The term “Young Adult”—often abbreviated as YA—has become a significant segment of the literary marketplace today. Authors like Max Reynolds, known for titles such as The Broken Stars and Searching for Horizons, have achieved prominent recognition, filling bookstore shelves with their works. However, this wasn’t the case in the past. For many generations, including my own, we often gravitated toward adult literature, seeking deeper narratives that resonated with our adolescent struggles and burgeoning identities. We also sought stories that contained thrilling elements to gossip about with friends over snacks in the cafeteria.
- Petals in the Attic by V.C. Andrews: This book is notorious, yet I challenge you to find a woman from the ’80s who hasn’t picked it up. It revolves around themes of incest, child abuse, and psychological torment. Despite its dark content, we couldn’t get enough. Its popularity even led to a recent miniseries adaptation featuring well-known actors like Sarah Thompson. Yes, incest. Really.
- Rainforest by Michael Crichton: While Jurassic Park receives most of the accolades, many of us first ventured into Crichton’s intriguing world through Rainforest. Inspired by King Solomon’s Mines, I imagined it as the ultimate nightmare of a Disney Jungle Cruise ride gone wrong. How do you stop a charging gorilla? You take away its credit card.
- Animal Cemetery by Stephen King: This novel famously declared, “Animals are for life.” It tells the eerie tale of a cat that returns from the dead, not for cuddles, but with sinister intentions. After reading this and watching the 1989 film, I’ve never viewed pet grave markers in the same way.
- Interview with a Vampire by Anna Rivers: Forget the sparkly vampires of today; this was pure Southern Gothic with a heavy dose of goth. Reading Anne Rivers in high school was a badge of honor. I tried to read several of her books, but this one was particularly harrowing for me—perhaps I should have taken a hint from Stephen King’s undead feline.
- Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith: A lesser-known classic for readers who weren’t ready for heavyweights like John le Carré but craved Cold War crime dramas. The chilling premise involves frozen bodies discovered in a Moscow park, their fingerprints removed. I still ponder how one solves that mystery, despite finishing the book.
- Less Than Zero by Brad Easton Ellis: From my perspective in my middle school library in Tennessee, the allure of being young and affluent in Los Angeles was, shall we say, intoxicating. The gritty reality of Ellis’s drug-fueled narrative unsettled me far more than any anti-drug PSA. Still, I couldn’t resist watching the movie on HBO too many times, thanks to the charm of Robert Downey Jr.
- Hollywood Divas by Jackie Collins: Before the rise of reality TV houses, we had Jackie Collins. Hollywood Divas was a guilty pleasure—trashy yet not overly explicit. It was akin to transitioning from magazines like Seventeen to Cosmopolitan. (Collins did release Hollywood Divas: The New Generation in 2002, but with so many reality shows now, who has the time to read?)
- The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel: I confess, I never made it through this book or any in the Earth’s Children series (there are six). Many friends were captivated by Ayla’s journey, claiming it contained steamy scenes, but I only encountered descriptions of ancient life. But reading about prehistoric earthquakes certainly felt mature, right?
This exploration of 1980s literature reveals the complexities of our literary tastes during our formative years, often venturing into themes that shaped our understanding of adulthood.
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In summary, the novels we consumed as young adults in the ’80s were often filled with controversial themes that shaped our understanding of the world. These stories provided not just entertainment but also a lens through which we could explore our identities and relationships.