Published in 1899, Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” is a fascinating story about a young married woman, Edna Pontellier, who feels trapped in her marriage. She seeks passionate affairs, shunning her domestic life in search of independence.

The novella was revolutionary for its time. Edna openly describes her infidelity. She moves away from the family home and goes out in search of something more for herself.

This compares to popular Victorian representations of marriage and motherhood. Edna isn’t afraid to express how she really feels. For that reason, the novella feels modern in tone.

Online reviewers praise “The Awakening” for its honest portrayal of Edna. She is unwilling to live within the confines of her society. Readers also enjoy Chopin’s beautiful writing style and her ability to pack so much thoughtful prose into such a short narrative.

“Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck is a short novella about George and Lennie, two poor migrant workers who come to work on a ranch in California. There, they meet a range of characters, including Curley, the boss’s son, and his wife (known only as Curley’s Wife). They also meet Crooks, the Black stable hand, and Slim, a kind man who befriends the new workers.

As with many of Steinbeck’s works, “Of Mice and Men” gives a voice to working-class and marginalized characters. Lennie is a mentally disabled man, struggling with what we may now recognize as learning difficulties. Crooks is a Black man living in a time of intense discrimination. Curley’s wife represents the effects of misogyny in early 20th-century America.

Steinbeck’s novella comments on the great injustices in American society at the time. In just 29,160 words, “Of Mice and Men” explores universal themes like friendship, race and the American Dream.

Editor’s note: Read Joseph’s reflection on why John Steinbeck is his favorite author.

“Animal Farm” is one of the most widely read novellas in history. Published in 1945, it tells the story of a farm taken over by its mistreated animals — a not-so-subtle allegory for the 1917 Russian Revolution.

The animals include the old, wise pig, Old Major, who is thought to represent Karl Marx or Lenin, and Farmer Jones, who represents the deposed Tsar Nicholas II. Pigs Napoleon and Snowball are thought to represent Stalin and Trotsky, respectively.

These newly appointed leaders strive to create an idealistic paradise for the animals on the farm. However, they end up living in a brutal totalitarian society, arguably just as bad as the one they overthrew in the first place.

“Animal Farm” is dystopian fiction at its finest, using satire and comedy to comment on the negative effects of totalitarianism. Orwell uses a small number of pages to create a clever political commentary with considerable plot and nuance.

“Foster” is a modern novella about a young girl who is sent to live with foster parents on a farm in rural Ireland. There, she begins to thrive, but a hidden secret threatens to tear apart her new family life.

The novella, by Claire Keegan, won the Davy Byrnes Memorial Prize in 2009. The story is beautifully written, with Keegan tackling important themes like parenting, grief and family ties.

In just over 101 pages, Keegan’s novella examines in detail the young narrator’s thoughts as she grows and develops in her new home. It is a subtle and touching story that shows the importance of nurture and care in a young child’s life.

“Foster” was adapted into an Irish-language film called “The Quiet Girl” in 2022. The following year, the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. It was the first Irish-language film to ever be nominated in this category.

Justin Torres’ debut novella, “We the Animals,” is one of the best novellas in contemporary fiction. It tells the story of three brothers of white and Puerto Rican heritage, growing up in a chaotic and toxic household in upstate New York.

Thought to be based on the author’s own childhood, the novella is a poignant and heartbreaking exploration of the brothers’ relationship, covering hard-hitting themes like identity, abuse and poverty.

Readers online praise “We the Animals” for its evocative prose and its ability to transport the reader into the narrator’s impoverished family home. It is a short novella, but it is as complex and nuanced as any novel.

“We the Animals” may particularly appeal to young adult readers or those looking to expand their LGBTQIA+ reading selection.

First published in 1995, “I Who Have Never Known Men” is a science fiction novella. It tells the story of 39 women and a young girl held prisoner in a cage underground. They have no notion of time and no memory of how they got there.

One day, they manage to escape. They find themselves in a desolate and barren plain that seems far removed from their memories of the world. There, they must struggle to build a new community on Earth.

The novella is a strange, touching and heartbreaking story, inspired by Harpman’s own experiences of exile during the Second World War. It considers the strong ties of female friendship and just how far people will go to find some semblance of humanity.

At roughly 48,000 words, “I Who Have Never Known Men” is considered a relatively long novella, using elements of dystopia, science fiction, feminist literature and literary fiction.

Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” is a classic novella, first published in 1915. The story follows Gregor Samsa, a salesman who wakes up to find himself transformed into a big insect.

The novella portrays his struggles to accept his new condition. It also considers his family’s reaction, who are disgusted by Gregor’s new form and find it hard to make ends meet with their main breadwinner now unable to go to work.

Like many novellas, “The Metamorphosis” focuses on just one story, but it effectively explores Gregor’s inner thoughts, as well as his family’s growing frustrations. It is complex, considering themes like the human condition and the very nature of existence – all in roughly 21,810 words.

Although it is a short novella, “The Metamorphosis” is actually considered the longest of Kafka’s stories completed and published during his lifetime.

Often compared to Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis,” “The Stranger” was first published in French in 1942 as “L’Étranger.” It follows the story of Meursault, a white Frenchman living in French Algeria.

After his mother’s funeral, Meursault kills an unnamed Arab man in Algiers and finds himself feeling completely detached from the situation. The story is told entirely from Meursault’s perspective, split into two sections to recount his life before and after the killing.

Albert Camus’ novella is a philosophical exploration of absurdism. He considers the purposelessness of life, using Meursault’s emotional detachment from his actions to reflect his refusal to engage with societal norms, even when it comes to murder.

The novella uses just 36,750 words to tell a complex story about important themes like colonialism, absurdism and free will.

“Mrs. Caliban” is an intriguing novella about Dorothy, a lonely housewife who one day hears a radio announcement about an escaped monster. She begins an illicit affair with the monster, with Ingalls cleverly blurring the line between real and imagined.

First published in 1982, “Mrs. Caliban” uses elements of fantasy, magical realism, romance and science fiction to create a compelling comment on women’s repression in mid-20th-century America. It is a short but profound read.

Despite receiving much critical acclaim, Mrs. Caliban has never won any major literary awards. However, the British Book Marketing Council named the book as one of the 20 best American novels published since World War Two.