The fifty greatest coming-of-age novels

Emily Temple is a senior editor at Lit Hub. Her first novel, The Lightness, will be published by William Morrow in 2020.

At LitHub she tagged fifty of the greatest coming-of-age novels, including:

Tayari Jones, Silver Sparrow

This compelling novel also features one of the best opening lines in contemporary literature: “My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist.” Don’t tell me you won’t keep reading after that—especially because what follows is the double-coming-of-age of Dana Lynn Yarbor and Bunny Chaurisse Witherspoon; when it begins, the former knows all about the latter, who knows nothing—but soon will.

Read about the other entries on the list.

Silver Sparrow is among Kyle Minor's fifteen hottest affairs in literature.

--Marshal Zeringue