The “Red, White & Royal Blue” movie trailer just dropped, which means it’s time for me to reread my favorite D.C.-based novel before the movie comes out Aug. 11. It is rare to find a novel set in D.C. — even rarer that the author represents the beat of the city well. Here are some of our favorite local lit to read this summer.
“Red, White & Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston :
If I was Mayor, this would be required reading for all District residents. A queer romance between a young royal and the President’s son — what could go wrong? Read it before the movie drops!
“Heartburn” by Nora Ephron:
The writer of “Sleepless in Seattle” and “When Harry Met Sally” brings us this sidesplitting novel about the end of a perfect marriage between a cookbook author and a D.C. Journalist. Her cutting observations about D.C. still apply today.
Oak Hill Cemetery, where the novel “Lincoln in the Bardo” is set. (Mr.TimMD/Flickr)
“Lincoln in the Bardo” by George Saunders:
Set in D.C.’s Oak Hill Cemetery and told by ghosts, this is a humorous and morbid read about the fight over a young boy’s soul.
“Creatures of Passage” by Morowa Yejidé:
Set in Anacostia in 1977, the book revolves around a taxi driver who ferries troubled passengers in a haunted Plymouth Belvedere.
“The List” by Karin Tanabe:
Inspired by the author's time at Politico, this novel follows a young journalist who discovers a scandal at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
