Short fiction - Novellas - Christchurch City Libraries
Not quite a novel, but longer than a short story - this list of novellas includes stories from all over the world, written across many genres and eras. There are some big names in this list, and novellas are a great way to read some classics without committing to a hefty tome! From H.G. Wells and Ottesha Moshfegh, to Ian McEwan and Nora Ephron - there's something here for everyone, all easily read in a session or two. A Christchurch City Libraries list.
‘The Factory’ is a quirky 116-page novella which tells the surreal story of three Japanese factory workers who, while navigating their mind-numbingly boring work tasks, start to realise that the factory is slowly taking over their lives and blurring…
A spooky 165-page tale inspired by the 1612 Pendle witch trials, this is a beautiful mix of supernatural, historical realism, and horrifying brutality. If you enjoy stories about power, fear and the harsh reality of the darkness of human nature,…
A sailor wakes with a huge hangover and tries to reassemble the happenings of the previous night - he's locked up onboard ship facing a murder charge, so things must've gotten pretty out of hand. Amazingly dark and vivid descriptive writing from a…
Hemingway's classic tale of an old man and his determination to catch a giant marlin may not sound terribly promising at first, but the depth and scope of this story makes for incredible reading. A beautifully written exploration of humanity, life,…
A trim dystopian novel at 126 pages, written in sparse prose and quickly digested. England is flooded and chaos has descended. An older mother with her first and desperately desired child flees to "safety" with her partner. Staying alive involves…
An imaginative western about a recently widowed man who embarks upon a trek across America in search of a creature that may or may not be real. He leaves his young daughter behind in the care of his sister, and as the journey continues she becomes…
H.G. Wells is a giant in the world of fantastical sci-fi, and 'The Time Machine' is arguably his greatest work. An eccentric Victorian inventor loses his beloved and travels through time to save her, but what he finds throughout the depth and…
A harrowing yet beautiful look at 24 hours of life in a Stalinist Russian prison and labour camp. Our central character strives hard to maintain dignity in the face of inhumanity, where seemingly ordinary objects take on great significance in the…
Set in the 1890s, and covering themes of survival and determination, this classic adventure novella features a dog named Buck as its main character. Used to his cozy life in suburban California, Buck suddenly finds himself working as the newest mail…
Thinly veiled as fiction, this often-hilarious account of infidelity and divorce is based on Nora Ephron's break-up with Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein. While best known for her screenwriting, Nora Ephron's slender tome (179 pages) is the dream…
This classic explores the effects of duality and hidden desires. The mild-mannered Dr. Jekyll crafts a
potion, unleashing his secret evil persona upon the world. Since its release the phrase 'Jekyll and Hyde' has entered our vernacular to describe…
‘The Outsider’, sometimes known as 'The Stranger', is a thought-provoking classic which covers themes of justice, society, and individualism. With a matter-of-fact style that enhances the depth of its mere 126 pages, this novella tells the story of…
Inspired by an award-winning rap song of the same name, 'The Deep' tells the story of a society of aquatic humanoids descended from African slave women who were thrown overboard while pregnant. One person in this underwater paradise is chosen to…
With lush prose and themes of racism, reflection and hope, highly acclaimed author Toni Morrison skilfully and eloquently compresses a profound journey of discovery into just 160 pages. Mentally scarred from serving in the Korean war, black veteran…
This bite-sized gothic thriller follows an unnamed narrator who scams people for a living by offering ‘psychic’ readings. Sensing some easy cash, the narrator gets more than she bargained for when she’s invited to investigate some seemingly…
In 1940s New York, narrator Fred describes his growing friendship with the iconic Holly Golightly. Throwing lavish parties for gangsters and Hollywood millionaires alike, while yearning for a sense of belonging, heartbreaker Holly is less dreamy and…
If you like vivid settings and lyrical prose, you’ll enjoy this intricate, mesmerising duo of linked novellas. Set in Victorian England, ‘Angels and Insects’ is both a love story about insect-lover turned expeditioner William Adamson and his wealthy…
A totally wild, original, and achingly funny novella about the city of LA - the inequality, the impact of climate change, and the daily grind - all seen through the eyes of a desperately hungry, curious, and sometimes scathing mountain lion. Told in…
Told in two voices, this slim, propulsive novella transports us to 14th century England and follows two real-life women - Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe - as they grapple with their powerful visions, conversations with god, and the realities of…
Lizzie is working in a university library and trying to hold it together for her family, her customers and herself. The tension between the mundane and the growing worry about the state of the world is beautifully captured through Lizzie's internal…
