I really do mean to read the books I take on holiday. But if I ever get accused of “performative” non-reading, I won’t have a good defence: I usually read half a page, get annoyed by the sun’s glare, and put it back down.
And that’s when I can be bothered to bring my reading material with me to begin with. Bigger, bulkier books won’t realistically take priority in that jam-packed beach bag, and it’s not like my sun-addled brain is really craving massive tomes.
In fact, I think knowing I won’t finish the story before I’m back in the airport puts me off a bit. So, we thought we’d round up eight short, small books under 250 pages you might actually finish on holiday (with two bonuses):
1) The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
Described as an “audacious lèse majesté” by The Guardian, this one-sitting book imagines a Queen who reads voraciously, asks her subjects “what are you reading?” instead of “how did you get here?” (a move hilariously accused of being “elitist”), and has plenty of thoughts on Proust. It’s zippy and deeply funny.
Length*: 120 pages
Read: Anywhere. It’s so addictive, you could stay hooked on a plane
*All page lengths are taken from GoodReads. Your copy may differ
2) Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield
When Miri’s wife, Leah, returns from a deep-sea mission, the pair hope everything’s back to normal. But there’s been a “reusfacing glitch”, which this horror-realist, Polari-Prize-winning book explores in ways my colleague called “amazing/heartbreaking”. It’s also been described by the LA Review of Books as an “elliptical, leaky manual on how to live in the half-known life”.
Length: 240 pages
Read: Wherever you can cry in peace, and maybe not right after dinner
3) Before The Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
In a Toyko café, a special offer is on the menu: you can order time travel alongside your latte. This book tracks four people who want to take advantage of the deal for various reasons, but find it comes with consequential caveats.
Length: 213 pages
Read: In a scenic café, if you want to be on the nose about it
4) My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Sibling rivalry, men, and murder feature heavily in this darkly hilarious novel. Korede’s sister, Ayoola, puts a gory twist on the term “cleaning up someone else’s mess”, but even her patience is tried when her sibling aims a little too close to home.
Length: 226 pages
Read: When your sibling holiday no longer feels like a charming bonding exercise
5) The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante
Yes, that is the same story that was adapted into an Olivia Colman-fronted Netflix hit. Middle-aged divorcee Leda is alone on holiday, not having to take care of anyone for the first time in years. But when obsession over another, younger couple and a lost doll come into play, what should have been a period of self-rediscovery becomes what the New Yorker called a “brutally frank novel of maternal ambivalence”.
Length: 144 pages
Read: On a solo holiday, or when you’ve been fantasising about one
6) The Moorland Cottage by Elizabeth Gaskell
I’ve written before about why Austen and Brontë fans should give this Victorian author a read, but this short novel proves she’s a great pick for George Eliot fans too. A 1991 paper pointed out that Gaskell’s “little-known” book has been suggested as the “genesis” for the Middlemarch authors’ The Mill On The Floss since 1877. Certainly, the stunning descriptions of rural life, the headstrong female protagonist, and the tension between her ambition and the constraints of Victorian England would make any Eliot fan (including this one) very happy.
Length: 143 pages
Read: On a staycation somewhere in the countryside, and/or, with due respect, when you want the feel of Eliot without a PhD-level reference list
7) I’m A Fan by Sheena Patel
The Guardian said that many women might think they recognise the toxic, abusive man the main character deals with in this story, but added that this is only true because “the power of I’m a Fan comes from describing a classic (if poisonous) archetype that can be traced back to the beginning of time”. You’ll gasp, grimace, and groan your way through this pacy debut.
Length: 207 pages
Read: When you’re on an “I urgently need to get back to me” holiday
8) Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa
Protagonist Shaka Isawa was born with a muscle disorder that means she lives a rich life online; her sex life very much included. When one of her carers finds out about her steamier submissions, power, money, and intimacy change become subverted in deliciously complicated ways.
Length: 112 pages
Read: When you want your reading list to be the most memorable part of your holiday
Shout-outs
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donaghue
Though it’s a little long at 304 pages, a colleague said they tore through The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donaghue on a recent holiday. It’s about friendship, romance, and an ever-changing home.
Length: 304 pages
Read: When you want to say “I’ve read that!” when the upcoming Channel 4 series is released
Stories Of Your Life And Others by Ted Chiang
This is technically a collection of short stories, but among them is Story Of Your Life, which the movie Arrival is based on. You might find yourself caught up in the author’s impressive other works, which often focus on faintly ridiculous and always engaging “what if...?” plots, too.
Length: 281 pages
Read: Dip in when you want the joy of reading without the commitment of a novel
Bengali (Bangladesh) · 
English (United States) ·