Five top novels that subvert clichés

Jeff Somers is the author of Lifers, the Avery Cates series from Orbit Books, Chum from Tyrus Books, and We Are Not Good People from Pocket/Gallery. He has published over thirty short stories as well.

At B & N Reads Somers tagged five books that "cleverly explore long-running tropes, mining them to create a new reading experience," including:

Cliché: YA Tragic Romance. Book: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, by Jesse Andrews

Tragic romance is at the center of many young adult novels. What Andrews does in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is to give the reader every reason to assume a tragic romance is coming—and then substitute a tragic friendship instead, which is no less devastating, and no less compelling. Andrews captures the thrilling confusion of the teen years and develops deep characters whose emotions float to the surface of every page.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue