📖 Literary Fiction · United States
Best Literary Fiction Books from United States
Literary fiction is fiction that prioritises style, language, and psychological depth over plot mechanics. United States has produced some of the most internationally recognised works in literary fiction, with titles that have appeared on major prize lists and critical surveys worldwide. This page ranks the best literary fiction from United States by editorial consensus.
#1
literary-fiction
The Road
Cormac McCarthy· 2007
★Pulitzer Prize★Hugo Award
Editorial Score100/100
#2
literary-fiction
Lincoln in the Bardo
George Saunders· 2017
★Booker Prize
Editorial Score100/100
#3
literary-fiction
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
Ocean Vuong· 2019
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score93/100
#4
literary-fiction
The Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck· 1962
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score90/100
#5
literary-fiction
Go Set a Watchman
Harper Lee· 2015
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score89/100
#6
literary-fiction
The Corrections
Jonathan Franzen· 2002
★National Book Award
Editorial Score88/100
#7
literary-fiction
Beloved
Toni Morrison· 1993
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score85/100
#8
historical-fiction
The Lacuna
Barbara Kingsolver· 2009
★Women's Prize for Fiction
Editorial Score83/100
#9
literary-fiction
The Sympathizer
Viet Thanh Nguyen· 2016
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score81/100
#10
literary-fiction
Middlesex
Jeffrey Eugenides· 2003
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score81/100
#11
literary-fiction
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Lionel Shriver· 2005
★Women's Prize for Fiction
Editorial Score81/100
#12
science-fiction
The Left Hand of Darkness
Ursula K. Le Guin· 1970
★Hugo Award★Nebula Award
Editorial Score81/100
#13
literary-fiction
The Nickel Boys
Colson Whitehead· 2020
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score80/100
#14
literary-fiction
Invisible Man
Ralph Ellison· 1952
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score79/100
#15
literary-fiction
The Sound and the Fury
William Faulkner· 1949
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score78/100
#16
literary-fiction
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee· 1961
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score78/100
#17
literary-fiction
Property
Lionel Shriver· 2003
★Women's Prize for Fiction
Editorial Score78/100
#18
literary-fiction
The Overstory
Richard Powers· 2019
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score78/100
#19
historical-fiction
The News from Paraguay
Lily Tuck· 2005
★National Book Award
Editorial Score78/100
#20
literary-fiction
Demon Copperhead
Barbara Kingsolver· 2022
Goodreads Choice Award
Editorial Score77/100
#21
literary-fiction
The Human Comedy
William Saroyan· 1943
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score76/100
#22
historical-fiction
The Underground Railroad
Colson Whitehead· 2017
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score75/100
#23
literary-fiction
Less
Andrew Sean Greer· 2018
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score74/100
#24
literary-fiction
The Goldfinch
Donna Tartt· 2014
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score74/100
#25
literary-fiction
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Gabrielle Zevin· 2022
Goodreads Choice Award
Editorial Score74/100
#26
literary-fiction
Olive Kitteridge
Elizabeth Strout· 2009
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score74/100
#27
literary-fiction
A Frolic of His Own
William Gaddis· 1995
★National Book Award
Editorial Score73/100
#28
literary-fiction
Here I Am
Jonathan Safran Foer· 2016
★Costa Book Award
Editorial Score72/100
#29
literary-fiction
Lessons in Chemistry
Bonnie Garmus· 2022
Goodreads Choice Award
Editorial Score72/100
#30
literary-fiction
Tree of Smoke
Denis Johnson· 2008
★National Book Award
Editorial Score72/100
#31
fantasy
Circe
Madeline Miller· 2018
Goodreads Choice Award
Editorial Score72/100
#32
literary-fiction
Tinkers
Paul Harding· 2010
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score71/100
#33
literary-fiction
Daisy Jones and The Six
Taylor Jenkins Reid· 2019
Goodreads Choice Award
Editorial Score71/100
#34
literary-fiction
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Taylor Jenkins Reid· 2017
Goodreads Choice Award
Editorial Score71/100
#35
romance
It Ends with Us
Colleen Hoover· 2016
Goodreads Choice Award
Editorial Score71/100
#36
literary-fiction
Humboldt's Gift
Saul Bellow· 1976
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score70/100
#37
literary-fiction
The Adventures of Augie March
Saul Bellow· 1954
★National Book Award
Editorial Score70/100
#38
historical-fiction
Europe Central
William T. Vollmann· 2006
★National Book Award
Editorial Score70/100
#39
literary-fiction
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
Michael Chabon· 2001
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score70/100
#40
historical-fiction
In America
Susan Sontag· 2001
★National Book Award
Editorial Score70/100
#41
literary-fiction
The Hours
Michael Cunningham· 1999
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score70/100
#42
literary-fiction
Three Junes
Julia Glass· 2003
★National Book Award
Editorial Score69/100
#43
literary-fiction
The Invisible Man
Ralph Ellison· 1953
★National Book Award
Editorial Score69/100
#44
literary-fiction
A Visit from the Goon Squad
Jennifer Egan· 2011
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score68/100
#45
literary-fiction
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Junot Díaz· 2008
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score68/100
#46
literary-fiction
The Echo Maker
Richard Powers· 2007
★National Book Award
Editorial Score67/100
#47
literary-fiction
Empire Falls
Richard Russo· 2002
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score67/100
#48
literary-fiction
The Old Man and the Sea
Ernest Hemingway· 1954
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score67/100
#49
literary-fiction
Charming Billy
Alice McDermott· 1998
★National Book Award
Editorial Score67/100
#50
literary-fiction
Rabbit at Rest
John Updike· 1991
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score67/100
