What's the Story?

A Roundup of Fiction Recommendations

By Gwen Cooper / Jersey City, N.J.

Of Anniversaries and Milestones

Greetings, fellow Insiders! Since this entire issue is an anniversary celebration, we’re rounding up a handful of novels that feature the marking of an anniversary, either in the background or as an essential plot point. This list is by no means exhaustive, nor is it meant to be. Let’s get to it!

Rendezvous in Black, Cornell Woolrich – Cornell Woolrich wasn’t a happy man, and he didn’t write happy books. But happy endings are a dime a dozen, whereas writers of Woolrich’s caliber come along all too rarely—and I dare you to make it to the end of his masterpiece Rendezvous in Black (truly one of the best noir thrillers ever written) without immediately wanting to check out the rest of his oeuvre. Young Johnny Marr’s fiancée is killed the night before their wedding in a freak accident when a bottle is dropped from a chartered plane during a drunken celebration. This prompts a shattered Johnny to embark on a years-long quest for revenge on the five men aboard the aircraft. Rather than killing them directly, he targets their loved ones, believing they should suffer the same devastating loss he experienced. Each year on the anniversary of his fiancée's death, he strikes at another man's happiness. A clever detective does eventually tie the seemingly unrelated deaths together and solves the mystery—but not before a terrible toll is exacted on all, including Johnny Marr himself.

Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn – You probably don’t need me to tell you about Gone Girl, but here goes: This neo-noir follows Nick Dunne, who becomes the prime suspect when his wife, Amy, disappears on their fifth wedding anniversary. Nick and Amy initially appear to be something of a golden couple—two good-looking and successful young writers with, in Amy’s case, a trust fund to boot, living the high life in NYC. But when the early-Aughts great magazine die-off comes for their cushy jobs and they’re forced to start over in Nick’s Missouri hometown, longstanding fractures in their marriage become more obvious. As the investigation into Amy’s disappearance unfolds, evidence increasingly points to Nick. The narrative alternates between Nick's present-day perspective and Amy's diary entries, exposing lies, secrets, and disturbing truths—not to mention one infamous and oft-quoted inner monologue on the misogynistic mystique of “the cool girl.” If you’re one of the half-dozen people on the planet who still hasn’t read this one, what are you waiting for???

Second Honeymoon, Joanna Trollope – Distantly related to (although not directly descended from) Victorian-era great Anthony Trollope, Joanna Trollope has become a much-beloved icon of contemporary British fiction in her own right, and reading one of her lighthearted, but nevertheless substantial, domestic comedies like Second Honeymoon makes it clear why. Edie and Russell Boyd are on the cusp of celebrating their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary and finally—after decades of childrearing—have the house all to themselves. Now that all three of their children have moved out, they can focus on individual passion projects and rekindling the romance in their marriage. None of this goes to plan, of course—and, soon enough, all three of their adult children move back, one by one, into the family home. A frequently humorous exploration of love across generations, the novel features Trollope’s signature perception and charm—which, if you’re a fan of her great-great-great-great Uncle Anthony, will come as no surprise.

Smart Women, Judy Blume – This early-80s novel is set in Boulder and told predominantly from the perspective of two divorced single moms who’ve just turned 40—Margo, an architect, and BB, a successful real estate agent. Margo’s 16-year-old daughter Michelle, and BB’s precocious pre-teen daughter Sarah, also take turns as narrators. All four lives intersect when BB’s ex-husband moves to town and ends up dating Margo—who’s in the midst of helping her parents plan their fiftieth anniversary celebration and longs for a love as lasting as theirs has been. I was all of eleven when this novel first came out, and I devoured it in a couple of sittings. (I was at the age where I would have read literally anything Judy Blume had written—including a grocery list—if they were selling it at the Waldenbooks in the mall.) Rereading it many years later as an over-40 adult, I found its examination of female friendships, independence, and the struggle to balance career, childrearing, and personal fulfillment just as engaging as I had as a younger reader. I also came away with newfound appreciation for its wisdom and insight.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Author Unknown – A fourteenth century, Middle English chivalric romance that squeaks its way onto this list by setting its climax on the one-year anniversary of its inciting event. The story begins when a mysterious Green Knight interrupts King Arthur's New Year's feast, challenging any knight to strike him with an axe—on the condition that he may return the blow in a year. Gawain accepts, beheading the Green Knight, who amazingly picks up his head and reminds Gawain to meet him at the Green Chapel in exactly one year. The bulk of the story is made up of Gawain’s journey to find the Green Chapel, and the adventures he has along the way. It’s a gorgeous example of a narrative poem written in Middle English alliterative verse, and I highly recommend Simon Armitage’s excellent translation as one that preserves as much as possible the linguistic charm of the original while still presenting it in eminently readable modern English.

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Gwen Cooper is the New York Times bestselling author of the memoirs Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat; My Life in a Cat House: True Tales of Love, Laughter, and Living with Five Felines; and Spray Anything, among numerous other titles. Her work has been published in more than two dozen languages. She is a frequent speaker at shelter fundraisers; donates 10% of her royalties from Homer's Odyssey to organizations that serve abused, abandoned, and disabled animals; and has raised nearly $1,000,000 for rescue organizations worldwide. Her forthcoming Homer Whodunit cozy mystery series debuts in July 2025 with Book #1: You Only Live Nine Times. Gwen lives in New Jersey with her husband, Laurence Lerman. She also lives with her two perfect cats--Clayton "the Tripod" and his litter-mate, Fanny--who aren't impressed with any of it.