In a novel (and in life), ambition is a potent force. To want, to want, to want. It is the gasoline fueling a character to do and say all sorts of craziness. But like any explosive force, ambition – especially unfulfilled ambition – is toxic. Eats away at you.
And yet, what is ambition really? Is it an individual’s honorable quest, as some say, to simply live out the totality of their potential? Or, is ambition merely a byproduct of a society that cannot separate being from having? Is ambition innate to a person’s identity, or does ambition only exist in a communal context? To have power, to have importance, to have affluence? If we were the last person on earth, would there be a point to being ambitious?
My debut novel, Tilt, is a novel about an earthquake but it is also a novel about ambition. Specifically, the kind that is unfulfilled. The kind that eats you alive. The narrator, Annie, was a gifted child and a playwright prodigy who became a very regular and unremarkable adult. Now, having survived a massive earthquake, walking in desperate search of her husband, Annie must take one last hard look at her dreams, and ask herself if she can ever truly put them down, and what they’ve cost her.
Here are 8 contemporary novels that explore ambition in complicated, nuanced, and exciting ways:
Colored Television by Danzy Senna
My favorite book of 2024. Colored Television casts an unflinching eye on the often unspoken desire behind many people’s ambitions: to get rich. A whip-sharp look at the marriage of two artists living in LA, this book is full of the stink of failure and the sweaty desperateness of class aspiration.
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
This was probably the first “ambition book” I ever read and it so closely aligned with my own artistic ambitions that it took me a minute to truly understand its depth. Casey is 31, her mother has just died, she works at a waitress and lives in someone’s garage. And she cannot let go of her dream of being a writer. This book will stay with you for long, long, after you finish it.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
In Convenience Store Woman, the main character isn’t suffering from ambition, but a lack of it. And she’s not suffering. That’s the whole problem. Keiko has worked at a convenience store for 18 years, is unmarried and childless, and lives in a modest home. Everybody around her sees her as deserving of pity because she hasn’t accomplished anything. But she is content. This book will pull you in with a seemingly simple premise but actually accomplishes something quite profound: making you question why we need ambition at all.
Great Expectations by Vinson Cunningham
Written by a staffer on Obama’s first presidential campaign, Great Expectations is as much about aspiration as it is about ambition. A coming-of-age story, a record of a distinct moment in American history, and an examination of politics, race, religion, and family. A book written with so much heart and style you won’t even notice yourself turning the pages.
So Big by Edna Ferber
Inspired by a true story, So Big is about a woman who is determined to make something of her life no matter what it takes. When she has a son, she names him So Big, and puts her own dreams to the side in order to help foster his. As every child gymnast tells us, that never goes great! This book is an examination of the American Dream, and asks us that eternal question: is it better to chase money or to be true to yourself?
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
The Interestings follows a group of teenagers who meet at a summer camp for the arts and remain friends through middle age. They’re talented, hopeful, and ambitious. But they soon realize that’s not enough. Some of them give up on their dreams for money. Some find fame and fortune. A really interesting (lol) look at art and envy, and the pain of comparison.
The White Tiger by Aravind Adina
Written in the form of a letter, The White Tiger tells the story of a Indian man who was born into incredible poverty and is now a self-made entrepreneur, and murderer. Aravind Adina is one of my favorite writers, and this book is no exception. At turns a social critique of modern-day India, a meticulous satire of greed and striving, and an examination of ambition that comes from desperation but truly eats you alive. I read a review that called it an “anguishing howl of rage” about poverty and class inequity. I’d say that pretty much nails it.
Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
A tragic death, a stolen manuscript, a faux racial identity, a scathing insider look at the publishing industry – what more do you want in a book? What Yellowface lacks in nuance, it makes up for in funny page-turning delight. You will read this book fast.
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