Top Ten Character-Driven Books

Friends, I always struggle when people say things like “character-driven” because I feel like all books are character-driven in some way, but I think I’ve come up with a pretty good list of books that really focus on the people instead of the plot. For me, books that are character-driven are inherently about relationships, so these 10 books feature some intense, real (and therefore difficult and sometimes flawed) ones. I’ve definitely read and LOVED all of these books–legit some of them are forever favorites–so YAY! YAY FOR CHARACTERS!

I haven’t had a chance to post my review of this book yet, but it was a really poignant, wonderful look at sibling relationships, specifically sisters. Sister relationships always appeal to me hugely, and Josie and Kate have a typical sister relationship: good, but not perfect, and it’s changing now that Kate is engaged to be married. I thought their rough patch was totally believable and just a little heartbreaking. Funny, too.

Any book by Morgan Matson is, I think, more about the characters than the things they are doing or that are going on around them, but SECOND CHANCE SUMMER perfectly depicted the relationship between a father and a daughter, Robin and Taylor. Without their understated but very strong connection, the emotional heft of this story would’ve been negligible. Well, maybe not negligible because cancer, but still.

I LOOOVE reading about soldiers, friends, and Travis is dealing with some intense demons and a frightening case of PTSD when he arrives back home. Watching Travis come to grips with the death of his friend while on tour in the Middle East and with his family makes SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL amazingly satisfying and moving. Also, HELLO, HARPER. Their relationship is outstanding.

The fact that LOVE LETTERS TO THE DEAD is written entirely in letter format doesn’t impact the way Laurel’s grief over her sister May’s death drives the whole story. This book is about sisters and parents and friends and more-than-friends, and Laurel wades through all of these relationships admirably.

I think I’m going to reread LOVELY, DARK, AND DEEP very soon. It’s been almost two years since I read it last and I think of it all the time to this day, no lie. That’s because Wren and Cal are complex and wounded, and the two of them finding each other and growing is really special.

You guys, Jandy Nelson knows how to write exceptionally real characters. Noah and Jude are amazingly well-realized. Their sibling relationship is broken, and neither of them seem in the right place to fix it. But they aren’t the only characters who make I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN brilliant: Brian, Oscar, and Guillermo all impact the story in their own indelible ways, and together they make this book fabulous.

Umm, OF COURSE a book about Tiger Lily and Peter Pan is going to be character-driven, especially when it’s this book. Tiger Lily is an outstanding character. She’s fierce and strong and imperfect, and her relationship with Peter is not all fluffy clouds and rainbows and hearts for eyes. When a book is named after a character like TIGER LILY is, you expect it to delve deeply into who that character is, and we get all up in Tiger Lily’s business. But even when we do, she’s still a mystery in a lot of ways. I love her.

So, ok, Marie Lu’s Legend series is pretty plot-driven. I’ll give you that. But who would care one whit about the plot if Day and June weren’t a part of it? Not me. They are so different: charming, confident Day and steady, determined June. Despite their differences, they work together, and the story is better because of them.

Really, both of the books in this series would belong on this list, but I liked JUST ONE DAY a little better, so that’s the one I’m highlighting here. Allyson is one of those characters that draws you in because so many of her troubles are the same kinds of things we deal or dealt with ourselves. And her day with Willem is so not just about the traveling. At all. It’s about them and what they grown to mean to each other in such a short time and how Allyson grows from that one day. Perfect character-driven stuff going on.

The ultimate, in my opinion. Every week when I’m thinking of my Top Ten Tuesday list, there’s one book that always comes to mind immediately, and ELEANOR & PARK was that book for me this week. Eleanor and Park obviously not only MAKE the story in ELEANOR & PARK, they ARE the story, and not just because the book is so clearly about them. They are the story because of who Rainbow Rowell made them and the way they slowly become friends and more, and the way they support each other. I’m going to reread this one soon, too. Because I miss them.