HeavenHeaven
Score Modern
What it's about
A 14-year-old boy, relentlessly tormented at school for his lazy eye, chooses to suffer in complete resignation. The only person who understands is a girl in his class who's tormented too.
Why it's worth reading
It was a finalist for the International Booker Prize.
You'll love it if you liked
The Vegetarian
Convenience Store Woman
The Hate U GiveGood to know
Its scenes of bullying are hard to read.
By the numbers
- Readers19 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics27 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller27 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz26 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #211 of the 260 young adult books we rank
- #292 of the 325 literary novels we rank
- #1405 of the 1,647 modern books we rank
- #2650 of the 3,056 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
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RoomExplore the best-of lists
All 47 best-of lists →

Literary novelsTop 25 · 325 ranked

Young adult booksTop 25 · 260 ranked

Modern booksTop 25 · 1,647 ranked

Books of the 2000sTop 25 · 514 ranked

Fantasy booksTop 25 · 504 ranked

Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 ranked

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelsTop 25 · 63 ranked

Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedQuick answers
Is Heaven worth reading?
Yes. It was a finalist for the International Booker Prize. It ranks #2,650 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 58.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Heaven about?
A 14-year-old boy, relentlessly tormented at school for his lazy eye, chooses to suffer in complete resignation. The only person who understands is a girl in his class who's tormented too.
How long does it take to read Heaven?
About 4 hours (167 pages), or about 8 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Heaven?
If you liked it, try The Vegetarian by Han Kang, Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata or The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.