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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 Last Chinese Chef
The Last Chinese Chef
by Nicole Mones
All God's Children
All God's Children
by Aaron Gwyn
The Lucky Ones
The Lucky Ones
by Tiffany Reisz
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The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden
The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden
by Jonas Jonasson, Rachel Willson-Broyles
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens
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More Than Human
More Than Human
by Theodore Sturgeon
Night Train to Lisbon
Night Train to Lisbon
by Pascal Mercier
The Master Quilter
The Master Quilter
by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Temple of My Familiar
The Temple of My Familiar
by Alice Walker
The Good Doctor
The Good Doctor
by Damon Galgut
The House of the Dead
The House of the Dead
by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love
by Oscar Hijuelos
Offshore
Offshore
by Penelope Fitzgerald
Promised to the Crown
Promised to the Crown
by Aimie K. Runyan
The Hole
The Hole
by Hye-young Pyun, Sora Kim-Russell
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The Jerusalem Diamond
The Jerusalem Diamond
by Noah Gordon
Clear Light of Day
Clear Light of Day
by Anita Desai
Over the Gate
Over the Gate
by Miss Read
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
by Anita Loos
The Great Santini
The Great Santini
by Pat Conroy
Sophie's Choice
Sophie's Choice
by William Styron
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My Brilliant Friend
My Brilliant Friend
by Elena Ferrante, Ann Goldstein
The House of Mirth
The House of Mirth
by Edith Wharton
The Bostonians
The Bostonians
by Henry James
Fight Club
Fight Club
by Chuck Palahniuk
Now We Shall Be Entirely Free
Now We Shall Be Entirely Free
by Andrew Miller
Great Expectations
Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens
Cold Mountain
Cold Mountain
by Charles Frazier
Walk the Blue Fields
Walk the Blue Fields
by Claire Keegan
The Foreign Student
The Foreign Student
by Susan Choi
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
by Charles Dickens
The Monkey Wrench Gang
The Monkey Wrench Gang
by Edward Abbey
To the Lighthouse
To the Lighthouse
by Virginia Woolf
The Prince of Tides
The Prince of Tides
by Pat Conroy
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Heaven
Heaven
by Mieko Kawakami
The Lathe of Heaven
The Lathe of Heaven
by Ursula K. Le Guin
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John Woman
John Woman
by Walter Mosley
The Awkward Black Man
The Awkward Black Man
by Walter Mosley
My Brilliant Friend
My Brilliant Friend
by Elena Ferrante, Ann Goldstein
The Story of a New Name
The Story of a New Name
by Elena Ferrante, Ann Goldstein
Come Closer
Come Closer
by Sara Gran
Wonder Boys
Wonder Boys
by Michael Chabon
A Severed Wasp
A Severed Wasp
by Madeleine L'Engle
The Keepers of the House
The Keepers of the House
by Shirley Ann Grau
The Idiot
The Idiot
by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Eva Martin
Forever
Forever
by Pete Hamill
Fear of Flying
Fear of Flying
by Erica Jong, Fay Weldon
The Increment
The Increment
by David Ignatius
Brown Dog
Brown Dog
by Jim Harrison
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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.