Isabelle Popp has written all sorts of things, ranging from astrophysics research articles and math tests to crossword puzzles and poetry. These days she's writing romance. When she's not reading or writing, she's probably knitting or scouring used book stores for vintage gothic romance paperbacks. Originally from New York, she's as surprised as anyone that she lives in Bloomington, Indiana.
Recently, I wrote a list of books using the 1990s as a historical setting rather than a contemporary one. And now I’m back, looking at the next decade, the 2000s. We’re nearly halfway through the 2020s (don’t yell at me; it’s simply a fact). So we can definitely view the 2000s with some hindsight.
And if you thought the 1990s were a decade of rapid change, wait ‘til you think about the 2000s. I entered that decade not owning a cell phone, and left it with a smart phone. Americans started the decade in the Clinton Era and left in the Obama Era, with a whooooole Bush Era in the middle. Many people entered the decade feeling financially optimistic and then a global recession dropped the hammer near the end.
As I said in my other article, none of these novels yet qualify as historical fiction by the people who keep tabs on these things. Still, the authors chose this era for a reason. Most of these novels incorporate specific historical moments, making sense of them with some distance.
This list definitely incorporates a breadth of experiences. Still, I had a tough time finding books specifically set in the 2000s outside of the United States. Much of what I found spanned multiple decades or had dual timelines, and I wanted to really focus on the 2000s specifically. Additionally, a disproportionate amount are set in New York City. Between New York being the most prominent site of the September 11 attacks, the epicenter of the financial crisis, and a global center in the publishing world, it’s not too surprising. (It’s also a place I’ve called home twice so far in my life, so there’s a bit of a bias there, too. I’m only human.)
So if you’re feeling that Y2K nostalgia, read on.
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The Album of Dr. Moreau by Daryl Gregory
Multiple boy band eras have come and gone over the years, but the 2000s were a TIME for boy bands. Not to mention boy band spoofs, like 2gether and DuJour from Josie and the Pussycats! The Album of Dr. Moreau posits an alternate 2001 with WyldBoyZ, a hybrid human-animal boy band taking over the world. You’re already all in, right??? Their producer is found murdered. Detectives have to look at each member of the group as a suspect and delve into their origin story. And if the title is ringing some H.G. Wells bells for you, you are on the right track.
The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich
New Louise Erdrich just dropped! The 2008 recession provides the backdrop for this tale set in Argus, North Dakota, where sugar beet farming has depleted the land, and maybe the people, too. There, beet farmer Gary is about to marry Kismet. Hugo, also in love with Kismet, thinks he can stop the marriage if he has some better prospects. But of course, the book is much more than this plot. If you’re into books in which achingly realistic characters grapple with everyday challenges in ways that are at times hilarious and other times heartbreaking, Louise Erdrich deserves a prominent place on your shelf.
The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson
The historical backdrop for this novel is the 2008 election of President Barack Obama. Ruth, an Ivy League-educated Black woman, is feeling the newfound sense of hope that was in the air at that time. But she is still held back by her past, in particular the baby she gave up as a teenager. Before Ruth can go forward, she goes back to Indiana to face her past. There, she’s struck by the hardships for people still living in the factory town. And what happens there may put her life on an entirely different course.
Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly
Dawn is a bookbinder at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2003. She’s feeling at sea with her gender in a time before genderqueer was a household word. Inside a lesbian pulp novel from the 1950s, she finds a queer love letter. And she knows finding who wrote this will help her sort her own stuff out. The book does address living in New York in the wake of September 11. It also digs into the homophobia and violence at the time the lesbian pulp novel was published. All in all, if you like a character-driven novel that still has some tension driving it forward, you’ll love this book.
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue
I simply adore this book. It’s gossipy and messy in the best way, but also humane and heartfelt. Rachel and James are best friends and roommates living in Ireland on the brink of the financial crash. Together they devise a way for Rachel to seduce the married professor she’s crushing on. But things turn out drastically differently, and I want you to read to find out how. If you love stories of entangled lives and moments of real character growth, you will love this.
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jiménez
Reality television has been with us in some forms since the dawn of the medium (think Candid Camera) but I think the 2000s are when it really took off. Survivor, The Bachelor, The Jersey Shore, and Real Housewives all debuted in the decade, to name a few juggernauts. So, a novel that comments on reality television at that time is definitely one worth noticing. In this novel, Jessica is watching the raunchy reality show Catfight and spots someone she thinks might be her sister Ruthy, who disappeared at age thirteen. What ensues sheds light on complicated family dynamics and generational trauma, both things that reality television exploits.
Windows On The World by Robert Mailer Anderson, Zack Anderson, and Jon Sack
I felt it was important to include a book on this list that reflects on the events of September 11. This graphic novel follows Fernando, whose undocumented immigrant father busses tables in the Windows on the World restaurant at the World Trade Center. When the attacks happen, Fernando journeys from Mexico to New York to find him and bring him home. It’s a harrowing story but also touching.
Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian
If you’d like a little fabulism in your 2000s literature, here is your pick. Gold is an often-used metaphor for things that are exceptional and desirable. In this book, Neil and Anita make magical potions out of stolen gold from ambitious people. It’s the kind of potion that might get you into that Ivy League school. This book does have a time jump into the 2010s when the now-adult characters might have a different use for the potions. This book is a really sharp satire investigating what the American dream means for second-generation Indian Americans.
And if you need more 2000s in your reading diet, check out the best books of the 21st century, many of which hail from the 2000s. Or, if you’re in a cheekier mood, get some swag that advertises your fondness for Y2K aesthetics.
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