16 must-read fiction books like Bread and Water by Eileen Myles

Cover of Bread and Water by Eileen Myles

Bread and Water

By: Eileen Myles

4.33

Format: 208 pages, Paperback

None

If you liked the fiction plot in Bread and Water by Eileen Myles , here is a list of 16 books like this:

Cover of La salvación de lo bello by Byung-Chul Han

1. La salvación de lo bello

By: Byung-Chul Han

3.58

Format: 24 pages, Paperback

Lo pulido, lo liso, lo impecable, son la sena de identidad de nuestra epoca. Son lo que tienen en c… read more

Similar categories in Byung-Chul Han's La salvación de lo bello book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

Cover of Story of the Eye by Georges Bataille, Joachim Neugroschel, Dovid Bergelson

2. Story of the Eye

By: Georges Bataille , Joachim Neugroschel , Dovid Bergelson

3.66

Format: 103 pages, Paperback

Only Georges Bataille could write, of an eyeball removed from a corpse, that "the caress of the eye… read more

Similar categories in Georges Bataille's Story of the Eye book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

  • fiction
"We pedaled rapidly, without laughing or speaking, peculiarly satisfied with our mutual presence, akin to one another in the common isolation of lewdness, weariness, and absurdity."

-Georges Bataille, Story of the Eye

"Simone was tall and lovely. She was usually very natural; there was nothing heartbreaking in her eyes or her voice. But on a sensual level, she so bluntly craved any upheaval that the faintest call f…"

-Georges Bataille, Story of the Eye

"I remember that one day, when we were in a car tooling along at top speed,we crashed into a cyclist, an apparently very young and very pretty girl. Her head was almost totally ripped off by the wheel…"

-Georges Bataille, Story of the Eye

"As for the fact that Simone dared to piss on the corpse, whether in boredom or, at worst, in irritation: it mainly goes to prove how impossible it was for us to understand what was happening, and of …"

-Georges Bataille, Story of the Eye

Cover of The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson

3. The Argonauts

By: Maggie Nelson

3.91

Format: 240 pages, Hardcover

An intrepid voyage out to the frontiers of the latest thinking about love, language, and family Ma… read more

Similar categories in Maggie Nelson's The Argonauts book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

4. The Book of Embraces

By: Eduardo Galeano , Mark Schafer , Cedric Belfrage

3.51

Format: None pages,

Parable, paradox, anecdote, dream, and autobiography blend into an exuberant world view and affirma… read more

Similar categories in Eduardo Galeano's The Book of Embraces book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

5. Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography

By: Roland Barthes , Richard Howard

4.07

Format: None pages, Paperback

A graceful, contemplative volume, Camera Lucidawas first published in 1979. Commenting on artists s… read more

Similar categories in Roland Barthes's Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

6. Zami: A New Spelling of My Name

By: Audre Lorde

3.88

Format: 96 pages, Paperback

ZAMI is a fast-moving chronicle. From the author's vivid childhood memories in Harlem to her coming… read more

Similar categories in Audre Lorde's Zami: A New Spelling of My Name book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

7. Dept. of Speculation

By: Jenny Offill

4.60

Format: 200 pages, Hardcover

Dept. of Speculation is a portrait of a marriage. It is also a beguiling rumination on the mysterie… read more

Similar categories in Jenny Offill's Dept. of Speculation book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

Cover of Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux

8. Simple Passion

By: Annie Ernaux

3.93

Format: 67 pages, Paperback

In her spare, stark style, Annie Ernaux documents the desires and indignities of a human heart ensn… read more

Similar categories in Annie Ernaux's Simple Passion book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

  • fiction
"I experienced pleasure like a future pain."

-Annie Ernaux, Simple Passion

"I do not wish to explain my passion—that would imply that it was a mistake or some disorder I need to justify—I just want to describe it."

-Annie Ernaux, Simple Passion

"A partir du mois de septembre l'année dernière, je n'ai plus rien fait d'autre qu'attendre un homme : qu'il me téléphone et qu'il vienne chez moi."

-Annie Ernaux, Simple Passion

"Yet it is that surreal, almost non-existent last visit that gives my passion its true meaning, which is precisely to be meaningless, and to have been for two years the most violent and unaccountable …"

-Annie Ernaux, Simple Passion

Cover of The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise by Olivia Laing

9. The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise

By: Olivia Laing

4.07

Format: 336 pages, Hardcover

In 2020, Olivia Laing began to restore a walled garden in Suffolk, an overgrown Eden of unusual pla… read more

Similar categories in Olivia Laing's The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

"One of the operations by which capitalism perpetuates itself is displacement, the determined and absolute separation of the product from the site of production, so that when we buy petrol or peat fro…"

-Olivia Laing, The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise

Cover of The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century by Olga Ravn

10. The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century

By: Olga Ravn

3.67

Format: 136 pages, Paperback

A workplace novel of the 22nd century The near-distant future. Millions of kilometres from Earth… read more

Similar categories in Olga Ravn's The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

  • fiction
"This is not a human, but a coworker."

-Olga Ravn, The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century

"Cada ação encerra em si um elemento de caos."

-Olga Ravn, The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century

"Tudo precisa atravessar enormes distâncias para se tornar o que é."

-Olga Ravn, The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century

"Eu também tenho em mim palavras apagadas que deveria ter dito e já não sei mais o que significam."

-Olga Ravn, The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century

Cover of All Fours by Miranda July

11. All Fours

By: Miranda July

3.81

Format: 336 pages, Hardcover

The New York Times–bestselling author of The First Bad Man returns with an irreverently sexy, tende… read more

Similar categories in Miranda July's All Fours book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

  • fiction
"But maybe the road split between: a life spent longing vs. a life that was continually surprising"

-Miranda July, All Fours

"Maybe we shouldn't do that," Jordi said. "Flatten ourselves like that. Erratic doesn't have to mean crazy or irresponsible. Shouldn't we be normalizing change?"

-Miranda July, All Fours

"I guess any calling, no mater what it is, is a kind of unresolved ache," I said, giving in to knowing more than him. "It's a problem that you can't fix, but there is some relief in knowing you will c…"

-Miranda July, All Fours

"For me lying created just the right amount of problems and what you saw was just one of my four or five faces- each real, each with different needs. The only dangerous lie was one that asked me to co…"

-Miranda July, All Fours

Cover of Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad

12. Enter Ghost

By: Isabella Hammad

4.09

Format: 336 pages, Hardcover

A bold, evocative new novel from the Sue Kaufman, Betty Trask and Plimpton Prize Award winner Isabe… read more

Similar categories in Isabella Hammad's Enter Ghost book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

  • fiction
Cover of The Friend by Sigrid Nunez

13. The Friend

By: Sigrid Nunez

3.77

Format: 212 pages, Paperback

A moving story of love, friendship, grief, healing, and the magical bond between a woman and her do… read more

Similar categories in Sigrid Nunez's The Friend book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

  • fiction
"I like that the Aborigines say dogs make people human"

-Sigrid Nunez, The Friend

"I know this is all moronically anthropomorphic, but sometimes that is the form love takes."

-Sigrid Nunez, The Friend

"Anthropomorphism, I've decided, is inescapable, and though I might try to hide it I no longer fight it."

-Sigrid Nunez, The Friend

"There's a certain type of person who, having read this far, is anxiously wondering: Does something bad happen to the dog?"

-Sigrid Nunez, The Friend

Cover of Biography of X by Catherine Lacey

14. Biography of X

By: Catherine Lacey

3.85

Format: 416 pages, Hardcover

From one of our fiercest stylists, a roaring epic chronicling the life, times, and secrets of a not… read more

Similar categories in Catherine Lacey's Biography of X book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

  • fiction
"One of the armed guards smiled and said, “God bless,"

-Catherine Lacey, Biography of X

"Who can say who I are, how many I are, which I is the most I of my I’s?"

-Catherine Lacey, Biography of X

"She could not hurt me. I had no more space, at the time, to hold any new hurts."

-Catherine Lacey, Biography of X

"She kept losing track of the people she loved, and losing track of herself along with them."

-Catherine Lacey, Biography of X

Cover of Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel

15. Headshot

By: Rita Bullwinkel

3.63

Format: 224 pages, Hardcover

An electrifying debut novel from an “unusually gifted writer” (Lorrie Moore) about the radical inti… read more

Similar categories in Rita Bullwinkel's Headshot book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

  • fiction
"The desire to please people is the desire to not be singular."

-Rita Bullwinkel, Headshot

"Tanya Maw's sister is two years older, the perfect age gap for wisdom transmission."

-Rita Bullwinkel, Headshot

"It can be intoxicating to play a sport that requires one to look in their opponent's eyes."

-Rita Bullwinkel, Headshot

"It's a warmth that she'll feel again very few times in her life. It's almost like love, but it has a surer, less desperate edge to it."

-Rita Bullwinkel, Headshot

Cover of My Death by Lisa Tuttle

16. My Death

By: Lisa Tuttle

3.98

Format: 93 pages, Paperback

A widowed writer begins to work on a biography of a novelist and artist—and soon uncovers bizarre p… read more

Similar categories in Lisa Tuttle's My Death book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

  • short stories
  • fiction
Cover of Nevada by Imogen Binnie

17. Nevada

By: Imogen Binnie

3.97

Format: 290 pages, Paperback

A beloved and blistering cult classic and finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Fi… read more

Similar categories in Imogen Binnie's Nevada book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

  • fiction
"James does what anybody would do when they see somebody they'd like to know: he ignores the shit out of her."

-Imogen Binnie, Nevada

"It's like I got drunk all the time not because I'm a total addict but because it was a coping mechanism to deal with being unhappy"

-Imogen Binnie, Nevada

"Oh, Williamsburg. There was a point when you seemed like a scary, tough neighborhood, but now it's obvious that the graffiti on your walls gets put there by art students."

-Imogen Binnie, Nevada

"Eventually you can't help but figure out that, while gender is a construct, so is a traffic light, and if you ignore either of them, you get hit by cars. Which, also, are constructs."

-Imogen Binnie, Nevada

Cover of Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls

18. Mrs. Caliban

By: Rachel Ingalls

3.76

Format: 128 pages, Paperback

Now back in print, Mrs. Caliban is “totally unforgettable” ( The New York Times Book Review ) and “… read more

Similar categories in Rachel Ingalls's Mrs. Caliban book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

  • fiction
"Drugs,"

-Rachel Ingalls, Mrs. Caliban

"Why do you call him a monster?"

-Rachel Ingalls, Mrs. Caliban

"I can’t imagine living in a different time,"

-Rachel Ingalls, Mrs. Caliban

"Still, people would notice a man with a green head. I guess I should get you a wig."

-Rachel Ingalls, Mrs. Caliban

Cover of I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokpokki by Baek Se-hee

19. I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokpokki

By: Baek Se-hee

3.28

Format: 232 pages, Paperback

The South Korean runaway bestseller, debut author Baek Sehee's intimate therapy memoir, as recommen… read more

Similar categories in Baek Se-hee's I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokpokki book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

"Togetherness means altruism, and altruism is what saves us from selfishness."

-Baek Se-hee, I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokpokki

"For example, when you’re co-dependent on your partner you resent them, but when you leave your partner, you feel anxious and bereft."

-Baek Se-hee, I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokpokki

"Fear increases when it's something that you keep to yourself. Instead of suffering alone, it can often be good to share it with someone else."

-Baek Se-hee, I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokpokki

"What matters isn't what people say but what you like and find joy in. I hope you focus less on how you look to other people and more on fulfilling your true desires."

-Baek Se-hee, I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokpokki

Cover of Play Boy by Constance Debré

20. Play Boy

By: Constance Debré

3.25

Format: 187 pages, Paperback

" J'ai même pas osé mettre la langue la première fois que j'ai embrassé une fille. C'était après La… read more

Similar categories in Constance Debré's Play Boy book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

  • fiction
Cover of Ten Bridges I've Burnt: A Memoir in Verse by Brontez Purnell

21. Ten Bridges I've Burnt: A Memoir in Verse

By: Brontez Purnell

4.16

Format: 144 pages, Paperback

"This book is brutal and brutally honest, but still perversely addictive because Brontez Purnell is… read more

Similar categories in Brontez Purnell's Ten Bridges I've Burnt: A Memoir in Verse book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

Cover of Alphabetical Diaries by Sheila Heti

22. Alphabetical Diaries

By: Sheila Heti

4.02

Format: 224 pages, Hardcover

A thrilling confessional from the award-winning, beloved author of Pure Colour. Sheila Heti kept a… read more

Similar categories in Sheila Heti's Alphabetical Diaries book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

Cover of Feminine Hijinx (Hanuman Book No. 41) by Dodie Bellamy

23. Feminine Hijinx (Hanuman Book No. 41)

By: Dodie Bellamy

4.33

Format: 160 pages, Paperback

fiction, two early stories read more

Similar categories in Dodie Bellamy's Feminine Hijinx (Hanuman Book No. 41) book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

Cover of The Complete Fear of Kathy Acker by Jack Skelley

24. The Complete Fear of Kathy Acker

By: Jack Skelley

3.89

Format: 136 pages, Paperback

The first complete edition of this notorious novel which maps the 1980s anarchic underground of Los… read more

Similar categories in Jack Skelley's The Complete Fear of Kathy Acker book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

  • fiction
Cover of Ice Storm by John Ashbery

25. Ice Storm

By: John Ashbery

4.05

Format: 32 pages, Paperback

a poem in prose, miniature book format read more

Similar categories in John Ashbery's Ice Storm book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

Cover of Bread and Water by Eileen Myles

26. Bread and Water

By: Eileen Myles

4.33

Format: 208 pages, Paperback

None read more

Similar categories in Eileen Myles's Bread and Water book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

  • short stories
  • fiction
Cover of Garden of Ashes (Hanuman, Book No. 34) by Cookie Mueller

27. Garden of Ashes (Hanuman, Book No. 34)

By: Cookie Mueller

4.43

Format: 120 pages, Paperback

None read more

Similar categories in Cookie Mueller's Garden of Ashes (Hanuman, Book No. 34) book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

Cover of The Lie of the Truth and Other Parables from the Way of Liberation by René Daumal

28. The Lie of the Truth and Other Parables from the Way of Liberation

By: René Daumal

4.06

Format: 44 pages, Paperback

essay, tr Jesse Browner read more

Similar categories in René Daumal's The Lie of the Truth and Other Parables from the Way of Liberation book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

Cover of Alien Daughters Walk Into the Sun: An Almanac of Extreme Girlhood (Semiotext(e) / Native Agents) by Jackie Wang

29. Alien Daughters Walk Into the Sun: An Almanac of Extreme Girlhood (Semiotext(e) / Native Agents)

By: Jackie Wang

4.39

Format: 408 pages, Paperback

The early writings of renowned poet and critical theorist Jackie Wang, drawn from her early zines, … read more

Similar categories in Jackie Wang's Alien Daughters Walk Into the Sun: An Almanac of Extreme Girlhood (Semiotext(e) / Native Agents) book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

Cover of Concerning the Future of Souls by Joy Williams

30. Concerning the Future of Souls

By: Joy Williams

4.05

Format: 176 pages, Hardcover

“Quite possibly America's best living writer of short stories.”—NPR“Williams is a writer for our b… read more

Similar categories in Joy Williams's Concerning the Future of Souls book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

  • short stories
  • fiction
Cover of My Lesbian Novel by Renee Gladman

31. My Lesbian Novel

By: Renee Gladman

4.27

Format: 152 pages, Paperback

In both her writing and her visual art, Renee Gladman is a brilliant investigator of life, always p… read more

Similar categories in Renee Gladman's My Lesbian Novel book and Eileen Myles's Bread and Water

  • fiction

20 must-read fiction books like Biography of X by Catherine Lacey

Transform Your Habits

Rouge

Mona Awad

3.56

Transform Your Habits

Penance

Eliza Clark

3.90

Transform Your Habits

All Fours

Miranda July

3.81

Transform Your Habits

Beautyland

Marie-Helene Bertino

4.15

View all the books

Never miss a story from us, get weekly updates in your inbox.