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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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My Brilliant Friend
My Brilliant Friend
by Elena Ferrante, Ann Goldstein
Moon Tiger
Moon Tiger
by Penelope Lively
North River
North River
by Pete Hamill
A Boy's Own Story
A Boy's Own Story
by Edmund White
The Great Leader
The Great Leader
by Jim Harrison
The Wounds of My Father
The Wounds of My Father
by Roccie Hill
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4
by Sue Townsend
Fight Club
Fight Club
by Chuck Palahniuk
A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange
by Anthony Burgess
Darling Enemy
Darling Enemy
by Diana Palmer
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The Man in the Wooden Hat
The Man in the Wooden Hat
by Jane Gardam
The Easter Parade
The Easter Parade
by Richard Yates
The Storyteller
The Storyteller
by Mario Vargas Llosa, Helen R. Lane
Rates of Exchange
Rates of Exchange
by Malcolm Bradbury
Great Expectations
Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens
Cold Mountain
Cold Mountain
by Charles Frazier
At Swim-Two-Birds
At Swim-Two-Birds
by Flann O'Brien
The Famished Road
The Famished Road
by Ben Okri
My Father's House
My Father's House
by Joseph O’Connor
They Tell Me of a Home
They Tell Me of a Home
by Daniel Black
The 2020 Commission Report on the North Korean Nuclear Attacks Against the United States
The 2020 Commission Report on the North Korean Nuclear Attacks Against the United States
by Jeffrey Lewis
The Member of the Wedding
The Member of the Wedding
by Carson McCullers
Wintering
Wintering
by Kate Moses
The Florios of Sicily
The Florios of Sicily
by Stefania Auci
Cloudstreet
Cloudstreet
by Tim Winton
How We Disappeared
How We Disappeared
by Jing-Jing Lee
Death in the Andes
Death in the Andes
by Mario Vargas Llosa, Edith Grossman
We the Animals
We the Animals
by Justin Torres
The Thief of Time
The Thief of Time
by John Boyne
Mr. Timothy
Mr. Timothy
by Louis Bayard
The Madonnas of Leningrad
The Madonnas of Leningrad
by Debra Dean
The Charioteer
The Charioteer
by Mary Renault
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We
We
by Yevgeny Zamyatin
Walk the Blue Fields
Walk the Blue Fields
by Claire Keegan
The Cross-Country Quilters
The Cross-Country Quilters
by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Seven Sisters
The Seven Sisters
by Margaret Drabble
The Professor's House
The Professor's House
by Willa Cather
Italian Folktales
Italian Folktales
by Italo Calvino
Earthlings
Earthlings
by Sayaka Murata
Kitchen
Kitchen
by Banana Yoshimoto
Comanche Moon
Comanche Moon
by Larry McMurtry
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
The Robber Bridegroom
The Robber Bridegroom
by Eudora Welty
Confederates
Confederates
by Thomas Keneally
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The Truth About Lorin Jones
The Truth About Lorin Jones
by Alison Lurie
Crooked Hallelujah
Crooked Hallelujah
by Kelli Jo Ford
Angel Landing
Angel Landing
by Alice Hoffman
Euphoria
Euphoria
by Lily King
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
by Muriel Barbery, Alison Anderson
Showing 1-50 of 491 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.