Karen E. Bender Standalone Novels books in order

Karen E. Bender's two standalone novels explore family bonds under strain, from a multigenerational story about disability and acceptance to a couple's search for belonging in a small Southern town.
Series · Literary Fiction · Contemporary Fiction · Domestic Fiction

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Like Normal People 2000 Karen E. Bender Buy
2 A Town of Empty Rooms 2013 Karen E. Bender Buy

Karen E. Bender’s two novels approach family from different angles but share a concern with how people define normalcy and belonging. Like Normal People (2000) follows three generations of women as one of them, born with an intellectual disability, seeks love and independence while her mother and sister struggle with their own definitions of what a life should look like.

A Town of Empty Rooms (2013) follows a married couple who relocate from New York to a small North Carolina town after a personal crisis. The wife finds herself drawn into a struggling synagogue led by a charismatic but troubled rabbi, while the husband becomes entangled with a suspicious neighbor through their sons’ Boy Scout troop. The novel tracks how both characters search for community in an unfamiliar place and what that search costs them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Karen E. Bender Standalone Novels series?

There are two books in the Karen E. Bender Standalone Novels series, published between 2000 and 2013.

What is the first book in the Karen E. Bender Standalone Novels series?

The first book in the Karen E. Bender Standalone Novels series is Like Normal People, published in 2000.

What connects Karen E. Bender's two standalone novels?

Both Like Normal People and A Town of Empty Rooms center on families dealing with disruption. Like Normal People follows three women across generations as they navigate a relative’s intellectual disability and their own desires for love and normalcy. A Town of Empty Rooms follows a married couple in crisis who relocate to a small North Carolina town, where they are each drawn into local institutions that test their identities and marriage. Family, grief, and the search for where you fit are at the heart of both books.

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