The journey of evolution in these 3 books will leave you reflecting on your own growth
By Megan Collins, Founder of @themanicuredshelf
@themanicuredshelf
One of my favorite things about reading so many novels is that I’ve read hundreds of stories about women undergoing evolutions. Taking in this journey in two to four hundred pages over the course of hours spent reading (as opposed to the years IRL evolutions take) is always a shot of perspective that makes whatever I’m going through easier. After all, it’s hard to see just how beautiful the outcome will be when you’re in the process of creation or change.
If you, like me, could use some inspiration and perspective, I encourage you to check out one of these three novels. Each is about a woman going through a profound evolution that helped me to process and reflect on my own.
Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
As the title suggests, this feel good romantic comedy is all about a woman named Evvie as she moves to a small quiet town in search of a new beginning. Processing the death of her husband, she forms an unlikely friendship with a retired and brooding baseball player.
Not only is this a heartwarming story about two people helping one another evolve, it’s author has also undergone a major evolution. The book represents her evolution from longtime critic and host of popular NPR podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour to published novelist!
Cultural Themes: Sports, grief, mental health, relationships
Read Speed: very fast
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Heidi was a favorite of mine growing up and perfect to revisit for the holiday season. For those unfamiliar with the childhood classic, it tells the story of an orphan named Heidi who lives with her grumpy grandfather in the swiss alps before befriending a girl named Clara who is weak and wheelchair bound until Heidi’s friendship and the clean mountain living cure here. Problematic (and potentially ableist) wellness propaganda aside, I was captivated by the way Heidi’s warmth, charm, and general kindness managed to transform the lives of everyone around her.
Her story is also an early introduction for me to the importance of mental health as a concept before I had the language to discuss it. When the characters are lonely, missing home, or not spending enough time doing the things they love their physical health starts to suffer, an important reminder of the role our mental health plays in our evolution for better and worse.
Cultural themes: childhood, health, friendship
Read: very fast
Euphoria by Lily King
In the most literal nod to evolution, Lily King’s Euphoria is a wonderfully bizarre historical fiction about a group of anthropologists in Papua New Guinea in the 1930s. The beauty of the book is in King’s examination of the researchers, their attitudes towards the communities they have infringed upon, and their evolution as professions and human beings.
Cultural themes: Psychology, anthropology, colonialism, women’s fertility
Read: Fast
Happy Reading!