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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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The Wounds of My Father
The Wounds of My Father
by Roccie Hill
Invisible Monsters
Invisible Monsters
by Chuck Palahniuk
Napoleon Symphony
Napoleon Symphony
by Anthony Burgess
The Lucky Ones
The Lucky Ones
by Tiffany Reisz
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The House of Mirth
The House of Mirth
by Edith Wharton
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The Beginning of Spring
The Beginning of Spring
by Penelope Fitzgerald, Andrew Miller
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
by Muriel Spark
A Boy's Own Story
A Boy's Own Story
by Edmund White
The Painted Bird
The Painted Bird
by Jerzy Kosinski
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain
How Green Was My Valley
How Green Was My Valley
by Richard Llewellyn
Memoir From Antproof Case
Memoir From Antproof Case
by Mark Helprin
Imperial Woman
Imperial Woman
by Pearl S. Buck
The Ground Beneath Her Feet
The Ground Beneath Her Feet
by Salman Rushdie
Behind the Scenes at the Museum
Behind the Scenes at the Museum
by Kate Atkinson
Collected Stories of Carson McCullers
Collected Stories of Carson McCullers
by Carson McCullers
A Sport and a Pastime
A Sport and a Pastime
by James Salter
The Eternal Wonder
The Eternal Wonder
by Pearl S. Buck
Our Man in Havana
Our Man in Havana
by Graham Greene
How We Disappeared
How We Disappeared
by Jing-Jing Lee
The Thief of Time
The Thief of Time
by John Boyne
Night Train to Lisbon
Night Train to Lisbon
by Pascal Mercier
We
We
by Yevgeny Zamyatin
The Gathering
The Gathering
by Anne Enright
The Auerbach Will
The Auerbach Will
by Stephen Birmingham
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The Quilter's Apprentice
The Quilter's Apprentice
by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Longings of Women
The Longings of Women
by Marge Piercy
Sex and the City
Sex and the City
by Candace Bushnell
The Seven Sisters
The Seven Sisters
by Margaret Drabble
The Professor's House
The Professor's House
by Willa Cather
My Brilliant Friend
My Brilliant Friend
by Elena Ferrante, Ann Goldstein
My Father's House
My Father's House
by Joseph O’Connor
Italian Folktales
Italian Folktales
by Italo Calvino
Kitchen
Kitchen
by Banana Yoshimoto
Cane
Cane
by Jean Toomer
Mary, Mrs. A. Lincoln
Mary, Mrs. A. Lincoln
by Janis Cooke Newman
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Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs
by Alison Lurie
Crooked Hallelujah
Crooked Hallelujah
by Kelli Jo Ford
Angel Landing
Angel Landing
by Alice Hoffman
The Novels of Mary Shelley
The Novels of Mary Shelley
by Mary Shelley
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The Way We Live Now
The Way We Live Now
by Anthony Trollope
Euphoria
Euphoria
by Lily King
The Familiars
The Familiars
by Stacey Halls
A Girl Returned
A Girl Returned
by Donatella Di Pietrantonio, Ann Goldstein
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Snap
Snap
by Belinda Bauer
Legends of the Fall
Legends of the Fall
by Jim Harrison
Orient Express
Orient Express
by Graham Greene
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The Old Filth Trilogy
The Old Filth Trilogy
by Jane Gardam
I, Claudius
I, Claudius
by Robert Graves
The Bottle Factory Outing
The Bottle Factory Outing
by Beryl Bainbridge
Showing 1-50 of 489 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.