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Modern & Literary Fiction Books

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    My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

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    OVER 5 MILLION COPIES SOLD IN ENGLISH WORLDWIDEOVER 1 MILLION COPIES SOLD IN THE UK14 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDENOW A MAJOR TV SERIESGUARDIAN 10...

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    Call of the Penguins by Hazel Prior

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    The perfect fireside read. Veronica McCreedy will capture your heart' TRISHA ASHLEY, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Christmas Invitation'Th...

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    The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

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    Introducing The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: A Masterpiece of Words and Emotions and life-affirming international bestseller- now in stock at Books2...

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    The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

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    Compelling and satisfying... At times, incredibly funny, at others, heartrending' Sarah Winman, author of When God Was a RabbitForced to flee the s...

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    The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez

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    SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE'Beautiful, horrible... the most exciting discovery I've made in fiction for some time' Kazuo Ishigur...

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    Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

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    It all happened so quickly. First, animals became infected with the virus and their meat became poisonous. Then governments initiated the Transitio...

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    The Mad Women's Ball by Victoria Mas

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    A darkly sumptuous tale of wicked spectacle, wild injustice and the insuppressible strength of women' EMMA STONEX, author of THE LAMPLIGHTERS'An es...

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    The Funny Thing about Norman Foreman by Julietta Henderson

    Only 14 left!

    The inspiring, feel-good Richard & Judy Book Club pick about a small boy with a big heart - and even bigger dreams. 'One of those gorgeous book...

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    Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

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    What would you change if you could go back in time?In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a cafe which has been serving carefully brewed coffee f...

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    Finding Ashley by Danielle Steel

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    In Finding Ashley, a deeply moving novel from the number one bestseller Danielle Steel, two estranged sisters get the chance to reconnect and right...

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    Galatea by Madeline Miller

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    From the internationally bestselling and prize-winning author of The Song of Achilles and Circe, an enchanting short story that boldly reimagines t...

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    The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

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    **OVER 1.5 MILLION COPIES SOLD****A 10th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION, FEATURING A NEW FOREWORD BY THE AUTHOR**WINNER OF THE ORANGE WOMEN'S PRIZE FO...

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    The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

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    THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER'Devastating' Daily Telegraph'Heartbreaking' The Times'Unforgettable' Isabel Allende'Haunting' IndependentAfghanistan, 197...

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    The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves

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    Now a major ITV series, The Long Call, adapted for television by screenwriter Kelly Jones and starring Ben Aldridge. 'Matthew Venn is a keeper . . ...

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    The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves

    Only 14 left!

    DCI Vera Stanhope returns in The Darkest Evening, the ninth novel in No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller Ann Cleeves's phenomenally popular series. The d...

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    The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley

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    From the Scottish Highlands and Spain, to South America and New York, The Moon Sister is the fifth epic story in the Seven Sisters series by the in...

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    Home Stretch by Graham Norton

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    Graham is a lovely writer and this is by far his best. The passage of time is beautifully handled, and the emergence of Ireland into the modern wor...

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    What Abigail Did That Summer (Rivers of London Novella) by Ben Aaronovitch

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    The new Rivers of London novella, from Sunday Times Number One bestselling author Ben Aaronovitch. Ghost hunter, fox whisperer, troublemaker. It is...

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    One August Night by Victoria Hislop

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    Excellent as ever. Victoria Hislop at her best.' Reader review'Within a few pages I was back in Greece and almost feeling the sun on my face.' Read...

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    Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover

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    Perfectly poetic. A beautiful follow-up to Slammed' Tarryn Fisher'Brilliant and entertaining as Slammed. Point of Retreat is absolute poetry' Jamie...

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    Slammed by Colleen Hoover

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    From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Ends With Us. SOMETIMES TWO PEOPLE HAVE TO FALL APART TO REALISE HOW MUCH THEY BELONG TOGETHER....

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    Salem's Lot by Stephen King

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    With a stunning new cover look, King's chilling classic of a small new England town about to be engulfed in terror. Turn off the television - in fa...

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    The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

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    **OVER 1.5 MILLION COPIES SOLD**WINNER OF THE ORANGE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTIONTHE INTERNATIONAL SENSATIONA SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELL...

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    Small Island by Andrea Levy

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    Small Island by bestselling author Andrea Levy won the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Orange Prize 'Best of the Best' as well as the Commonwealth...

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    They by Kay Dick

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    As heard on BBC Radio 4's Front Row: the radical dystopian classic, lost for forty years: in a nightmarish Britain, THEY are coming closer. 'A cree...

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    Lord of the Flies by William Golding

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    William Golding's Lord of the Flies is a dystopian classic: 'exciting, relevant and thought-provoking' (Stephen King). When a group of schoolboys a...

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    Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

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    Amazon.com's no. 1 Book of the Year 2014 Lydia is the favourite child of Marilyn and James Lee; a girl who inherited her mother's bright blue eyes ...

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    You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry

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    A gorgeous romance' BETH O'LEARY, The Flatshare 'Our generation's answer to Nora Ephron' SOPHIE COUSENS, This Time Next Year 'So warm and funny' PA...

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    Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

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    THE SUNDAY TIMES 1# BESTSELLER & BOOKER PRIZE WINNERBRITISH BOOK AWARDS AUTHOR & FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020 'The most absorbing book I r...

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    Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

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    WINNER OF THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD AND A NO.1 BESTSELLER IN THE TIMES'A tender and touching love story, beautifully told' Observer 'Hands-down t...

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    One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

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    Pitching an extraordinary battle between cruel authority and a rebellious free spirit, Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a novel that ...

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    Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

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    Drifters in search of work, George and his childlike friend Lennie, have nothing in the world except the clothes on their back - and a dream that o...

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    Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

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    Every weekend, in basements and parking lots across the country, young men with good white-collar jobs and absent fathers take off their shoes and ...

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    A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

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    ** Available for pre-order, THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY, the dazzling new novel from Amor Towles **Chosen for the Duchess of Cornwall's online book club Th...

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    My Policeman by Bethan Roberts

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    An exquisitely told tragic tale of thwarted love, My Policeman is soon to be adapted into film by Amazon Prime starring Harry Styles and Emma Corri...

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    The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

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    The circus arrives without warning. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Against the grey sky the towering tents are striped black and wh...

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    Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

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    A masterly novel' New York Times 'Such is the exquisite, gossamer construction of Murakami's writing that everything he chooses to describe tremble...

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    To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

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    Shoot all the Bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a Mockingbird.'Lawyer Atticus Finch gives this advice to his c...

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    All My Mothers by Joanna Glen

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    One of those rarest of books: so beautiful I almost couldn't bear it, and so moving I was reading through tears' STACEY HALLS 'Uniquely witty, beau...

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    Under a Greek Moon by Carol Kirkwood

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    The escapist Sunday Times bestselling debut from the nation's best loved TV presenter, Carol Kirkwood. 'Loved it! It sizzles with secrets and passi...

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    The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon

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    THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Part whodunnit, part coming of age, this is a gripping debut about the secrets behind every door' RACHEL JOYCE 'Cannon...

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    Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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    THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 'WINNER OF WINNERS' Winner of the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction 2007, this is a heartbreaking, exquisitely writt...

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    See You Tomorrow at the Food Court by Shinichiro Nariie

    Only 2 left!

    Wada is an honor student who keeps to herself and has an air of mysteryaround her. Yamamoto is an intimidating fashionista with dyed blond hair a...

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    The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious, Vol. 4 (manga) by Light Tuchichi

    Only 3 left!

    No sooner have Seiya and his friends made it back from Dragon Village thanit's time for them to face a new enemy-the Demon Lord'sarmy's absurdly fa...

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    Kubo Won't Let Me Be Invisible, Vol. 5 by Nene Yukimori

    Only 3 left!

    A social butterfly makes friends with a wallflower-whether he's ready or not!Junta Shiraishi blends into the background so much that even his class...

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    Dr. STONE, Vol. 8 by Riichiro Inagaki

    Only 15 left!

    One fateful day, all of humanity turned to stone. Many millennia later, Taiju frees himself from the petrification and finds himself surrounded by ...

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    How to Draw: Manga Heroes : In Simple Steps by Yishan Li

    Only 5 left!

    Learn to draw 28 dynamic manga heroes and villains using this simple step-by-step book. Manga artist Yishan Li teaches you to transform simple shap...

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    Legendary Comics Ya Year One Box Set: Leading Ladies by Kannekanti

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    ; Pagination: 392 pages 392 Illustrations unspecified; Date of Publication: 16/03/2023

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Creative, formula-bending, genre-defying, character-focused, and most importantly, a literary exploration of the human condition—contemporary & modern literary fiction is arguably the most experimental genre within literature.

The landscape of literary fiction is constantly being revolutionised by literary fiction authors; that are known to constantly push the boundaries of genre fiction and blur the lines of distinction between literary fiction and other genres of literature.

Given the creative ambiguity of contemporary literary fiction; the genre witnesses a dazzling lineup of highly acclaimed debuts and fresh progressive voices each year. From trailblazing memoirs to the cultural history of humanity—no other genre captures the exactness of our collective life experience more creatively than literary fiction.

The list of bestselling literary fiction is an exciting mix of very distinct literary techniques and contrasting voices. Precisely why, we at Books2Door bring you and a carefully curated collection of the best literary fiction books of all time whilst also helping you gain an acute understanding of what qualifies as modern & literary fiction.

Formula-bending, genre-defying, and experimental

Modern and Contemporary Literary Fiction or experimental fiction is possibly the literature’s most rebellious genre. It doesn’t follow any literary formulas, nor does it adhere to any rules. In that, literary fiction authors are free to build an unpredictable narrative. Anything can transpire; exciting or unnerving. In literary fiction, any established literary theme can be turned on its head. For instance, literary fiction authors have challenged the good-triumphs-over-evil theme; so common otherwise in genre fiction books.

George Orwell’s social satire Nineteen Eighty-Four is one example. A book best categorised as dystopian literature; (remember the recently trending hashtag #makeorwellfictionagain ?) Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four not only challenged the good vs evil theme but also blurred the lines of distinction between genre fiction and classic literary fiction.

Employees creative storytelling

Considering literary fiction doesn’t adhere to any rules of genre or sub-genre; every literary fiction author is free to be creative and create his own rules. This makes the storyline an adventure, that can take its readers by surprise.

Devoid of any rules, the literary fiction writer is free to break convention and employ his creativity. This practice has birthed some extraordinary literary works. For example, Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife where Niffenegger’s uses dual narrators from the first person point of view, in the present tense.

Thought-provoking and introspective

Like we said earlier, no other genre captures the exactness of the human condition and our collective life experience more creatively than literary fiction. Whilst most genres are designed to entertain the readers, literary fiction is meant to do more than that. Literary fiction seeks to make sense of the world. It is meant to be thought-provoking, and introspective and is meant to push the reader to think critically of the human condition.

Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, for instance, explores the mind of a depressed, anxious, and neurotic young woman. Whilst the book has a coming-of-age plot line; it is the inner dialogue of this character that truly makes it a memorable book. This strong character study is what makes literary fiction a character-focused and introspective genre.

Explores the human condition

Stories in literary fiction do not shy away from dealing with difficult subjects and the realities of the human condition with artistic honesty. Literary fiction, therefore, is not always designed to help the reader escape. It can make the reader uncomfortable and push them to think about issues.

Literary fiction however is not non-fiction; so it doesn’t just report the truth. Instead, it relies on creative techniques and artsy symbolism to convey a deeper meaning. Literary fiction relies on metaphors and creative storytelling to convey meaningful messages. As a result, the takeaway from these stories is more than just the story, the takeaway is the experience, the message, and at times the characters.

Literary fiction is character-driven

Whilst genre fiction is focused on the story, plotlines, and on being an engaging read; literary fiction is more stressed on the characters or on conveying a meaningful message or idea. At times, it is focused on both. The characters in literary fiction can have layers, the depth of a character's actions and psyche are explored to forward the plot. Literary fiction doesn’t just show a character’s story, it shows how their actions and circumstances change the character.

Literary fiction can be as absurd and ambiguous as life itself

Literary fiction is experimental in nature much like absurd art, which means it doesn’t have to have a happy ending or an ending at all. Art movements like absurdism, dadaism and surrealism, are all, artsy cousins of experimental prose.

Literary fiction gives writers the liberty to let a story end abruptly or for the entire plot to be absurd. Stories in this genre don’t necessarily have to resolve but they have to have meaning. The meaning however is left to the reader’s interpretation.

Literary fiction is good for the reader

Because literary fiction pushes boundaries, employs a unique perspective, searches for meaning, and is designed for intellectual and emotional stimulus--it is much like the art you see hanging in galleries and the movies that bring meaningful conversations alive. Just like artsy movies and art itself, the creative genius of literary fiction is largely open to criticism. Some of the best contemporary literary fiction books have won critical acclaim and awards but missed out on winning the masses.