Sophie's Choice

by William Styron

First published 1979

In 1947 New York, Stingo, a 22-year-old aspiring novelist, becomes entangled with Sophie, a Polish immigrant haunted by her Auschwitz past, and her tempestuous lover Nathan. As Stingo's fascination grows, he uncovers the pair's darkest secrets, leading to a shattering choice that will haunt them all.

Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century

Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful

Tropes: unreliable-narrator

Setting: Brooklyn, Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.), Flatbush (New York, N.Y.), Mei Guo, New York, New York (State)

Period: 20e Siècle, Xian Dai

570 pages · Hardcover · Alfred A. Knopf

Content warnings: death, mental-illness

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