Fiction & literature · 2021

Best Fiction & Literature Books of 2021

The Prophets: A Novel by Robert Jones, Jr. was the most-recognized fiction & literature book of 2021, named by 12 of the 153 sources we track. The table ranks all 79 by how many sources named them.

Sources is the number of distinct awards and year-end lists that name the book's ISBN, in any year. 2021 is the award or list year in our catalog.

#BookAuthorSourcesNamed by
1The Prophets: A NovelRobert Jones, Jr.12
2The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois: A NovelHonorée Fannone Jeffers11
3Small Things Like TheseClaire Keegan10
4A Calling for Charlie Barnes: A NovelJoshua Ferris4
5The Paper Palace: A NovelMiranda Cowley Heller4
6In the Country of Others: A NovelLeila Slimani2
7Silent Winds, Dry Seas: A NovelVinod Busjeet2
8A Lot Like AdiósAlexis Daria1
9Act Your Age, Eve Brown: A NovelTalia Hibbert1
10All the Feels: A NovelOlivia Dade1
11Beautiful World, Where Are You: A NovelSally Rooney1
12Crossroads: A NovelJonathan Franzen1
13Detransition Baby: A NovelTorrey Peters1
14Light Perpetual: A NovelFrancis Spufford1
15Martita, I Remember You / Martita, Te Recuerdo: A Story in English and SpanishSandra Cisneros1
16Matrix: A NovelLauren Groff1
17No One Is Talking About This: A NovelPatricia Lockwood1
18Oh William!: A NovelElizabeth Strout1
19One Last Stop: A NovelCasey McQuiston1
20The City of Good Death: A NovelPriyanka Champaneri1
21The Five Wounds: A NovelKristin Valdez Quade1
22The Lincoln Highway: A NovelAmor Towles1
23The Magician: A NovelColm Tóibín1
24The Personal Librarian: A NovelMarie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray1
25The Twilight Zone: A NovelNona Fernández, translated by Natasha Wimmer1
26What Storm, What ThunderMyriam J.A. Chancy1
27What Strange Paradise: A NovelOmar El Akkad1
28A Passage North: A NovelAnuk Arudpragasam0
    29A Thousand ShipsNatalie Haynes0
      30Abundance: A NovelJakob Guanzon0
        31Accidentally EngagedFarah Heron0
          32American Delirium: A NovelBetina González, translated by Heather Cleary0
            33China Room: A NovelSunjeev Sahota0
              34Darryl: A NovelJackie Ess0
                35Dear Miss Metropolitan: A NovelCarolyn Ferrell0
                  36Edge Case: A NovelYZ Chin0
                    37Fight Night: A NovelMiriam Toews0
                      38First Comes Like: A NovelAlisha Rai0
                        39Ghosts: A NovelDolly Alderton0
                          40Gold Diggers: A NovelSanjena Sathian0
                            41Great Circle: A NovelMaggie Shipstead0
                              42Happy Hour: A NovelMarlowe Granados0
                                43Hard Like WaterYan Lianke, translated by Carlos Rojas0
                                  44Honey GirlMorgan Rogers0
                                    45How Beautiful We WereImbolo Mbue0
                                      46I Love You but I've Chosen Darkness: A NovelClaire Vaye Watkins0
                                        47IntimaciesKatie Kitamura0
                                          48Island Queen: A NovelVanessa Riley0
                                            49Mary Jane: A NovelJessica Anya Blau0
                                              50Monkey Boy: A NovelFrancisco Goldman0
                                                51Monster in the Middle: A NovelTiphanie Yanique0
                                                  52My Brilliant Life: A NovelAe-ran Kim, translated by Chi-Young Kim0
                                                    53Night Came With Many Stars: A NovelSimon Van Booy0
                                                      54Nives: A NovelSacha Naspini0
                                                        55Outlawed: A NovelAnna North0
                                                          56People We Meet on VacationEmily Henry0
                                                            57Radha & Jai’s Recipe for RomanceNisha Sharma0
                                                              58Ramadan Ramsey: A NovelLouis Edwards0
                                                                59Red Island House: A NovelAndrea Lee0
                                                                  60Seven Days in June: A NovelTia Williams0
                                                                    61SummerwaterSarah Moss0
                                                                      62The Chosen and the BeautifulNghi Vo0
                                                                        63The Dating PlaybookFarrah Rochon0
                                                                          64The Ex Talk: A NovelRachel Lynn Solomon0
                                                                            65The Final Revival of Opal and NevDawnie Walton0
                                                                              66The Guncle: A NovelSteven Rowley0
                                                                                67The Heart Principle: A NovelHelen Hoang0
                                                                                  68The Liar's Dictionary: A NovelEley Williams0
                                                                                    69The Life of the Mind: A NovelChristine Smallwood0
                                                                                      70The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du BoisHonorée Fanonne Jeffers0
                                                                                        71The Startup Wife: A NovelTahmima Anam0
                                                                                          72The Sweetness of Water: A NovelNathan Harris0
                                                                                            73Trust: A NovelDomenico Starnone, translated by Jhumpa Lahiri0
                                                                                              74When We Cease to Understand the WorldBenjamín Labatut0
                                                                                                75While We Were DatingJasmine Guillory0
                                                                                                  76Wild Rain: Women Who DareBeverly Jenkins0
                                                                                                    77Win Me Something: A NovelKyle Lucia Wu0
                                                                                                      78Yellow Wife: A NovelSadeqa Johnson0
                                                                                                        79Zorrie: A NovelLaird Hunt0