without spoilers.
* [Never Let Me Go](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6334.Never_Let_Me_Go) by Kazuo Ishiguro. This book starts with the main characters in childhood and goes from there, but I believe most of it takes place during their 20s. Hopefully this is close enough! Most of the other books he’s written have much older protagonists, but one, Klara and the Sun, has most characters younger than 20.
tayreea on
Off the top of my head:
The Woman could fly by Megan Giddings, protagonist is in her mid to late 20s from memory.
Anxious-Ocelot-712 on
Pretty much anything by Colson Whitehead (except Zone One, which doesn’t fit what you’re looking for – but is still great).
hercomesthesun on
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong.
It’s written in the form of a letter from a Vietnamese American son to his mother. I don’t remember if the novel follows him into his 20s, but it’s a good one if you’re looking for works by a Vietnamese author.
meatwhisper on
*The City We Became* is a modern fantasy tale set in NYC. It’s very frantic and wild, but once the story kicks in it weaves a very unique story involving Lovecraftian twists. What makes this so cool is that every city in the world has an “avatar” that acts as it’s protector of sorts. Very hip and modern, smart and snarky.
*No Gods, No Monsters* by Cadwell Turnbull is bizarre and unique, about the paths crossed in stranger’s lives when “monsters” are shown to be a reality. Manages to skillfully blend creepy moments with allegorical political commentary, and features very well written characters.
N.K. Jemisin’s *Broken Earth* series took the Hugos by storm in recent years with all three books winning best novel of the year in their respective years. It’s very well loved by modern fantasy/sci-fi readers.
*The Chosen and the Beautiful* by Nghi Vo is a retelling of The Great Gatsby only from the viewpoint of Jordan and if she was an Asian gender fluid magic user. It’s really well written, “better than it sounds,” and would be fun to read if you have recently read the original.
*Black Sun* by Rebecca Roanhorse is a thrilling adventure book featuring a multi-cultural inspired dark and brutal fantasy world. One of the main characters is a young man who is believed to be a reincarnation of a god and needs to travel to a far away festival to reveal himself. Some excellent characters which all have dark secrets.
*The Bone Shard Daughter* by Andrea Stewart features a cool fantasy setting inspired by Polynesian Islands/Asian mythology, interesting plot twists and cliffhanger chapter endings, and some very kick ass (but imperfect) characters. I really thought the magic system and looming dread of the setting was very satisfying.
*Iron Widow* is a very interesting mash of Asian inspired alt-history/sci-fi/fantasy. I’ve seen it billed as “Handmaid’s Tale” meets “Pacific Rim” and honestly that’s not far off. A war against an alien threat is looming, and only giant mechs piloted by a male/female pair can stop them. Problem being, the female rarely survives the experience.
Postboy_Wavy_X on
[Hecatomb of the Vampire](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199606310) is a really good supernatural mystery/horror/fantasy book. The characters are in their early/mid 20s for the most part and there’s a lot of diversity, it’s really cool, I found it on Tik Tok. It’s an indie book
boxer_dogs_dance on
Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez,
Black Water Sister by Zen Cho (Urban Fantasy)
Pretty_Fairy_Queen on
– North-West by Zadie Smith
– Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
– Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
9 Comments
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson is really good.
I’m sure there’s more I can’t think of right now, since I can’t remember the ages of a lot of characters in the books I’ve read, but here are some:
* [Kindred](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60931.Kindred) by Octavia E. Butler. I think the main character is 26? I don’t remember exactly. Very strong themes of race and systems of oppression.
* [Infomocracy](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26114433-infomocracy) by Malka Older. This book follows multiple characters, with two main ones, Mishima and Ken. We don’t learn how old Mishima is, but Ken is somewhere in his late 20s. Be warned, the politics in this book somehow manage to be timeless but also extremely stress inducing about real world conflicts! It’s hard for me to describe without spoilers.
* [Mexican Gothic](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53152636-mexican-gothic) by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Horror novel set in 1950s Mexico with a frivolous socialite in her early 20s as the protagonist.
* [Never Let Me Go](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6334.Never_Let_Me_Go) by Kazuo Ishiguro. This book starts with the main characters in childhood and goes from there, but I believe most of it takes place during their 20s. Hopefully this is close enough! Most of the other books he’s written have much older protagonists, but one, Klara and the Sun, has most characters younger than 20.
Off the top of my head:
The Woman could fly by Megan Giddings, protagonist is in her mid to late 20s from memory.
Pretty much anything by Colson Whitehead (except Zone One, which doesn’t fit what you’re looking for – but is still great).
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong.
It’s written in the form of a letter from a Vietnamese American son to his mother. I don’t remember if the novel follows him into his 20s, but it’s a good one if you’re looking for works by a Vietnamese author.
*The City We Became* is a modern fantasy tale set in NYC. It’s very frantic and wild, but once the story kicks in it weaves a very unique story involving Lovecraftian twists. What makes this so cool is that every city in the world has an “avatar” that acts as it’s protector of sorts. Very hip and modern, smart and snarky.
*No Gods, No Monsters* by Cadwell Turnbull is bizarre and unique, about the paths crossed in stranger’s lives when “monsters” are shown to be a reality. Manages to skillfully blend creepy moments with allegorical political commentary, and features very well written characters.
N.K. Jemisin’s *Broken Earth* series took the Hugos by storm in recent years with all three books winning best novel of the year in their respective years. It’s very well loved by modern fantasy/sci-fi readers.
*The Chosen and the Beautiful* by Nghi Vo is a retelling of The Great Gatsby only from the viewpoint of Jordan and if she was an Asian gender fluid magic user. It’s really well written, “better than it sounds,” and would be fun to read if you have recently read the original.
*Black Sun* by Rebecca Roanhorse is a thrilling adventure book featuring a multi-cultural inspired dark and brutal fantasy world. One of the main characters is a young man who is believed to be a reincarnation of a god and needs to travel to a far away festival to reveal himself. Some excellent characters which all have dark secrets.
*The Bone Shard Daughter* by Andrea Stewart features a cool fantasy setting inspired by Polynesian Islands/Asian mythology, interesting plot twists and cliffhanger chapter endings, and some very kick ass (but imperfect) characters. I really thought the magic system and looming dread of the setting was very satisfying.
*Iron Widow* is a very interesting mash of Asian inspired alt-history/sci-fi/fantasy. I’ve seen it billed as “Handmaid’s Tale” meets “Pacific Rim” and honestly that’s not far off. A war against an alien threat is looming, and only giant mechs piloted by a male/female pair can stop them. Problem being, the female rarely survives the experience.
[Hecatomb of the Vampire](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199606310) is a really good supernatural mystery/horror/fantasy book. The characters are in their early/mid 20s for the most part and there’s a lot of diversity, it’s really cool, I found it on Tik Tok. It’s an indie book
Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez,
Black Water Sister by Zen Cho (Urban Fantasy)
– North-West by Zadie Smith
– Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
– Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo