Books like The Song of Achilles

By Madeline Miller

Intimate stories of male desire and the pressures that keep lovers apart, beyond Greek mythology.

For first love remembered closely

André Aciman

A young man recalls the weeks in Italy when attraction to a visiting scholar became an intense relationship.

The difference: Modern Italy, without mythic fate or warfare.

James Baldwin

An American in Paris looks back on his relationship with another man and the choices he made under social pressure.

The difference: A harsher, guilt-ridden story rather than a heroic retelling.

E. M. Forster

A conventional young Englishman discovers that loving men puts him at odds with the class and social expectations he has accepted.

The difference: Edwardian class conflict takes the place of mythology.

Sources and book details

Collected’s editorial comparisons, informed by the descriptions and reading profiles.