Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forgetting Elena | 1973 | Edmund White | Buy |
| 2 | Nocturnes for the King of Naples | 1978 | Edmund White | Buy |
| 3 | Caracole | 1985 | Edmund White | Buy |
| 4 | The Married Man | 2000 | Edmund White | Buy |
| 5 | Fanny | 2003 | Edmund White | Buy |
| 6 | Hotel de Dream | 2007 | Edmund White | Buy |
| 7 | Jack Holmes and His Friend | 2012 | Edmund White | Buy |
| 8 | Our Young Man | 2016 | Edmund White | Buy |
| 9 | A Saint from Texas | 2020 | Edmund White | Buy |
| 10 | A Previous Life | 2021 | Edmund White | Buy |
| 11 | The Humble Lover | 2023 | Edmund White | Buy |
Edmund White’s standalone novels range widely in subject and style. His early work, like Forgetting Elena (1973) and Nocturnes for the King of Naples (1978), is experimental and lyrical. Later novels such as The Married Man (2000) and Jack Holmes and His Friend (2012) take a more realist approach, often set against specific periods of American and European cultural history. Fanny (2003) is a historical novel about Frances Trollope’s travels in America, showing White’s range beyond autobiographical material.
His recent novels continue to address desire, aging, and memory. A Saint from Texas (2020) follows twin sisters whose lives diverge between Texas high society and a convent in France. A Previous Life (2021) and The Humble Lover (2023) return to themes of love across age gaps and the complexities of long relationships. Across five decades of fiction, White has maintained a distinctive voice that is both elegant and direct.