Hi, everyone!
I just joined a book club (all women in our late 20's/early 30's, most if not all are married with small children,) and our next genre is literary fiction. We are all supposed to submit a suggestion for the genre and then we will all vote on which one we should read. I had never heard of literary fiction before, and I'm still having a hard time understanding what sets it apart from other works of fiction. But I would love some suggestions within this genre that would be great picks for our next read!
Thank you!
by doodle890
8 Comments
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Always You and Me by Dani Atkins
Three days in June by Anne Tyler
Literary fiction is the counterpart to “genre fiction” such as romance, thrillers, sci-fi, historical fiction, fantasy, mystery, etc. Usually goes a little deeper with character development and is less plot-driven than, say, a detective novel. Of course, that encompasses a vast variety of books! I just read The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy, and I think that might be a good fit for your book club. It follows the characters from their twenties into their thirties, explores a lot of different themes through their lives and their friendship. And like all good literary fiction, it is exceptionally well written and tightly edited.
What kind of stuff has your club read and enjoyed in the past? Any favorite or disliked themes – like romance, personal journeys, family struggles, etc.? Length?
Like another commenter said, “literary fiction” is a very broad category.
One over arching suggestion I have is to check out short lists (not just winners) of prizes like the Pulitzer or Mann-Booker. Lots of great stuff and tons of variety.
The Names by Florence Knapp
The story is about a mother who is tasked with going to the registrar to get a birth certificate for her son. She does not want to name him the father’s choice as he is an emotionally and physically abusive man. The novel unfolds in three separate stories based on if she had named him three different things.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
Basically literary fiction focuses more on character development/themes/writing while genre fiction (say mystery/thrillers or romance) is more plot driven.