Books › Side Effects › Books like it
If you loved
Books like Side Effects
A brisk, witty collection of late-1970s comedic essays that turns a sharp, humorous lens on the absurdities of American life. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Side Effects.
- amused
- lighthearted
- cerebral
- 01
Goodbye, Columbus and five short stories
Philip Roth
A sharp, bittersweet plunge into mid-century American suburbs, where young love collides with class anxiety and cultural assimilation.
- 02
A supposedly fun thing I'll never do again
David Foster Wallace · 1997
A hyper-articulate, deeply neurotic plunge into the surreal and exhausting landscape of American leisure.
- 03
The Polysyllabic Spree
Nick Hornby · 2004
A laugh-out-loud, highly relatable chronicle of the eternal battle between the books we buy and the books we actually read.
- 04
I Remember Nothing and Other Reflections
Nora Ephron
A sharp, hilarious, and ultimately heartbreaking conversation with your smartest friend over a very good lunch.
- 05
I was told there'd be cake
Sloane Crosley
A wry and hilarious celebration of well-intentioned haplessness in the modern city.
- 06
Amphigorey Again
Edward Gorey · 2006
A delightfully grim and eccentric collection of illustrated nonsense that feels like wandering through a haunted, Victorian curiosity shop.
- 07
Bad behavior
Mary Gaitskill · 1988
A raw, disenchanted plunge into the longing and angst of an urban fringe generation desperate for connection.
- 08
Chelsea Chelsea bang bang
Chelsea Handler
A brisk, laugh-out-loud exploration of the ridiculous side of relationships, childhood, and navigating adulthood.
- 09
Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls
David Sedaris
A globe-trotting masterclass in finding the hilarious, grotesque, and surprisingly tender details hidden in everyday life.
- 10
Consider the lobster, and other essays
David Foster Wallace · 2005
A dizzying, hyper-articulate plunge into the absurdities and moral anxieties of modern American life.
- 11
While mortals sleep
Kurt Vonnegut
A wry, bittersweet glimpse into the quiet absurdities and fragile hopes of mid-century American life.
- 12
Enormous Changes at the Last Minute
Grace Paley · 1975
A grounded collection of stories capturing the sudden shifts and everyday customs of 20th-century American life.
