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The Best Literary Fiction Books and Novels

Often described as "serious" literature (think the Great American Novel), literary fiction often doesn't fit neatly into the parameters of other genres, and is usually more character-driven than plot-driven. But don't let that lofty definition put you off—plenty of literary fiction is accessible, fascinating, and all the more interesting for its fully fleshed-out characters. In fact, some of the most popular books of all time are literary fiction.

At the same time, a literary fiction label doesn’t mean a novel can’t have elements of other genres—there’s plenty of books shelved as literary suspense, literary romance, or even literary fabulism. You can expect these kinds of novels to still have those genre traits, but with elevated writing styles and more character development.

Another hallmark of literary fiction is the prizes. From Booker Prize winners to National Book Award winners to Pulitzer Prize winners, literary fiction features the kind of writing that deserves all the accolades.

Intrigued? Dive into our lists of recommended literary fiction books below.

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A Boy's Own Story
A Boy's Own Story
by Edmund White
The Wounds of My Father
The Wounds of My Father
by Roccie Hill
Invisible Monsters
Invisible Monsters
by Chuck Palahniuk
A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange
by Anthony Burgess
100 Years of the Best American Short Stories
100 Years of the Best American Short Stories
by Lorrie Moore, Heidi Pitlor
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The Children
The Children
by Edith Wharton
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Cold Mountain
Cold Mountain
by Charles Frazier
My Brilliant Friend
My Brilliant Friend
by Elena Ferrante, Ann Goldstein
The Fifth Avenue Artists Society
The Fifth Avenue Artists Society
by Joy Callaway
Miss Jane
Miss Jane
by Brad Watson
The War of the End of the World
The War of the End of the World
by Mario Vargas Llosa, Helen R. Lane
Dialogues with the Devil
Dialogues with the Devil
by Taylor Caldwell
The Hearth and Eagle
The Hearth and Eagle
by Anya Seton
Cup of Gold
Cup of Gold
by John Steinbeck
Persuasion
Persuasion
by Jane Austen
How Green Was My Valley
How Green Was My Valley
by Richard Llewellyn
The Ground Beneath Her Feet
The Ground Beneath Her Feet
by Salman Rushdie
The Third Policeman
The Third Policeman
by Flann O'Brien
Behind the Scenes at the Museum
Behind the Scenes at the Museum
by Kate Atkinson
The Member of the Wedding
The Member of the Wedding
by Carson McCullers
Baudolino
Baudolino
by Umberto Eco
A Sport and a Pastime
A Sport and a Pastime
by James Salter
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens
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How We Disappeared
How We Disappeared
by Jing-Jing Lee
Generosity
Generosity
by Richard Powers
The Thief of Time
The Thief of Time
by John Boyne
The Glory
The Glory
by Herman Wouk
Walk the Blue Fields
Walk the Blue Fields
by Claire Keegan
The Cross-Country Quilters
The Cross-Country Quilters
by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Professor's House
The Professor's House
by Willa Cather
The Beautiful and Damned
The Beautiful and Damned
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Earthlings
Earthlings
by Sayaka Murata
Kitchen
Kitchen
by Banana Yoshimoto
Leaving Tabasco
Leaving Tabasco
by Carmen Boullosa
Three Score and Ten
Three Score and Ten
by Angela Thirkell, C.A. Lejeune
Italian Shoes
Italian Shoes
by Henning Mankell
The Cement Garden
The Cement Garden
by Ian McEwan
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So Big
So Big
by Edna Ferber
The Truth About Lorin Jones
The Truth About Lorin Jones
by Alison Lurie
The Foretelling
The Foretelling
by Alice Hoffman
White Horses
White Horses
by Alice Hoffman
The House of the Dead
The House of the Dead
by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Euphoria
Euphoria
by Lily King
Last Exit to Brooklyn
Last Exit to Brooklyn
by Hubert Selby Jr.
The Familiars
The Familiars
by Stacey Halls
An Unnecessary Woman
An Unnecessary Woman
by Rabih Alameddine
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Wildlife
Wildlife
by Richard Ford
The Silent Cry
The Silent Cry
by Kenzaburo Oe
Showing 1-50 of 494 results

Literary fiction is a genre that focuses on style, theme, and character rather than plot. Literary fiction books are often an exploration of the human condition or social and political issues. Classics like To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, and A Tale of Two Cities are examples of literary fiction. 

This can be a difficult distinction because they have some overlap. But generally, literary fiction is character-driven, and focuses on character building, themes, and literary devices, while genre fiction is plot-driven, and focuses on tropes, plot structures, and archetypes. Additionally, genre fiction can be broken down into other sub-genres, while literary fiction cannot.