The 25 best literary novels
The 25 highest-ranked literary novels in our ranking of 2,819, scored on how much readers love them, their prize, best-list and bestseller record, and current buzz. We rank 309 literary novels in all. How we rank
- 1
Demon Copperhead96.3Must-Read ScoreDemon Copperhead
Demon is one of the great narrators of recent fiction: funny, furious and impossible not to root for.
- 2
All the Light We Cannot See92.8Must-Read ScoreAll the Light We Cannot See
It's a beautifully written, deeply humane story about two children trying to stay good in a war, and it won the Pulitzer Prize while also becoming a huge bestseller.
- 3
Americanah91.9Must-Read ScoreAmericanah
It's a love story, a social satire and one of the smartest novels ever written about race, immigration and identity, and it's often very funny.
- 4
A Little Life89.8Must-Read ScoreA Little Life
It's one of the most emotionally overwhelming novels of the century, a book readers call devastating, unforgettable and sometimes unbearable, and it was a Booker and National Book Award finalist.
- 5
Pachinko88.9Must-Read ScorePachinko
It's a sweeping, deeply humane family epic about identity, endurance and belonging, opening with one of fiction's great first lines: "History has failed us, but no matter." It was a National Book Award finalist and is beloved by readers everywhere.
- 6
Shuggie Bain88.4Must-Read ScoreShuggie Bain
It's devastating and full of love, a portrait of addiction and loyalty written with extraordinary tenderness, and it won the Booker Prize as a debut.
- 7
The Nickel Boys88.1Must-Read ScoreThe Nickel Boys
It's short, devastating and beautifully written, and it won the Pulitzer Prize, Whitehead's second.
- 8
Remarkably Bright Creatures87.4Must-Read ScoreRemarkably Bright Creatures
It's charming, funny and full of heart, and Marcellus, who narrates some chapters himself, is one of the most beloved characters in recent fiction.
- 9
Hamnet87.2Must-Read ScoreHamnet
It won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Women's Prize, and became a film.
- 10A Man Called Ove86.7Must-Read Score
A Man Called Ove
It was one of the ten best-selling books in America in both 2016 and 2017.
- 11
The Great Believers86.7Must-Read ScoreThe Great Believers
It's a deeply moving novel about friendship, loss and what it means to survive when those around you don't, and it was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.
- 12
Half of a Yellow Sun86.6Must-Read ScoreHalf of a Yellow Sun
It won the Orange Prize and is on the Guardian's list of the best books of the century.
- 13
East of Eden86.3Must-Read ScoreEast of Eden
Steinbeck called it his masterpiece, and many readers agree: a big, generous, gripping family saga with one of literature's great villains and a profoundly hopeful idea at its heart.
- 14
The Kite Runner86.1Must-Read ScoreThe Kite Runner
It's one of the best-selling novels of the century, about 31.5 million copies.
- 15
The Overstory85.7Must-Read ScoreThe Overstory
It won the Pulitzer Prize, was a Booker finalist, and is on the New York Times list of the century's best books.
- 16
Girl, Woman, Other85.4Must-Read ScoreGirl, Woman, Other
It won the Booker Prize, shared with Margaret Atwood, and made Evaristo the first Black woman to win.
- 17
Angle of Repose85.3Must-Read ScoreAngle of Repose
It's a quietly magnificent novel about the American West, marriage and the gap between generations, and it won the Pulitzer Prize.
- 18
Me Before You85.0Must-Read ScoreMe Before You
It spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times list, has sold millions of copies and became a film with Emilia Clarke.
- 19The Hate U Give85.0Must-Read Score
The Hate U Give
It has spent more than 250 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists, and it's one of the most widely read and taught young-adult novels of the century.
- 20
The Underground Railroad84.6Must-Read ScoreThe Underground Railroad
It won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, was longlisted for the Booker, and is on the New York Times list of the century's best books.
- 21
Citizen84.3Must-Read ScoreCitizen
It's one of the defining books of its decade, on both the New York Times and the Guardian lists of the century's best, and it won the National Book Critics Circle Award for poetry.
- 22
Schindler's List84.2Must-Read ScoreSchindler's List
It's an extraordinary true story of an unlikely rescuer, told with great moral seriousness, and it won the Booker Prize.
- 23
My Friends84.0Must-Read ScoreMy Friends
It's a quiet, profound novel about exile and friendship from one of today's finest writers, and it won the NBCC Award and was longlisted for the Booker Prize.
- 24
Big Little Lies83.9Must-Read ScoreBig Little Lies
It was a #1 New York Times bestseller and became an Emmy-winning HBO series.
- 25
My Friends83.9Must-Read ScoreMy Friends
It's Fredrik Backman at his most heartfelt: funny, sad and full of love for misfits and the friends who save them.