How to Read Alejandro Varela: The Recommended Starting Path
Because all of Alejandro Varela's works are standalone stories, there is no strict chronological order or continuous plotline to follow. Instead, you can choose where to begin based on the format and tone that appeals most to you. However, for the best introduction to his unique blend of public health insights, sharp social critique, and neurotic humor, we recommend the following path:
- Start with The Town of Babylon (2022): As Varela's debut novel and a National Book Award finalist, this book serves as the perfect entry point. It establishes his signature style, integrating public health themes, queer Latinx identity, and suburban nostalgia into a cohesive, deeply emotional narrative.
- Next, read The People Who Report More Stress (2023): This collection of interconnected short stories showcases Varela's versatility. It shifts the setting from the suburbs to the city, focusing on the everyday anxieties of urban life, gentrification, and systemic pressures. Reading this second allows you to appreciate his ability to compress massive societal issues into bite-sized, character-driven snapshots.
- Finally, dive into Middle Spoon (2025): His sophomore novel is a sharp, funny, and tender exploration of modern relationships, polyamory, and mental health. Once you are familiar with Varela's writing style, this epistolary novel offers a brilliant, slightly more experimental structure that highlights his growth as a novelist.
Publication Order of Alejandro Varela's Works
If you prefer to read authors in the exact order their books were released to the public, Varela's bibliography follows a clear, linear timeline:
- The Town of Babylon (Astra House, March 2022)
- The People Who Report More Stress (Astra House, April 2023)
- Middle Spoon (Viking, September 2025)
A Closer Look at the Books
The Town of Babylon (2022)
Varela’s debut novel follows Andrés, a gay Latinx public health professor who returns to his suburban hometown on Long Island to care for his ailing father and attend his twenty-year high school reunion. While there, he is forced to confront the ghosts of his past—including his first love, who is now married to a woman and struggling with his own demons. The novel serves as a brilliant vessel for Varela to unpack public health concepts like the social determinants of health, showing how environment, race, and class shape the lives of the town's residents.
The People Who Report More Stress (2023)
This collection contains interconnected stories that primarily follow queer Latinx characters navigating the systemic stresses of contemporary New York. The narratives highlight the subtle and overt ways racism, classism, and microaggressions affect mental and physical well-being. From navigating the complexities of parenting in a gentrified Brooklyn neighborhood to the humorously painful trials of dating, Varela manages to make academic public health concepts feel deeply personal and relatable.
Middle Spoon (2025)
Varela's sophomore novel, Middle Spoon, centers on a man dealing with heartbreak and the complexities of unconventional family structures after his younger boyfriend breaks up with him. Written in an engaging, epistolary style, the novel is a brilliant study of polyamory, mental health, and the search for security in modern relationships. It maintains Varela's trademark humor while delivering a deeply vulnerable look at contemporary love and family dynamics.
What to Know Before You Start
Varela’s background in public health heavily influences his work. Rather than presenting health as purely biological, his stories emphasize how social structures—like housing, urban planning, and systemic discrimination—impact our daily stress levels and relationships. Expect plenty of neurotic humor, sharp wit, and socially conscious themes. While the subject matter can be heavy, his characters' voices are incredibly accessible, friendly, and deeply human.