Philadelphians are frequently thought of as pugilistic, mostly because of our reputation as a passionate sports town, and there is a pugnacious attitude in the city. Caught in the middle of the megapolis between New York City and Washington, D.C., Philly has been overlooked and ignored, more frequently thought of as the home of the fictional Rocky Balboa than remembered as the birthplace of American democracy. And while you may encounter someone who wants you to put up your dukes, you’re more likely to encounter people who will happily give you directions or share with you the best place to get a hoagie. People in Philly are passionate, which is why our sports fans get such a bad rap—but passionate people care about making things better and they care about each other. The other thing about Philadelphians is that they know how to take a joke.
I wanted to write a novel filled with characters like this, characters who at their core are kind and passionate, and maybe also a little funny. Enter Jewell Jamieson. Jewell is having a very lousy day, and in a moment of self-pity wishes that she could find someone who loves her like her dog does. Someone loyal. Someone who doesn’t judge. The next morning, she awakes to find a man in her bed and her dog gone.
While there are plenty of dark themed books set in Philadelphia, More Strange Than True is not one of them, and neither are these.
Here are 8 novels set in Philly with mostly happy endings:
Bar Maid by Daniel Roberts
Bar Maid is a love letter to the somewhat seedy 1980s version of the city as seen through the eyes of a dreamy, romantic, and entitled Charlie Green. Like a lot of rich kids from New York City, Charlie ends up at the University of Pennsylvania. He’s a weird sort of kid who likes to day drink and hang out at bars, imagining the inner lives of the bartenders and patrons. In Philly, he stumbles upon the famous Sansome Street Oyster House, where he meets a bartender named Neil and the titular bar maid, Paula Henderson. At times Charlie seems to be channeling Don Quixote or Leopold Bloom, or wants to be, always looking at life through an ironic lens. Sometimes it seems as if Charlie would like to be anyone other than himself. Paula and Charlie’s love story is surprisingly tender and poignant, a lot like the city itself.
The Days of Afrekete by Asali Solomon
The forward action of this novel takes place over the course of a dinner party, but throughout we get the backstory of Liselle Belmont, her husband Winn Anderson, and Liselle’s college girlfriend, Selena Octave. Liselle and Selena meet at Bryn Mawr and have the kind of tumultuous relationship that is almost always destined to burn itself out. After college, while working in New York City, Liselle meets Winn, a charming lawyer who convinces her to marry him. They eventually settle down in the Philadelphia suburbs and Winn runs for political office and loses. He’s also under investigation by the FBI. Meanwhile, Selena has been in and out of mental health facilities, trying to gain control over her depression. Pushed by her husband’s pending indictment and her imploding marriage, Liselle can’t stop thinking about her time with Selena. It turns out that neither woman can forget the other and they are pulled back toward each other in unexpected ways.
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
I’m not sure how much time Reid spent in Philly when she was drafting this novel, but the book is set here. Some locals might not feel that Such a Fun Age is as grounded in the city as some of the other novels on this list, but Reid definitely captures the flavor of the city. It also has moments of real humor. One thing it does really well, is explore the chasm-sized class divide that is still part of the make-up of this city. Emira Tucker is young, not sure what she wants, and working as a full-time babysitter for Alix Chamberlain’s three-year-old daughter, Briar. Alix is performatively progressive and so insecure that she does a lot of cringey things to prove how cool she is. Her obsession with Emira and her needy desire to have Emira like her, drives Alix to do things like read her email. Emira meets and starts dating Alix’s high school ex and then things really get awkward.
Long Bright River by Liz Moore
Mickey Fitzpatrick is a beat cop in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, a part of the city that is devastated by the opioid epidemic and chronic poverty. Mickey knows about this devastation firsthand. She spends much of the novel in search of her sister, who has been living on the street, and hasn’t been heard from in months. Mickey is also a fiercely devoted single mother, and balancing being a cop and taking care of her child are as challenging as anything she faces on the job. While I wouldn’t necessarily categorize this novel as “feel good” it is definitely full of hope. And there is no one more passionate than Mickey. While tracking down her sister, she and an ex-partner also investigate a series of murders, women forgotten and abandoned by almost everyone. They don’t give up until they’ve solved the crime even though it comes at a great cost to them both.
Loving Day by Mat Johson
Warren Duffy is back in Philadelphia because he’s inherited his father’s Germantown mansion. That might sound like a good thing, but the Loudin mansion is in desperate need of repair and Duffy is in desperate need of cash. Duffy has been living in the UK and is recently divorced. He’s on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance, he just doesn’t know it. And if he did? He would reject it. Duffy meets Sunita Habersham at a comic book convention, where he is on a panel. Sunita works at the Mélange Center, a school and outreach organization that celebrates being mixed race, and she challenges Duffy’s identity calling him a “sunflower.” Duffy thinks he might be in love. These characters are funny and insightful—everyone has something to learn. Duffy reconnects with old friends and makes new ones against his will. He also discovers he fathered a child as a teenager and is not only saddled with a crumbling mansion he desperately wants to get rid of, but also a daughter. And there may or may not be ghosts haunting his mansion.
The Blessings by Elise Juska
If I had to pick the most Philly book on this list, it would be a toss-up between The Blessings and Silver Linings Playbook. The Blessings is really a novel in stories, each chapter a different piece of the tapestry that is this large Irish-American-Catholic family. The Blessings are a close-knit clan and do their best to love and support each other, especially when times get tough. As close as they are, many of the Blessings also feel an uncomfortable amount of loneliness, wanting to find out who they are on their own, but always longing to be in the comforting company of the extended family. They’re all struggling to figure out not only how they fit into their family but the larger world.
Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
Okay, so Pat Peoples might want to fight you. He’s that rabid Eagles fan that if pushed too far, will definitely take a swing at you. If you’ve never read Quick’s novel it is well worth the time. While the film adaptation is wonderful all on its own and totally worth watching, the novel more fully explores the depths and severity of Pat’s mental health issues, exacerbated by a traumatic brain injury. It also more fully explores his beautiful but very strange relationship with Tiffany, a young widow struggling to come to terms with her own mental health challenges. Silver Linings Playbook also gives you a fairly accurate picture of an average Eagles fan, someone willing to do the chant or sing the fight song in almost any situation, whether it is appropriate or not. By turns, funny, sweet, and sad, this novel is, like all the others on this list, one that will leave you feeling satisfied and hopeful.
Green Grace Grace by Shawn McBride
Hank Toohey is a hilarious foul-mouthed 13-year-old romantic determined to propose to his chain-smoking 14-year-old girlfriend, Grace McClain. Set in an Irish-Catholic neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia, Hank thinks by making a grand romantic gesture he can rescue his broken family and bring the neighborhood together. The novel takes place in 1984 and captures the essence of the city in those days, working class, rough and tumble, and waiting for a come up. The sports focus in this novel is baseball, specifically Mike Schmidt, the Hall of Fame third baseman of the Phillies, whom Hank despises. Very funny and surprisingly poignant, Green Grass Grace captures the gritty but loveable vibe of so many of Philly’s working-class neighborhoods.
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