What genre is Sophie's Choice?

[bookworm100]

Random question I know, I was just trying to describe it to someone and realised I didn't know how to describe it in terms of genre. Does anyone cleverer than me know?

With the caveat that not everything falls into an easy category, I'm thinking maybe historical fiction.

I think it’s a bildungsroman because of the ghastly Stingo. You could also say it’s a tragedy, and post-war American fiction with an embedded fictional Holocaust narrative?

(In awe of gremlin's knowledge) ... I was just going to say historical fiction 😂

Thank you so much everyone! Bildungsroman! Of course! @Gremlinsateit - out of interest, why do you say ghastly Stingo? I have to admit I have only seen the film and in that he is fairly sympathetically portrayed, is he not in the book? Xx

Well, it’s been a while but I was very disappointed when I read the book after seeing the movie - there is an awful lot about Stingo’s quest to have sex which I found really jarring in the context of Sophie’s story.

I’d also say historical fiction. Maybe modern historical fiction.

@Gremlinsateit

I think it’s a bildungsroman because of the ghastly Stingo. You could also say it’s a tragedy, and post-war American fiction with an embedded fictional Holocaust narrative?

God, he is ghastly.