Literary Fiction
Literary fiction is literature that focuses on style, language, and character. It asks readers to pay attention to the way it is constructed and approaches its subjects, regardless of its tone, with serious intent. These novels run the gamut from experimental fiction to comic delights to highly realistic stories that comment on modern times. Commonly, the books place more importance on the who of the story than the what, and readers enjoy engaging with memorable characters that are richly realized and “of themselves.”
New to literary fiction? Try these favorites:
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One Hundred Years of Solitude
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1967)
The story of the rise and fall, birth and death of the mythical town of Macondo told through the story of the Buendia family.
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark Haddon (2004)
Fifteen year old Christopher is autistic and often mute, and when he discovers that his neighbor's dog has been murdered, he sets off to solve what happened.
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An Untamed State
by Roxane Gay (2014)
Mireille, a wealthy woman living in Haiti, is kidnapped and held for ransom and must survive while her father refuses to pay the ransom and her husband fights for her release.
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The Golem and the Jinni
by Helene Wecker (2013)
Two supernatural creatures have a chance meeting in turn of the century immigrant New York in this enchanting web of Yiddish and Middle Eastern folklore.
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Newer titles you may enjoy:
Pachinko
by Min Jin Lee (2017)
Four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family fight to control their destiny in 20th-century Japan in this tale of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty.
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My Dark Vanessa
by Kate Elizabeth Russell (2021)
This moving, ferocious story of an all-consuming relationship between a teenager and her teacher traces not just a stolen girlhood, but the aftershocks that haunt trauma survivors years into the future.
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10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World
by Elif Shafak (2019)
Leila lies dead in a dumpster in Istanbul, but her brain cells still flicker with the memories of her life. Meanwhile, her friends are desperately trying to find her.
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The Passenger
by Cormac McCarthy (2022)
The story of a salvage diver, haunted by loss, afraid of the watery deep, pursued for a conspiracy beyond his understanding, and longing for a death he cannot reconcile with God.