My go-to response for this question is
Keep the Aspidistra Flying by George Orwell. From
Wikipedia, because it does a better job explaining the core premise than what I could:
"
Keep the Aspidistra Flying, first published in 1936, is a socially critical novel by George Orwell. It is set in 1930s London. The main theme is Gordon Comstock's romantic ambition to defy worship of the money-god and status, and the dismal life that results."
I like everything of Orwell's that I've read (I think
Burmese Days is the only major one I've not yet read), and have read several of his novels on multiple occasions. But
Keep the Aspidistra Flying just seemed more
real to me, and was really relatable. I love that a lot of Orwell's protagonists are just, I don't know. Simple. Bland, perhaps. I identify with that haha. And I like, too, how the theme of society revolving around money is just as relevant now as it was when the book was published many decades ago.
Orwell's a great writer. There's no need for particularly verbose language, or hugely complex syntax. That's what I like about his words.