Elizabeth Day has embraced narratives around belonging, identity, and the subtle sorrow of social alienation throughout her career. In her latest novel, One of Us, she delves into the lives of the powerful elite, revealing a fundamental story of outsiders and the emotional toll of marginalization, reports BritPanorama.
Day’s previous works, including bestselling novels and her popular podcast How To Fail, have also explored the complexities of human experience amidst societal pressures. In sharing her journey, she reflects on the novels that have profoundly influenced her understanding of outsidership, offering insights into both her writing and personal life.
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Day highlights Kazuo Ishiguro’s ability to portray outsiders, noting, “Ishiguro is brilliant at writing outsiders because he understands that, at some fundamental level, these characters are also strangers to their real selves.” She cites Stevens, the repressed butler in The Remains of the Day, as emblematic of this theme—an observer of significant events yet forever distanced from genuine human connection.
In an interview with Ishiguro for her podcast, she explored how his upbringing from Japan to the UK shaped his perception of dislocation. “His thoughtful answers make it one of my most memorable podcast conversations,” she adds.
Faber, £8.99
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“One of my favourite novels of all time, on any theme,” says Day of Adichie’s Americanah. The story follows Ifemelu, who leaves Nigeria for the United States, confronting the stark realities of race and identity. As she navigates life as an immigrant and later returns to Nigeria, she embodies the struggle of belonging—caught between two cultures, she finds herself perpetually adrift.
Fourth Estate, £9.99
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Day recounts her experience reading Jean Rhys’s novel in Dominica, its setting underscoring the atmospheric intensity of the story. Rhys reinterprets the tale of the “madwoman in the attic” from Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, presenting Antoinette, a Creole woman caught between cultural identities. Day emphasizes how Rhys’s exploration of race, gender, and empire articulates the complexities of being an outsider.
Penguin Modern Classics, £7.99
The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr Ripley serves as a poignant example of outsidership, according to Day. She describes Tom Ripley’s entanglement with the affluent Dickie Greenleaf as a chilling narrative of sociopathy and longing. “Highsmith writes Ripley without judgment, letting the reader slowly piece together their own discomfort,” she says, highlighting the novel’s psychological depth.
Vintage Classics, £9.99
The Go-Between by LP Hartley
Describing LP Hartley’s The Go-Between, Day reflects on its portrayal of innocence and betrayal through the eyes of schoolboy Leo Colston. During a summer spent with his upper-class friend, Leo’s awareness of his social standing and role as a messenger between love interests exemplifies the tension of being on the periphery of his peers’ world.
Penguin Modern Classics, £8.99
‘One of Us’ is published by Fourth Estate, £18.99
