The novels

The comparative NEA pairs Carter’s pre-2000 collection with a post-2000 novel by a different author. The three below carry equal weight; the choice is yours. Choose for the connections a novel opens, not the plot alone, because the best pairing shares real ground with the stories yet treats it differently, so that comparison produces argument.

Each of the three offers a different, equally strong route into comparison with the collection. Read the page for each, weigh which theme bridge you most want to write about, and pick the pairing you can argue best. See the coursework page for how the pairing is assessed.

Mohsin Hamid · 2017

Exit West

Transformation, borders and metamorphosis: doors that remake identity, and the fantastic used as social criticism.

Monica Ali · 2003

Brick Lane

Gender and constraint: the woman handed into marriage, the home as cage, and the slow claiming of agency.

Khaled Hosseini · 2003

The Kite Runner

Masculinity, power and complicity: the bystander’s guilt and the long labour of redemption.

A reminder on choosing

Any pairing must be nominated for approval before you begin, and another agreed title may suit you better than these three. Whatever you choose, look for shared preoccupations and contrasting methods, and check that the contexts of the two texts have something to say to each other.