Modern & Literary Fiction Books
The Perks of Being a Wallflower: the most moving coming-of-age classic by Stephen Chbosky
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days ...
View full detailsPachinko: The New York Times Bestseller by Min Jin Lee
* The million-copy bestseller* * National Book Award finalist * * One of the New York Times's 10 Best Books of 2017 * * Selected for Emma Watson's ...
View full detailsMy Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
THE TIKTOK SENSATION Read THE razor-sharp satire that everyone is talking about... On the surface ,our narrator has everything you could want in li...
View full detailsA Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
A Thousand Splendid Suns is a novel penned by the critically acclaimed author Khaled Hosseini. Following the overwhelming success of his debut nove...
View full detailsThe Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books 1) by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
THE MODERN CLASSIC: OVER 20 MILLION COPIES SOLDA Sunday Times bestseller and a Richard & Judy book club pick'The real deal: one gorgeous read' ...
View full detailsThe Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Captivating Journey through Love, Secrets, and Glamour Immerse yourself in the mesmerising world of Hollywood'...
View full detailsLord of the Flies by William Golding
William Golding's Lord of the Flies is a dystopian classic: 'exciting, relevant and thought-provoking' (Stephen King). When a group of schoolboys a...
View full detailsAtonement by Ian McEwan
Discover the modern classic that has sold over two million copies. 'A person is, among all else, a material thing, easily torn and not easily mende...
View full detailsDesire: Vintage Minis by Haruki Murakami
You've just passed someone on the street who could be the love of your life, the person you're destined for - what do you do? In Murakami's world, ...
View full detailsTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
'Shoot all the Bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a Mockingbird.' Atticus Finch gives this advice to his childr...
View full detailsOutlander: (Outlander 1) by Diana Gabaldon
'Scotland's answer to Game of Thrones' HERALDTHE FIRST NOVEL IN THE BESTSELLING OUTLANDER SERIES, as seen on Amazon PrimeNow available to preorder:...
View full detailsDragonfly In Amber: (Outlander 2) by Diana Gabaldon
THE SECOND NOVEL IN THE BESTSELLING OUTLANDER SERIES - Now a major TV series. For twenty years Claire Randall has kept her secrets. But now she is ...
View full detailsHomesick For Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh
'Razor-sharp' Zadie Smith An electrifying, prizewinning short story collection from the Booker-shortlisted author of Eileen and My Year of Rest and...
View full detailsThe Fell by Sarah Moss
From Sarah Moss, the Sunday Times bestselling author of Summerwater and Ghost Wall, comes a story about the circumstances and the consequences of i...
View full detailsBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
Celebrating Fifty Years of Picador Books The wrath of God lies sleeping. It was hid a million years before men were and only men have power to wake...
View full detailsWild by Kristin Hannah
From the New York Times number one bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone, Kristin Hannah, comes Wild, a remarkable story about ...
View full detailsGenesis by Robin Cook
New York Times bestselling author Robin Cook takes on the ripped-from-the-headlines topic of using DNA tracking to catch a killer in Genesis, an un...
View full detailsAgainst the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa
'A thrilling, defiant novel' FATIMA BHUTTO'A masterpiece' MARC LAMONT HILL'Wonderful ... Shines a ray of hope into some very dark places' MICHAEL P...
View full detailsThe English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
WINNER OF THE GOLDEN MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2018'Magnificent' Sunday Times'The best piece of fiction I've read in years' Independent on SundayThe final c...
View full detailsSwimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski
LONGLISTED FOR THE POLARI PRIZE 2021A Guardian Book of the Year'The highest talent at work' Sebastian Barry'Beautiful ... A masterpiece' Attitude ...
View full detailsNeverwhere: the Illustrated Edition by Neil Gaiman
Discover Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, the extraordinary modern classic from the bestselling author of American Gods, illustrated for the first time by...
View full detailsThe Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE IN FICTION 2021NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERIt is 1953. Thomas Wazhushk is the night watchman at the first factory to open...
View full detailsSomeone I Used to Know by Paige Toon
A beautiful story of love and second chances, with a remarkable family at its heart, from the Sunday Times bestselling author. So much can change...
View full detailsMagic Lessons: A Prequel to Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
The extraordinary and enchanting novel tracing a centuries-old curse back to its beginning from the author of PRACTICAL MAGIC and THE DOVEKEEPERS F...
View full detailsMy Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises by Fredrik Backman
A must-read for fans of Rachel Joyce's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Maria Semple's Where'd You Go, BernadetteHeartbreaking and hilario...
View full detailsForever Yours by Debbie Johnson
'Joyous, moving, uplifting and fabulous' MILLY JOHNSON'Poignant and big-hearted' HOLLY MILLER'Uplifting and full of hope and love. An utter delight...
View full detailsThe Summer Book by Tove Jansson
Celebrating 50 years of Tove Jansson's classic, bestselling novel'Distils the essence of summer' Robert Macfarlane'Magical, life-affirming' Elizabe...
View full detailsCaptain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres
25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION - WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR'A true diamond of a novel, glinting with comedy and tragedy' Daily MailIt is 1941 ...
View full detailsThe House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Told in a series of vibrant vignettes, The House On Mango Street is the story of Esperanza Cordera, a young girl growing up in the Hispanic quarter...
View full detailsUnsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
** DEMON COPPERHEAD: THE NEW BARBARA KINGSOLVER NOVEL IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW **FROM THE GLOBAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE POISONWOOD BIBLEWI...
View full detailsCase Histories: (Jackson Brodie) by Kate Atkinson
The first Jackson Brodie novel: literary crime from the prizewinning, number-one bestselling author of Big Sky and Transcription. 'An astonishing...
View full detailsMr Wilder and Me by Jonathan Coe
The prize-winning, bestselling author of Middle England turns his gaze to one of cinema's most intriguing figures - famed director of Some Like It ...
View full detailsThe Man Who Died Twice: (The Thursday Murder Club 2) by Richard Osman
THE SECOND NOVEL IN THE RECORD-BREAKING, MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING THURSDAY MURDER CLUB SERIES BY RICHARD OSMAN ---------- 'A thing of joy' KATE ATK...
View full detailsWorst Idea Ever by Jane Fallon
A white lie never hurt anyone, right? . . . 'Worst Idea Ever is SO GOOD! I read it in one mad gulp' MARIAN KEYES 'Emotionally intelligent and bea...
View full detailsThe Wych Elm by Tana French
From the writer whose novels inspired the BBC's Dublin Murders TV series... 'One of the most compulsive psychological mysteries since Donna Tart...
View full detailsBrideshead Revisited: The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder by Evelyn Waugh
Brideshead Revisited is Evelyn Waugh's stunning novel of duty and desire set amongst the decadent, faded glory of the English aristocracy in the ru...
View full detailsWhat We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver
This powerful collection of stories, set in the mid-West among the lonely men and women who drink, fish and play cards to ease the passing of time,...
View full detailsThe Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
** THE SUNDAY TIMES NO. 1 BESTSELLER **Discover the dystopian novel that started a phenomenon before you read the Booker Prize-winning sequel The T...
View full detailsDisgrace by J.M. Coetzee
**A BBC RADIO 4 GOOD READ**'A great novel by one of the finest authors writing in the English language today' The TimesAfter years teaching Romanti...
View full detailsThe Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Introducing the Collins Modern Classics, a series featuring some of the most significant books of recent times, books that shed light on the human ...
View full detailsRock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
The instant New York Times bestseller from the author of Sometimes I Lie 'Not just fiendish but positively Feeneyish - dark, i...
View full detailsA Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum
A 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 detailsDaughters of Cornwall by Fern Britton
The No.1 Sunday Times bestselling novel! Love can last a lifetime. But can it last three? 1918W...
View full detailsThe Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
A 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 detailsTender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
It all happened so quickly. First, animals became infected with the virus and their meat became poisonous. Then governments initiated the Transitio...
View full detailsThis is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar
WINNER OF The Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Novella, the Reddit Stabby Award for Best Novella AND The British Science Fiction Association Award f...
View full detailsThe Mad Women's Ball by Victoria Mas
A darkly sumptuous tale of wicked spectacle, wild injustice and the insuppressible strength of women' EMMA STONEX, author of THE LAMPLIGHTERS'An es...
View full detailsThe One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
**LONGLISTED FOR THE AUTHOR'S CLUB FIRST NOVEL AWARD**'Emotional, involving, witty and sad. Everyone is going to love Lenni and Margot' JILL MANSEL...
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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