Ten top books about alienated women in their 20s

Alexandria Juarez is a Chicanx lesbian writer, editor, and pop culture enthusiast from Southern California. A recent graduate of the BFA Writing Program at Pratt Institute, they are currently an assistant editor for Electric Literature.

At Electric Lit Juarez tagged ten novels "that capture the uneasiness of young womanhood in a patriarchal society," including:

Mona at Sea by Elizabeth Gonzalez James

When I read the description for this book, I realized, “I have never had an original experience in my life.” Mona, a 23-year-old Chicana, graduates college during a recession only to find herself jobless, and back in her dysfunctional parent’s house. On top of that, (thankfully unlike my life), Mona becomes the subject of a viral meme, “Sad Millenial,” after a reporter captures her reaction to losing the finance job she had lined up. Because of this, she mopes around Tucson, smoking weed in an existential funk, until her mom encourages her to join a support group for job seekers.

Read about another entry on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue