If you're trying to sneak in classics, maybe Things Fall Apart? It's written with great clarity. Or Go Tell It On the Mountain. Or both! They're both great.
Sherman Alexie would also appeal to a teenaged boy, I think! And (this is kind of a weird rec) English, August, which is about a guy dealing with ennui and depression in his Indian civil service job from the 1980s. There isn't any sex because he's rather unlucky, but he spends a lot of time getting high and wanking. I've made it sound horrible, but I promise it's not as crass as that! It's a bit hard to find, though. Hanif Kureishi is easier, and he's brash in a way teeanged me would like.
Maybe Winter's Bone? The style is kind of intricate but the story is really exciting, high stakes, etc.
Also, on an SFF note, Patricia McKillip's The Riddle Master of Hed would probably be good! Maybe also The Last Unicorn; the novel is less sentimental than the movie.
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Sherman Alexie would also appeal to a teenaged boy, I think! And (this is kind of a weird rec) English, August, which is about a guy dealing with ennui and depression in his Indian civil service job from the 1980s. There isn't any sex because he's rather unlucky, but he spends a lot of time getting high and wanking. I've made it sound horrible, but I promise it's not as crass as that! It's a bit hard to find, though. Hanif Kureishi is easier, and he's brash in a way teeanged me would like.
Maybe Winter's Bone? The style is kind of intricate but the story is really exciting, high stakes, etc.
Also, on an SFF note, Patricia McKillip's The Riddle Master of Hed would probably be good! Maybe also The Last Unicorn; the novel is less sentimental than the movie.