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A hell of a read' Sunday Times 'Triumphant, and beautifully told...one of the best novelists writing today' Sara Collins, Guardian All mu...
View full details'Written with all the ingenuity and twisty tautness of a thriller' The TimesFrom the Booker-winning Irish author, a brilliant and moving novel abou...
View full details'Katie Kitamura's Intimacies - she's an incredible writer. It's fiction and a really beautiful exploration of how we can live everyday life while c...
View full details**SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE****SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**Booker Prize-winning, internationally bestselling author Salman Rushdie has created ...
View full details'A remarkable contemporary thriller... A triumph' WILLIAM BOYDA journalist becomes embroiled in a world of secrets and paranoia when a nuclear scie...
View full detailsLONGLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 2020 A powerful criticism of modern life by one of the most provocative and prophetic writers of our ...
View full details**THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**Charlie, drifting through life and dodging full-time employment, is in love with Miranda, a bright studen...
View full detailsThe electrifying novel from the Booker shortlisted author of Everything Under. ...
View full details'As cryptic and compelling as a fever dream... Bae Suah is one of the most unique and adroit literary voices working today' Sharlene TeoFinishing h...
View full details'De Bernieres is a singular, cherishable voice' Mail on SundayFrom the master of historical fiction, this book follows an unforgettable family afte...
View full details'Just downright brilliant... a transcendent, transporting experience' ObserverA motherless girl grows up in isolated luxury, hidden from the world ...
View full details'A . . . tender love story . . . This book is alive. It pulses with warmth and intelligence' The TimesA wickedly observed novel about falling in lo...
View full detailsOVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLDInnocent or guilty. It's a matter of which lines you cross. It's mid-winter and a body is discovered in a flat just o...
View full detailsMaria, a trans woman in her thirties, is going nowhere. She spends her aimless days working in a New York bookstore, trying to remain true to a pun...
View full details'A glimpse of the foetid underbelly of the internet' - The Times'Taut as a thriller, sharp as a slug of ice-cold vodka' - Irish TimesTo be a conten...
View full detailsSet in a snow-covered Cotswolds village, The Christmas Postcards is the unmissable, spellbinding new book from the Sunday Times bestseller Karen Sw...
View full detailsFrom 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 detailsThe Sunday Times Thriller of the Month'Stunning . . . one of the most compelling reads of the year' - Daily ExpressExpertly researched and visionar...
View full detailsThe Sunday Times bestselling, twenty-eighth and final novel in the thrilling, wickedly funny Inspector Montalbano Mysteries series by Andrea Camill...
View full detailsThe twenty-eighth and final novel in the thrilling, wickedly funny Inspector Montalbano Mysteries series by bestselling author Andrea Camilleri. ...
View full detailsMercy is the gripping follow up to Long Road to Mercy, A Minute to Midnight and Daylight featuring Special Agent Atlee Pine from one of the world's...
View full detailsMercy is the gripping follow up to Long Road to Mercy, A Minute to Midnight and Daylight featuring Special Agent Atlee Pine from one of the world's...
View full details'Deliciously chilly' - Guardian'Humming with suppressed hysteria and madness' - The Times'Wonderfully evocative' - Heat Hare House is not its real ...
View full details'Deliciously chilly' Guardian'Humming with suppressed hysteria and madness' The Times'Wonderfully evocative' Heat Hare House is not its real name, ...
View full details'An apocalyptic novel for our times' - Guardian'Horrifyingly resonant' - ObserverSuperbowl Sunday, 2022. A couple wait in their Manhattan apartment...
View full detailsThe Cook of the Halcyon is the penultimate novel in the Inspector Montalbano mystery series from the master of Sicilian crime, Andrea Camilleri. ...
View full detailsThe Cook of the Halcyon is the twenty-seventh Inspector Montalbano mystery from the master of Sicilian crime, Andrea Camilleri. Moments later the...
View full details'Sunshine in book form' - Daily Mail'A joyfully escapist celebration of friendship and freedom' - Mail on Sunday'Delightful, heartwarming . . . An ...
View full detailsWild Fire is the eighth and final book in Ann Cleeves' bestselling Shetland series - a major BBC One crime drama, starring Douglas Henshall. On a...
View full detailsDead Water is the fifth book in Ann Cleeves' bestselling Shetland series - a major BBC One crime drama, starring Douglas Henshall as Detective Jimm...
View full detailsFrom 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 detailsFirst a legendary radio series, then a bestselling book, then a blockbuster movie, the immensely successful Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Dou...
View full detailsA cult classic of Italian literature, published in English for the first time, with an afterword by Andre Aciman, author of Call Me By Your Name. ...
View full detailsA Richard & Judy Summer Book Club Pick. For fans of Liane Moriarty, People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd is a deliciously dark, page-turning thril...
View full detailsIn The Sicilian Method, Andrea Camilleri's twenty-sixth novel in the Inspector Montalbano mystery series, Montalbano finds his answers to a murder ...
View full detailsIn The Sicilian Method, Andrea Camilleri's twenty-sixth novel in the Inspector Montalbano mystery series, Montalbano finds his answers to a murder ...
View full details'[An] incredible debut' - Stylist'A novel about home, about belonging and exile; a compelling and complex insight into a recent past that still res...
View full detailsThe Promise is a unforgettable story about finding love, hope and joy in even the darkest moments, by the Sunday Times bestseller Lucy Diamond, aut...
View full detailsThe Promise is a unforgettable story about finding love, hope and joy in even the darkest moments, by the Sunday Times bestseller Lucy Diamond, aut...
View full detailsSet in urban Manchester, Running Scared is a nerve-shredding thriller by bestselling author Mandasue Heller. When Alexis 'Lexi' James falls out w...
View full detailsA moving, compelling and uplifting story of following your dreams against the odds, from the world's favourite storyteller, Danielle Steel. Iris ...
View full detailsA dedicated CIA agent becomes an unexpected ally to a woman haunted by the kidnapping of her family, in Suspects, a thrilling novel from internatio...
View full detailsYou only discover what you can survive when you're put to the test . . . The Challenge is the latest thrilling novel from No.1 New York Times bests...
View full detailsThe Butler is an extraordinary tale of family, difficult decisions and destiny, from the world's favourite storyteller, Danielle Steel. Joachim v...
View full detailsThe Butler is an extraordinary tale of family, difficult decisions and destiny, from the world's favourite storyteller, Danielle Steel. Joachim v...
View full detailsComplications is a riveting story of scandal and tragedy set against the backdrop of an exclusive Paris hotel from the world's favourite storytelle...
View full detailsNine Lives is a thought-provoking story of lost love and new beginnings, by the number one bestseller Danielle Steel. After a carefree childhood,...
View full detailsThe Times top ten bestsellerScots Book of the Year 2021Winner of the Somerset Maugham Award & Betty Trask Award 2021'Trainspotting for a new ge...
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.
Ordering from Books2Door couldn't be simpler
Welcome to Books2Door, the one-stop shop for all your children's book needs! We specialise in selling cheap children’s box sets and series at bargain prices.
At Books2Door, we believe that reading is a fundamental skill that every child should have to help improve their vocabulary, grammar, and critical thinking skills.
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All our books are brand new and delivered to us straight from the publisher. Our special sales editions are bought in bulk at a great discount - which we pass on to you!
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