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Quick answer: If you liked Buckeye, read Patrick Ryan's other work, then Plainsong, Our Souls at Night, Olive Kitteridge and Little Fires Everywhere. All are quiet, character-driven American novels about small towns, secrets and ordinary people.
Patrick Ryan's 2022 novel follows two families in the fictional Ohio town of Bonhomie from 1940 through the Second World War and after, as love, secrets and a mysterious disappearance bind them. It is warm, nostalgic and sad. The books below offer similar small-town stories of memory, family and the cost of keeping secrets.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plainsong | Kent Haruf | Adult | quiet small town |
| Our Souls at Night | Kent Haruf | Adult | late-life friendship |
| Olive Kitteridge | Elizabeth Strout | Adult | linked stories |
| Little Fires Everywhere | Celeste Ng | Adult | Ohio suburb |
| The Dutch House | Ann Patchett | Adult | siblings and memory |
| Commonwealth | Ann Patchett | Adult | blended families |
| The Light Between Oceans | M. L. Stedman | Adult | marriage and moral choice |
| All the Light We Cannot See | Anthony Doerr | Adult | World War II |
| The Nightingale | Kristin Hannah | Adult | sisters in wartime France |
| The Orchardist | Amanda Coplin | Adult | quiet frontier |
| Lessons in Chemistry | Bonnie Garmus | Adult | 1960s chemist |
| The Four Winds | Kristin Hannah | Adult | Dust Bowl epic |
| A Tree Grows in Brooklyn | Betty Smith | Adult | poor family in New York |
| The Book Thief | Markus Zusak | Adult | narrated by Death |
| The Invention of Wings | Sue Monk Kidd | Adult | friendship and slavery |
1. Plainsong by Kent Haruf
The lives of several people in a Colorado plains town. Spare and moving.
Best for: quiet small town.
2. Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
Two widowed neighbours begin to spend nights together. Short and tender.
Best for: late-life friendship.
3. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Linked stories about a prickly retired teacher in a small Maine town. Pulitzer-winning.
Best for: linked stories.
4. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Two families in a planned community clash over a custody battle. Tense and thoughtful.
Best for: Ohio suburb.
5. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Two siblings are shaped by the house they lose. Warm and quietly witty.
Best for: siblings and memory.
6. Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
Two families are blended by a kiss at a christening party. Thoughtful.
Best for: blended families.
7. The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman
A lighthouse keeper and his wife find a baby in a boat. Moving.
Best for: marriage and moral choice.
8. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
A blind French girl and a German boy cross paths in wartime. Lyrical.
Best for: World War II.
9. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Two sisters resist the Nazi occupation in different ways. Sweeping.
Best for: sisters in wartime France.
10. The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
A solitary orchardist takes in two runaway girls. Slow and beautiful.
Best for: quiet frontier.
11. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
A chemist becomes a TV cooking star. Funny and sharp.
Best for: 1960s chemist.
12. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
A mother fights to save her family during the Great Depression. Moving.
Best for: Dust Bowl epic.
13. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
A girl grows up in a poor Brooklyn family. Warm and classic.
Best for: poor family in New York.
14. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
A girl in Nazi Germany steals books and shares them. Moving and widely loved.
Best for: narrated by Death.
15. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
A wealthy white girl and an enslaved girl in Charleston grow up together. Based on real history.
Best for: friendship and slavery.
How to Choose
For quiet small-town novels choose Plainsong, Our Souls at Night or Olive Kitteridge. For secrets and family pick Little Fires Everywhere, The Dutch House or Commonwealth. For wartime stories read All the Light We Cannot See, The Nightingale or The Book Thief. Buckeye is gentle and sad, so these picks suit readers who like emotional detail. Patrick Ryan also wrote the story collection Send Me, and Buckeye was a bestseller, so it is easy to find in libraries. Book clubs often choose it for its themes of secrets and loyalty.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Buckeye about?
Two Ohio families with secrets and a disappearance span the Second World War and after.
Who wrote it?
Patrick Ryan.
When was it published?
2022.
Is it historical fiction?
Yes, set from 1940 into the 1950s.
Where is it set?
In the fictional town of Bonhomie, Ohio.
Is it a sad book?
It is moving and sometimes sad.
Is it a debut?
It is Ryan's first novel, after short stories.
What should I read next?
Try Plainsong or Olive Kitteridge.
Which book here is best for Ohio suburb?
Try Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, which suits readers looking for Ohio suburb.
Which book here is best for marriage and moral choice?
Try The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman, which suits readers looking for marriage and moral choice.
Which book here is best for quiet frontier?
Try The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin, which suits readers looking for quiet frontier.
Which book here is best for poor family in New York?
Try A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, which suits readers looking for poor family in New York.
Which book here is best for late-life friendship?
Try Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf, which suits readers looking for late-life friendship.