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'Up there with the best of them...A big, fat five stars from me' Sue Moorcroft 'An irresistible slice of escapism' Phillipa Ashley ...
View full detailsA sparkling Christmas read from the Sunday Times bestseller - perfect to snuggle up with this winter! Hannah and Nic...
View full details*A finalist in the Goodreads Choice Awards for Fiction, discover this year's most uplifting and heart-warming debut* 'Absolutely gorgeous'...
View full details'Brilliant and funny... I raced through it at 90 mph and was devastated at the last page and just wanted to go read it all again... Sheer genius......
View full detailsTHE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER **Don't miss the collector's edition with a specially designed board, exclusive ...
View full detailsThe debut novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author, Emma Gannon. 'Explores such an important topic with a lightness and warmth' D...
View full detailsThe bonds of family are tested in the wake of a profound tragedy, providing a look at the darker side of our society The bonds of family...
View full detailsLonglisted for the Booker Prize 2020 A Spectator Book of the Year 'A literary renderi...
View full details'A story about friendship and family, and coming to terms with life and the challenges it throws at you while finding the courage and resilience to...
View full detailsEscape to the seaside with this gorgeous new series from the Sunday Times bestselling author - perfect for fans of Trisha Ashley and Heidi Swain. ...
View full detailsThis Christmas, love is top of Florence Fairfax's wish list 'Feel-good and enormous fun' Sophie Kinsella 'Full of wit, ...
View full detailsSHORTLISTED FOR THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE A wry, provocative and very funny debut novel about identity, authenti...
View full detailsTHE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'I loved this book' RICHARD OSMAN 'An antiheroine able to best villainous male protagonists such a...
View full detailsA LibraryReads 2022 Top 10 Pick 'This is another winner from Wiggs' Booklist The heart-warming new story fr...
View full details'Love, loss, passion and everything in between... I love Susan Wiggs' novels so much.' JENNY COLGAN Heartbroken Natalie Harper i...
View full details'Gripping and moving. A literary triumph' Nicola Sturgeon 'A humane and searching story' Ian Rankin ...
View full detailsA New York Times bestseller * A Washington Post 10 Books to Read in March * One of Cosmopolitan's Best Books by POC for 2019 * A Refinery 29 Best B...
View full detailsPre-order your copy of the new heartwarming and romantic Anna Bell novel, Note to Self! 'Such a fun read!' Carrie Hope Fletcher, Sunday Ti...
View full detailsTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'HILARIOUS' Stylist 'DAZZLING' Marian Keyes ...
View full details'A touching, deftly written debut that celebratescommunity and kindness' Sunday Times Seventy-nine is too late for a...
View full detailsMeet Me at Pebble Beach was originally published as a four-part serial. This is the complete story in one package. Regan is h...
View full details'A galloping pulse-pounder' Heat '[A] gripping thriller . . . with perfectly observed emotions and red herrings that will boggle the mind'...
View full details'The queen of high-tension grip lit delivers a twisted tale that won't let you go' Sunday Times Crime Club ...
View full details'His best novel yet ... A Middlemarch-like triumph' Telegraph 'A pleasure bomb of a novel' Vogue 'A true modern master' Independe...
View full detailsA moment of madness. A summer of a lifetime. 'Pure escapism' Bella 'Hilarious and relatab...
View full detailsSHORTLISTED FOR THE PORTICO PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE DIVERSE BOOK AWARDSLONGLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARDSHORTLISTED FOR THE ...
View full detailsWINNER OF THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD AND THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE AND THE WOMEN'S PRIZE The movin...
View full detailsKnowing the truth will destroy her. Keeping it secret will destroy him. 'A powerful, beautifully crafted story that ratch...
View full detailsDon't miss the brand-new book from the Sunday Times bestselling author Susan Lewis! I can't forgive myself. Not afte...
View full detailsWhat if Mr Right was right in front of you all along? Escape with the laugh out loud brand-new romantic comedy from the Sunday Times bestselling au...
View full detailsThe No.1 Sunday Times bestselling novel! Love can last a lifetime. But can it last three? 1918W...
View full detailsTHE NUMBER ONE IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER 'Thoroughly enjoyable...sparkling with glamour, romance and suspense' Anna McPartlin, bestselling au...
View full detailsDiscover this 5-star read: 'Wow' 'Heartwarming' 'Uplifting' 'Thought-provoking' 'One of those rare, special and unique heroi...
View full detailsTwo best friends. One missed chance. And a night that changes everything. Eve, ...
View full detailsA global phenomenon, The Alchemist has been read and loved by over 62 million readers, topping bestseller lists in 74 countries worldwide. Now this...
View full details*Dawn O'Porter's brand new novel, CAT LADY, is available to pre-order now! * *The Sunday Times bestseller and Richard and Judy...
View full detailsPerfect marriages. Perfect neighbours. Perfect lies. ...
View full detailsPreviously adapted into a critically acclaimed film by Sofia Coppola starring Kirsten Dunst, this is the story of the five Lisbon sisters - beautif...
View full detailsFrom the Orange Prize-winning author of 'Half of a Yellow Sun' come twelve dazzling stories that turn a penetrating eye on the ties that bind men a...
View full detailsTHE NUMBER ONE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER 'A genuine masterpiece, the first great American novel of the twenty-first century' Elle ...
View full detailsThe classic, heartrending story of a British boy's four year ordeal in a Japanese prison camp during the Second World War. Newly reissued with an i...
View full details'We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like, "I feel a bit ligh...
View full detailsA comically sinister tale of wicked spirits and suburban mediums from the Man Booker Prize-winning author of Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies and The...
View full details'Like Lorna Sage's Bad Blood ... A masterpiece.' Rachel Cusk Giving Up the Ghost is the shocking and beautiful memoi...
View full details'The Namesake' is the story of a boy brought up Indian in America. 'When her grandmother learned of Ashima's pregnancy, she was particu...
View full details'One of the finest short story writers I've ever read' Amy Tan WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE W...
View full detailsThe debut novel from the award-winning screenwriter of Bhaji on the Beach. The story of nine-year-old Meena, growing up in the only Punjabi family ...
View full detailsThe complete edition of a timeless classic, includes the recently rediscovered Part Four and 'Last Words' by Richard Bach.Jonathan Livingston Seagu...
View full detailsCreative, 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.
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