Books like Last Night by James Salter

The Bell Jar is the sole novel by Sylvia Plath, a psychologically intense and autobiographical look at a young woman’s decline into mental illness.

A devoted dog reflects on life, love, and racing while watching his owner, a race car driver, navigate family trials and professional ambition.

Maya, a financially modest woman, separates from the aristocratic Giorgio Sabbatini after a one‑night passion that ends with a shocking revelation.

This collection explores love's power, passion, betrayal, and intimacy, revealing how it can transform relationships and lives.

Melanie Masterson faces a decisive crossroads when a one‑last-night affair with her husband tempts her into a life of passion; the following morning she chooses to walk away, believing her husband deserves a more suitable partner.

A collection of forty‑three short stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald, blending his most celebrated works with lesser‑known tales that showcase his literary breadth and include pieces originally published in the Saturday Evening Post.

James Salter's 'All that is' is a captivating and sometimes devastating labyrinth of love and ambition. A deeply intimate portrait of the emotional and physical experiences of being alive. Set during the golden decades following World War II, the book captures Salter's lifelong obsession with capturing the intimate, ephemeral spaces that all of us hold and leave behind on paper. After serving as a young officer in Okinawa during the war, Philip Bowman returns home to a small publishing house in New York. The frenetic social scene of New York in the post-war era is a backdrop for the story, where Bowman feels at home. However, his enduring love seems to elude him. When he meets a woman who captivates him, Bowman embarks on a journey that he never intended to take. The book is celebrated for its lyrical evocation of a post-war world imaginatively rendered and beautifully written.

In this collection of surreal short stories, Aimee Bender weaves fantastical worlds where extraordinary beings—a boy with key‑fingers, a woman’s potato children, a pumpkin‑headed family—explore themes of love, identity, and the human condition.

An anthology of Edgar Allan Poe’s 21 short stories and 34 poems, showcasing his mastery of horror, mystery, and gothic themes. Featuring classic tales like “The Tell‑tale Heart,” “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” and the haunting poem ‘Annabel Lee’.

In 1950s America, Frank and April Wheeler build a suburban dream, only to confront the crushing reality that their hopes and marriage are unsustainable, exposing the quiet torment of suburban life and the cost of chasing greatness.

A collection of short stories by Jay McInerney, spanning nearly three decades of his career, with a focus on the societal flux and the arc of his narrative.

A collection of Henry James’s short fiction, including "The Last of the Valerii," "The Real Thing," "The Lesson of the Master," and "Daisy Miller."

Shirley Hazzard's poignant novel set amidst war and reconstruction in Japan, England, and Hong Kong explores themes of identity, redemption, and the human spirit's resilience after devastation.

The novelist Maurice Bendrix's love affair with his friend's wife, Sarah, had begun in London during the Blitz. But, out of the blue she ended the relationship. Years later he sends a private detective to follow Sarah and find out the truth.