From Pride and Prejudice to Detransition, Baby, the romcom can be an enduring source of great pleasure, fun and comfort. This month we’re thrilled to welcome the American writer Curtis Sittenfeld to talk about her latest novel Romantic Comedy, a smart and funny story about how love can upend all kinds of preconceptions and expectations. It also gave us the perfect opportunity to think about the possibilities of the genre more generally, and whether it can ever escape the imprint of the patriarchal and heteronormative structures that underpin so many classic love stories.

Recommendations on the theme, Romantic Comedy:

Octavia: A Room With A View by E.M. Forster

Carrie: Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny

General Recommendations:

Octavia: August Blue by Deborah Levy

Curtis: Everything's Fine by Cecilia Rabess

Carrie: Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

Find a list of all recommended books at: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/june-2023-romantic-comedy-with-curtis-sittenfeld

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