Sheila Heti Recommends Three Books: Bowles, Zola, Hjorth

Sheila Heti, author of "Motherhood" and "How Should a Person Be?", recommends three books in a New Yorker interview. Her top recommendation is Jane Bowles' "Two Serious Ladies," praised for its originality and humor. Heti notes that Tennessee Williams called Bowles "the most important writer of prose fiction in modern American letters." For insights into another medium, Heti cites Émile Zola's "The Ladies' Paradise (Au Bonheur des Dames)" (1883), which explores marketing, advertising, and the rise of department stores, inspired by Le Bon Marché. As a travel read, she recommends Vigdis Hjorth's "If Only," which she read while moving through subway, airport, plane, and taxi, finding the novel's themes of love and vertigo perfectly matched to the experience of travel. The article also includes brief mentions of other books and authors, including Gwendoline Riley, Missouri Williams, Marlon James, Elizabeth Strout, Valeria Luiselli, Jan Carson, Annie Jacobsen, Elin Hilderbrand, Colson Whitehead, and Douglas Stuart.