Hi everyone, I mostly read scifi/fantasy with a few oddballs here and there but I read a discussion a few weeks ago on literature vs non literature and someone described literature as a story told in between the lines and talked about how parsing out subtext is part of the enjoyment they get from literature/literary fiction. In that vein, I’m looking for recommendations of literary fiction, new or old, or anything outside my normal wheelhouse. I enjoyed the classics I had to read in school (for the most part) and really want something I can sink my teeth into.
Bonus would be if you have any references or recommended reading circles/discussion groups/etc. because I feel like reading outside a vacuum would be really helpful in expanding how I think about the stories I read. I’m looking for book clubs local to me but in the meantime would appreciate any virtual resources. Thank you!
by ModernEscapist
7 Comments
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is excellent, if you haven’t already read it!
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro is a great example of “reading between the lines” in literary fiction.
I also think if you’re coming from sci-fi, a book like Brave New World by Aldous Huxley may be a good entry point
Cloud Cuckoo Land is great, it is a mix of historical, contemporary, and sci-fi literary fiction.
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward, and Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu (all have speculative fiction elements)
There is a weird divide, especially along pro writers, that “literary SFF” is called “speculative fiction.” (This has to do with how, and to whom, agents pitch the books they represent; literary publishers are often at completely different companies than SFF publishers, and they needed a term for it.) Among fans, however, this often means “it’s not quite sci-fi, it’s not quite fantasy, but it isn’t the world we currently live in.” Still, it is worth googling.
A subgenre you might be interested in is “magical realism.” Usually associated with Latin America or other formerly colonized countries, it adds a touch of magic to an otherwise realistic world. It is considered a literary genre. The leaders of the subgenre include Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Salman Rushdie, Isabel Allende, and Borges.
Now for odds and ends:
Vonnegut. Surprising amount of aliens; was nominated for multiple Hugos.
Kazuo Ishiguro has at least 3: Never Let Me Go, The Buried Giant, Klara and the Sun. (Klara is my favourite of the 3.)
Ursula K LeGuin. Most famous are The Dispossessed and The Left Hand of Darkness.
He’s abominable at writing women, but Haruki Murakami often adds SFF elements. I don’t think he always does, but I haven’t read all of his books (because he drives me insane).
Emily St John Mandel often writes in this genre.
Italo Calvino.
Dhalgren by Delaney fits your definition. It is also an infamously hard read at first. Not necessarily my first, or fifth, recommendation for you…
Margaret Atwood keeps doing this. The best example for your question is the MaddAddam trilogy (which was not for me), but if you consider dystopias inherently SF, then The Handmaid’s Tale counts.
Speaking of dystopias (and apocalypses): Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.
George Saunders and his protege, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, often include SFF elements in their short stories.
Susanna Clarke: Piranesi, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.
Ted Chiang.
Gene Wolfe was absolutely not for me, but his Book of the New Sun (and related series) is definitely in this category.
Literary sci fi:
* I second the recommendation of Never Let Me Go. Big fan of the author Kazuo Ishiguro. You may also like his sci fi novel Klara and the Sun, or his historical fiction novel The Remains of the Day.
* The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe by D. G. Compton. A lesser known book I just read. It’s incredibly well written and packed with subtext.
* Books by John Wyndham. These are all pretty old, but in my opinion have held up well and the writing style does require you to think a bit. Not as much as D. G. Compton, though. I recommend Trouble with Lichen, but he has written a *ton* of books.
Literary fiction:
* The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. This author writes both sci fi and literary fiction.
* The author Iain Banks. He is Iain M. Banks when writing sci fi. He has written a *lot* and I’m not sure if there’s a best starting point for his literary fiction. I started with The Wasp Factory which is very dark and definitely not what I’d recommend unless you are looking for books about disturbing things.
* The author Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I have only read Chronicle of a Death Foretold by him, but he’s written a lot of famous books. Literary fiction and magical realism.
* Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. This author normally writes sci fi. Kindred is one of those books that’s hard to classify as a genre but I usually see it called historical fantasy.
Jorge Amado: the Double Death of Quincas Water-Bray
Anna Burns: Milkman
Mikhail Bulgakov: the Master and Margarita
Michael Faber: the Book of Strange New Things
Bernardine Evaristo: Mr Loverman
Kazuo Ishiguro: Never Let Me Go
Doris Lessing: Memoirs of a Survivor
Arundhati Roy: the Ministry of Utmost Happiness
Carol Shields: Mary Swann
Jeanette Winterson: Oranges Ate Not the Only Fruit