I read The Return of the Native (406 pages) by Thomas Hardy and it was really pretty good. In general I’m a fan of Thomas Hardy. As my mother says, it’s a change from all the metaphors about abusing women/mental illness in the entire rest of English literature (I paraphrase.)
But seriously, Hardy is a poetic dude. The Return of the Native takes place on a place called Egdon Heath, and descriptions of the moors and the weather and the seasons and everything are pervasive. Hardy is also a master of portraying character types. This may be the best description anyone has ever made ever of a person: “Eustacia Vye was the raw material of a divinity.”
The Return of the Native is a solid, classic narrative. Its plot twists will intrigue you and its language will stun you. The subject matter–totally straight marriage, sorry, but also human nature and infatuation, which we can all relate to–is, admittedly, not revolutionary. But if you feel like slowing down and delving into a book, or even stepping back and considering the nature of social interaction, I would definitely recommend Thomas Hardy.