by A. S. Byatt
First published 1964
At 17, Anna Severell chafes against the outsized influence of her renowned author father, Henry. As Anna navigates adolescence and her own creative ambitions, she finds herself increasingly at odds with Henry's expectations and reputation. When a family crisis forces Anna to confront her complicated feelings, she must choose between forging her own path or succumbing to her father's formidable shadow. This piercing portrait of a troubled father-daughter relationship examines the universal struggle to reconcile family ties with personal identity.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, 20th-century, adolescence, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-drama, identity-crisis
Setting: England
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
302 pages · Paperback · Vintage Books