Where to Start Reading Amy Bonnaffons
For readers diving into the surreal, boundary-blurring fiction of Amy Bonnaffons, the best place to start depends on your preferred format. Since her works are entirely standalone and do not share a continuous narrative universe, you can begin anywhere. However, we highly recommend starting with her debut short story collection, The Wrong Heaven (2018). This collection showcases her signature style—blending domestic realism with bizarre transformations—in bite-sized pieces, making it an excellent introduction to her unique creative voice before committing to a full-length novel.
If you prefer a sustained, single-narrative experience, The Regrets (2020) is your go-to starting point. It offers a longer look at her themes of intimacy, limbo, and the strange rules of the afterlife, wrapped in a deeply moving love story.
Amy Bonnaffons Books in Publication Order
If you want to experience the progression of Bonnaffons' writing style, reading in publication order is straightforward. Because her bibliography is select and highly focused, following this timeline allows you to watch her transition from early short fiction to a fully realized novel.
- Sugar and Cream (2015) – Standalone Short Story / Kindle Single
- The Wrong Heaven (2018) – Short Story Collection
- The Regrets (2020) – Standalone Novel
A Deep Dive into Her Works
Sugar and Cream (2015)
Originally published in 2015 as a digital Kindle Single, Sugar and Cream is one of Bonnaffons' earliest published works. The story follows Rachael, a librarian and self-described daydreamer who has stepped back from the dating scene. When she meets a mysterious stranger, she must navigate the delicate line between her internal, idealized romantic fantasies and the messy realities of a real-world relationship. This piece serves as a thematic bridge to her later works, highlighting her focus on the interior lives of quiet characters encountering the unexpected.
The Wrong Heaven (2018)
Bonnaffons' debut collection, published in hardcover in 2018 and paperback in 2020, contains eight distinct stories that firmly established her reputation in contemporary magical realism. The stories explore bodily transformation, spiritual longing, and emotional vulnerability. Notable stories in the collection include:
- Horse: A surreal tale where a woman undergoes physical and medical procedures to transform herself into a horse.
- The Wrong Heaven: The title story, which features lawn ornaments of Jesus and Mary that come to life and engage in dialogue.
- Other Stories: "The Other One," "Black Stones," "The Cleas," "A Room to Live In," "Alternate," and "Little."
It is important to note that while Sugar and Cream and other journal-published stories (like "Water Lessons" and "Goddess Night") are contemporary to this era, they are not included in the table of contents for The Wrong Heaven.
The Regrets (2020)
Her debut novel, The Regrets, is a surreal romance that takes place in Brooklyn. The story follows Rachel, a librarian who falls into an intense relationship with Thomas, a man who has recently died in a sudden accident. Due to a bureaucratic mishap in the afterlife, Thomas is forced to spend a three-month limbo period on Earth as a semi-corporeal entity. The novel explores the physical and emotional challenges of loving someone who is already gone, utilizing Bonnaffons' signature dark humor and emotional depth to tackle themes of impermanence and grief.
Reading Order Caveats & Standalone Continuity
Readers will find it reassuring that there are no complicated reading order rules or chronology issues to worry about in Bonnaffons' bibliography. Every book is a standalone work. There are no character crossovers or shared universes, although thematic elements frequently recur across her writings.
For instance, both Sugar and Cream and The Regrets feature protagonists named Rachel (spelled slightly differently as Rachael in the short story) who work as librarians. Despite these similarities in name and profession, they are separate characters in entirely unrelated stories. You can read them in any order without missing any plot continuity or world-building rules.
What to Know Before You Start
Bonnaffons' prose is heavily influenced by magical realism and the surreal, making her a perfect fit for fans of authors like George Saunders, Karen Russell, and Aimee Bender. She frequently uses physical transformations or supernatural rules (like the bureaucracy of limbo) as metaphors for internal psychological states. When reading her works, prepare for stories that alternate quickly between absurd humor and profound, quiet sadness. Her narratives do not always offer neat, logical explanations for their magical elements; instead, they treat the extraordinary as a natural extension of everyday life.