Best Literary Fiction

Fun Home is a poignant and intellectually rich memoir exploring Bechdel's complex relationship with her closeted father and her own burgeoning sexuality. The narrative weaves together personal memorie...

Written as a letter from an aging pastor, John Ames, to his young son, Gilead is a quiet, profound meditation on faith, family, and the beauty of existence. Set in 1956 Iowa, the novel captures the rh...

Margaret Atwood's MasterClass offers a deep dive into the craft of fiction writing, covering topics like character development, plot construction, and finding your voice. Atwood shares her personal ex...

Alice Munro, a Nobel laureate, is often called the 'Canadian Chekhov,' and 'Runaway' showcases her unparalleled ability to map the complexities of the human heart. These stories focus on women at turn...

Salman Rushdie's 1988 novel, 'The Satanic Verses,' weaves a fantastical narrative drawing inspiration from Islamic mythology and the Prophet Muhammad's life. Its depiction of religious figures and eve...

This novel is a masterclass in unreliable narration and emotional restraint. Stevens, an aging butler, reflects on his life of service at Darlington Hall during the lead-up to World War II. As he emba...

Lois Lowrys 'The Giver' is a deceptively simple novel that introduces young readers to the complexities of a dystopian society. In a world where pain, color, and emotion have been eliminated to ensure...

This experimental novel is composed of hundreds of voices, making it a perfect fit for a massive full-cast production. Featuring over 160 actors, including Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, and Lena Dunha...

Hilary Mantel's 'Wolf Hall' is a masterful reimagining of Tudor England through the eyes of Thomas Cromwell. The novel meticulously details Cromwell's rise to power in the court of Henry VIII, showcas...

Kazuo Ishiguro's 'Klara and the Sun' is narrated by an Artificial Friend, a solar-powered companion designed to provide companionship to children. The novel explores themes of love, loss, and what it...

Marilynne Robinsons 'Housekeeping,' the 1981 National Book Award winner, is a haunting and lyrical novel about two orphaned sisters raised by their eccentric aunt in a remote lakeside town. The novel...

Salman Rushdies 'Victory City' is a fantastical historical novel set in 14th-century India, telling the story of a woman who witnesses the rise and fall of a magical city. The novel blends historical...

Hilary Mantels masterpiece reimagines the rise of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII. Moving away from the traditional villainous portrayal, Mantel presents a pragmatic, brilliant, and deeply...

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani is a fantasy novel that follows a girl who is sent to a magical school for witches and wizards. The book blends humor, adventure, and mystery, making it...

Vladimir Nabokov's 'Lolita,' published in 1955, sparked immediate controversy due to its depiction of a middle-aged man's obsession with a twelve-year-old girl. While Nabokov argued the novel was a ca...

Mario Vargas Llosa's novel is a complex and multi-layered exploration of Peruvian society and politics. The story revolves around a charismatic and manipulative landowner, Boris Vallejo, and his influ...

J.R.R. Tolkien's *The Hobbit* is a quintessential starting point for fantasy readers. It follows Bilbo Baggins, a comfortable hobbit, who is swept into an adventure with a company of dwarves to reclai...

Gabrielle Zevin's novel explores the decades-long friendship and creative partnership between two video game designers, with significant portions of the story set in New York City. The book delves int...

Margaret Atwood is a Canadian author celebrated for her dystopian fiction and feminist perspectives. 'The Handmaid's Tale,' her most famous work, has gained renewed relevance in recent years, sparking...

C.D. Wrights 'The Sport of Kings,' the 2009 National Book Award winner, is a challenging and experimental novel set in a decaying Kentucky horse-racing world. The novel uses a fragmented narrative sty...

Ian McEwan's 'Amsterdam' is a darkly satirical novel that explores themes of betrayal, guilt, and the consequences of moral compromise. Set against the backdrop of the Enron scandal, the novels intric...

John Updike's 'Rabbit, Run' (1960) is the first novel in the 'Rabbit' series, following the restless and disillusioned Harry 'Rabbit' Angstrom as he abandons his family and embarks on a search for mea...

Barbery's novel explores the lives of Renée, a concierge in a Parisian apartment building, and Paloma, a young girl who plans to commit suicide on her thirteenth birthday. Through their intertwined st...

Téa Obreht is an author known for her richly imagined historical fiction infused with elements of magical realism. Her novel 'The Tiger's Daughter' blends folklore and historical events to create a ca...

Jacqueline Woodsons 'Another Brooklyn,' the 2016 National Book Award finalist, is a poignant and beautifully written novel about four young girls growing up in 1970s Brooklyn. The novel explores theme...

This experimental novel, presented as a biography, explores the life of a woman known only as X. Lacey blurs the lines between fact and fiction, creating a fragmented and unsettling portrait of a woma...

Jean Hanff Korelitz's 'The Plot' is a clever and suspenseful literary thriller about a struggling author who steals a deceased student's brilliant plot idea. As he achieves success, he finds himself h...

Looking for Alaska by John Green is a coming-of-age novel that follows a teenager's journey through high school and his relationship with a mysterious girl. The book explores themes of love, loss, and...

Based on Cormac McCarthys Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, this film is a harrowing, unflinching look at a father and son walking through a dead, ash-covered America. It strips away the 'fun' elements of...