Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleaned Out | 1974 | Annie Ernaux | Buy |
| 2 | Do What They Say or Else | 1977 | Annie Ernaux | Buy |
| 3 | The Possession | 2003 | Annie Ernaux | Buy |
Annie Ernaux’s standalone novels represent the more traditionally fictional side of her output, though all three still draw on her life. Cleaned Out (1974), her debut, tells the story of a young woman from a working-class background dealing with an unwanted pregnancy. Do What They Say or Else (1977) continues to explore class and conformity.
The Possession (2003) came much later and is a compact, sharp novel about obsessive jealousy after the end of a relationship. These three titles sit alongside Ernaux’s much larger body of autobiographical non-fiction.