The Best Fiction Books of 2021 (A Year-End List Aggregation)
“What are the best Fiction books released in 2021?” We looked at 380 of the top Fiction books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!
The top 56 books, all appearing on 3 or more “Best Fiction” book lists, are ranked below by how many times they appear. The remaining 300+ titles, as well as the sources we used, are in alphabetical order on the bottom of the page.
Our other Best Of 2021 Articles:
- The Best Art, Photography, And Coffee Table Books
- The Best AudioBooks
- The Best Biography And Memoir Books
- The Best Graphic Novels And Comics
- The Best Cookbooks
- The Best Fiction Books
- The Best Books (All Catergories)
- The Best History Books
- The Best Kids, Children, and Youth Books
- The Best Mystery, Horror, and Thriller Books
- The Best Nonfiction Books
- The Best Poetry Books
- The Best Science And Nature Books
- The Best Science Fiction And Fantasy Books
- The Best Young Adult Books
Previous Years: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015
Happy Scrolling!
Top 56 Best Fiction Books From 2021
56.) Build Your House Around My Body written by Violet Kupersmith
Lists It Appears On:
- Good Books
- Kirkus
- NY Times
Part puzzle, part revenge tale, part ghost story, this ingenious novel spins half a century of Vietnamese history and folklore into “a thrilling read,…
55.) Caul Baby written by Morgan Jenkins
Lists It Appears On:
- Boston Globe
- Entropy
- Powell’s
…
54.) Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth written by Wole Soyinka
Lists It Appears On:
- Kirkus
- Library Journal
- NY Times
The first Black winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature gives us a tour de force, his first novel in nearly half a century: a savagely satiric, gleefu…
53.) Filthy Animals written by Brandon Taylor
Lists It Appears On:
- Entropy
- Kirkus
- Publishers Weekly
NATIONAL BESTSELLER BRANDON TAYLOR IS: “A powerhouse.” –Newsweek “An extraordinary cartographer.” –Esquire “A striking new voice with a vital perspe…
52.) Hummingbird Salamander written by Jeff Vandermeer
Lists It Appears On:
- Kirkus
- NY Public Library
- The Washington Post
From the author of Annihilation, a brilliant speculative thriller of dark conspiracy, endangered species, and the possible end of all things. Security…
51.) Libertie written by Kaitlyn Greenidge
Lists It Appears On:
- NY Post
- NY Times
- The Washington Post
Named One of the Most-Anticipated Books of 2021 by: O, The Oprah Magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, The Millions, Refinery29, Pu…
50.) Light Perpetual written by Francis Spufford
Lists It Appears On:
- Bookpage
- Evening Standard
- NY Times
From the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of Golden Hill, an “extraordinary…symphonic…casually stunning” (The Wall Street Journal) no…
49.) Loop written by Brenda Lozano
Lists It Appears On:
- Entropy
- Kirkus
- Powell’s
Winner PEN Translates Award (UK)Recovering from an unspecified accident, the narrator of Loop finds herself in waiting rooms of different kinds: airpo…
48.) My Year Abroad written by Chang-rae Lee
Lists It Appears On:
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
- NY Times
- Publishers Weekly
NATIONAL BESTSELLER “A manifesto to happiness–the one found when you stop running from who you are.” -New York Times Book Review “An extraordinary bo…
47.) Of Women and Salt written by Gabriela Garcia
Lists It Appears On:
- Boston Globe
- Celadon
- The Washington Post
AN A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK A sweeping, masterful debut about a daughter’s fateful choice, a mother motivated by her own past, and a fam…
46.) One Last Stop written by Casey McQuiston
Lists It Appears On:
- Indigo
- Kirkus
- NY Times
** *USA TODAY BESTSELLER* *#1 INDIE BESTSELLER* From the New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue comes a new romantic comedy that…
45.) Outlawed written by Anna North
Lists It Appears On:
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
- Publishers Weekly
- The Washington Post
A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK A BELLETRIST BOOK CLUB PICK A masterpiece. – R.O. Kwon The Crucible meets True Grit in this riveting adventure story of a fu…
44.) Sorrow and Bliss written by Meg Mason
Lists It Appears On:
- Evening Standard
- Good Books
- The Guardian
Brilliantly faceted and extremely funny. . . . While I was reading it, I was making a list of all the people I wanted to send it to, until I realized …
43.) The Book of Form and Emptiness written by Ruth Ozeki
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Bookpage
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
“No one writes like Ruth Ozeki–a triumph.” –Matt Haig, New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library “Inventive, vivid, and propelled by…
42.) The Committed written by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Lists It Appears On:
- Entropy
- Kirkus
- The Washington Post
The sequel to The Sympathizer, which won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction and went on to sell over a million copies worldwide, The Committed tells t…
41.) The Final Revival of Opal and Nev written by Dawnie Walton
Lists It Appears On:
- Kirkus
- Powell’s
- The Washington Post
A JIMMY FALLON TONIGHT SHOW SUMMER READS SELECTION An electrifying novel about the meteoric rise of an iconic interracial rock duo in the 1970s, their…
40.) The Five Wounds written by Kristin Valdez Quade
Lists It Appears On:
- Kirkus
- Library Journal
- Publishers Weekly
It’s Holy Week in the small town of Las Penas, New Mexico, and thirty-three-year-old unemployed Amadeo Padilla has been given the part of Jesus in the…
39.) The House in the Cerulean Sea written by TJ Klune
Lists It Appears On:
- Booklist
- Entropy
- Good Books
A NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, and WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER! A 2021 Alex Award winner! The 2021 RUSA Reading List: Fantasy Winner! An Indie Next Pick!…
38.) The Man Who Died Twice written by Richard Osman
Lists It Appears On:
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
- Good Books
- Kirkus
An ! The second gripping novel in the New York Times bestselling Thursday Murder Club series, soon to be a major motion picture from Steven Spielberg …
37.) The Morning Star written by Karl Ove Knausgaard
Lists It Appears On:
- Marginal Revolution
- NY Times
- Publishers Weekly
A New York Times Notable Book One of NPR’s Best Books of 2021 Knausgaard is among the finest writers alive.” –Dwight Garner, New York Times A major n…
36.) The Paper Palace written by Miranda Cowley Heller
Lists It Appears On:
- Barnes & Noble
- Goodreads
- Indigo
REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK #1 THE PAPER PALACE IS: “Filled with secrets, love, lies and a summer beach house. What more could you ask?”–Parade “A deeply…
35.) The Removed written by Brandon Hobson
Lists It Appears On:
- Kirkus
- Library Journal
- Publishers Weekly
“A haunted work, full of voices old and new. It is about a family’s reckoning with loss and injustice, and it is about a people trying for the same. T…
34.) Walking on Cowrie Shells written by Nana Nkweti
Lists It Appears On:
- Entropy
- Kirkus
- NY Public Library
A “boisterous and high-spirited debut” (Kirkus starred review)”that enthralls the reader through their every twist and turn” (Publishers Weekly starre…
33.) Wayward written by Dana Spiotta
Lists It Appears On:
- Kirkus
- NY Times
- The Washington Post
A Best Book of the Summer: USA Today, Town & Country, The Philadelphia Inquirer, BuzzFeed, Real Simple, The Millions, and more. “A virtuosic, singular…
32.) What’s Mine and Yours written by Naima Coster
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
- Kirkus
A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick! An ! “A once-every-few-years reading experience.”–Mary Beth Keane, New York Times bestselling author of …
31.) Zorrie written by Laird Hunt
Lists It Appears On:
- Abebooks
- Entropy
- Kirkus
Finalist for the 2021 National Book Award (Fiction) From prize-winning, acclaimed author Laird Hunt, a poignant novel about a woman searching for her …
30.) Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch written by Rivka Galchen
Lists It Appears On:
- Entropy
- Kirkus
- Powell’s
- The Washington Post
The startling, witty, highly anticipated second novel from the critically acclaimed author of Atmospheric Disturbances. The story begins in 1618, in t…
29.) Hell of a Book written by Jason Mott
Lists It Appears On:
- Abebooks
- Bookpage
- NY Public Library
- The Washington Post
***2021 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER*** ***THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER*** Winner of the 2021 Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction Longlisted for the 2022 Ca…
28.) How Beautiful We Were written by Imbolo Mbue
Lists It Appears On:
- Bookpage
- Kirkus
- NY Times
- The Washington Post
A fearless young woman from a small African village starts a revolution against an American oil company in this sweeping, inspiring novel from the New…
27.) Intimacies written by Katie Kitamura
Lists It Appears On:
- Entropy
- Kirkus
- NY Times
- The Washington Post
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2021 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION NATIONAL BESTSELLER ONE OF BARACK OBAMA’S FAVORITE SUMMER READS “One of the best novels I’ve re…
26.) Oh William! written by Elizabeth Strout
Lists It Appears On:
- Financial Times
- Goodreads
- NY Times
- The Washington Post
Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout explores the mysteries of marriage and the secrets we keep, as a former couple reckons with where they’ve come …
25.) Our Country Friends written by Gary Shteyngart
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Kirkus
- NY Times
- The Washington Post
GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK – NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review – Financial Times – The Washington Post – T…
24.) Peaces written by Helen Oyeyemi
Lists It Appears On:
- Abebooks
- Entropy
- Financial Times
- Powell’s
“Enchanting . . . the most surprising, confounding, and oddly insightful couple’s trip in recent literary history.” –Entertainment Weekly The prize-w…
23.) The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois written by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
Lists It Appears On:
- Bookpage
- Boston Globe
- Kirkus
- NY Times
AN OPRAH BOOK CLUB SELECTIONLONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTIONAn Washington Post, USA Today, and Indie BestsellerEpic…. I was just e…
22.) The Other Black Girl written by Zakiya Dalila Harris
Lists It Appears On:
- Abebooks
- Boston Globe
- Kirkus
- The Washington Post
A Good Morning America, Esquire, and Read with Marie Claire Book Club Pick and a People Best Book of Summer Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by …
21.) What Strange Paradise written by Omar El Akkad
Lists It Appears On:
- Entropy
- NY Times
- Powell’s
- The Washington Post
From the widely acclaimed, best-selling author of American War, a new novel–beautifully written, unrelentingly dramatic, and profoundly moving–that …
20.) Infinite Country written by Patricia Engel
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
- Goodreads
- NY Public Library
- The Washington Post
A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK AND WINNER OF THE 2021 NEW AMERICAN VOICES AWARD, LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL, AND A NATIONAL ENDOWMENT OF…
19.) My Monticello written by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
Lists It Appears On:
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
- Kirkus
- NY Public Library
- NY Times
- The Washington Post
“A badass debut by any measure–nimble, knowing, and electrifying.” –Colson Whitehead, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Nickel Boys and Harlem Sh…
18.) The Promise written by Damon Galgut
Lists It Appears On:
- Abebooks
- Financial Times
- NY Times
- Publishers Weekly
- The Guardian
WINNER OF THE 2021 BOOKER PRIZE A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE A modern family saga written in gorgeous prose by three-time Booker Prize-shortlisted…
17.) Velvet Was the Night written by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Lists It Appears On:
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
- Boston Globe
- NY Public Library
- NY Times
- The Washington Post
NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE – GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK – From the bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a riveting noir about a daydream…
16.) Damnation Spring written by Ash Davidson
Lists It Appears On:
- Blue Willow Bookshop
- Bookpage
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
- Kirkus
- Powell’s
- The Washington Post
NATIONAL BESTSELLER A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK: Entertainment Weekly, Oprah Daily, Vogue, Los Angeles Times, The Daily Beast, CNN, Harper’s Bazaar “A glo…
15.) What Storm, What Thunder written by Myriam J A Chancy
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
- Boston Globe
- Kirkus
- Library Journal
- NY Public Library
At the end of a long, sweltering day, as markets and businesses begin to close for the evening, an earthquake of 7.0 magnitude shakes the capital of H…
14.) Afterparties written by Anthony Veasna So
Lists It Appears On:
- Book Riot
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
- Boston Globe
- Kirkus
- NY Public Library
- NY Times
- Powell’s
- The Washington Post
A Roxane Gay’s Audacious Book Club Pick!Named a Best Book of Summer by: Wall Street Journal * Thrillist * Vogue * Lit Hub * Refinery29 * New York Obse…
13.) Crossroads written by Jonathan Franzen
Lists It Appears On:
- Abebooks
- Amazon
- Bookpage
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
- Financial Times
- Kirkus
- NY Times
- Publishers Weekly
Jonathan Franzen’s gift for wedding depth and vividness of character with breadth of social vision has never been more dazzlingly evident than in Cros…
12.) Great Circle written by Maggie Shipstead
Lists It Appears On:
- Abebooks
- Amazon
- Bookpage
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
- Boston Globe
- Celadon
- Kirkus
- The Washington Post
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE – A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK – The unforgettable story of a daredevil female aviator determined to ch…
11.) The Lincoln Highway written by Amor Towles
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Blue Willow Bookshop
- Bookpage
- Kirkus
- NY Post
- NY Times
- The Washington Post
#1 A TODAY Show Read with Jenna Book Club Pick “Wise and wildly entertaining . . . permeated with light, wit, youth.” –The New York Times Book Revie…
10.) The Prophets written by Robert Jones Jr.
Lists It Appears On:
- Abebooks
- Amazon
- Book Riot
- Bookpage
- Boston Globe
- Library Journal
- NY Times
- The Washington Post
Finalist for the National Book Award May this book cast its spell on all of us, restore to us some memory of our most warrior and softest selves. –T…
9.) The Sentence written by Louise Erdrich
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Celadon
- Goodreads
- Kirkus
- NY Times
- Publishers Weekly
- The Washington Post
In this stunning and timely novel, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich creates a wickedly funny ghost story, a tale o…
8.) Bewilderment written by Richard Powers
Lists It Appears On:
- Abebooks
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
- Boston Globe
- Goodreads
- Indigo
- Kirkus
- Library Journal
- NY Times
The astrobiologist Theo Byrne searches for life throughout the cosmos while single-handedly raising his unusual nine-year-old, Robin, following the de…
7.) Cloud Cuckoo Land written by Anthony Doerr
Lists It Appears On:
- Abebooks
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Blue Willow Bookshop
- Bookpage
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
- Goodreads
- Library Journal
- NY Times
- Publishers Weekly
“If you’re looking for a superb novel, look no further.” –The Washington Post The and finalist for the 2021 National Book Award is “wildly inventive…
6.) Detransition, Baby written by Torrey Peters
Lists It Appears On:
- Abebooks
- Bookpage
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
- Entropy
- Evening Standard
- Goodreads
- Kirkus
- NY Public Library
- NY Times
- Powell’s
The lives of three women–transgender and cisgender–collide after an unexpected pregnancy forces them to confront their deepest desires ONE OF THE BE…
5.) Klara and the Sun written by Kazuo Ishiguro
Lists It Appears On:
- Abebooks
- Amazon
- Book Riot
- Bookpage
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
- Entropy
- Evening Standard
- Indigo
- Kirkus
- NY Times
Once in a great while, a book comes along that changes our view of the world. This magnificent novel from the Nobel laureate and author of Never Let M…
4.) Matrix written by Lauren Groff
Lists It Appears On:
- Abebooks
- Bookpage
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
- Entropy
- Financial Times
- Good Books
- Kirkus
- Library Journal
- NY Public Library
- The Guardian
AN FINALIST FOR THE 2021 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION “A relentless exhibition of Groff’s freakish talent. In just over 250 pages, she gives us a …
3.) No One is Talking About This written by Patricia Lockwood
Lists It Appears On:
- Abebooks
- Entropy
- Evening Standard
- Good Books
- Kirkus
- NY Times
- Powell’s
- Publishers Weekly
- The Guardian
- The Washington Post
FINALIST FOR THE 2021 BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FINALIST FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE “A book that reads like a pros…
2.) Harlem Shuffle written by Colson Whitehead
Lists It Appears On:
- Abebooks
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Bookpage
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
- Boston Globe
- Financial Times
- Kirkus
- NY Post
- NY Times
- Publishers Weekly
- The Washington Post
From the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys, a gloriously entertaining novel of heists, shakedowns…
1.) Beautiful World, Where Are You written by Sally Rooney
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Bookshop Santa Cruz
- Entropy
- Financial Times
- Goodreads
- Kirkus
- Marginal Revolution
- NY Post
- NY Times
- Powell’s
- The Guardian
- The Washington Post
Beautiful World, Where Are You is a new novel by Sally Rooney, the bestselling author of Normal People and Conversations with Friends. Alice, a novel…
The 300+ Additional Best Fiction Books Released In 2021
57) A Calling for Charlie Barnes – Joshua Ferris List: Celadon
NY Times
58) A Ghost in the Throat – Doireann Ni Ghriofa List: Powell’s
Publishers Weekly
59) A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself – Peter Ho Davies List: Bookpage
NY Times
60) A Passage North – Anuk Arudpragasam List: Abebooks
Financial Times
61) Act Your Age, Eve Brown – Talia Hibbert List: Bookshop Santa Cruz
Kirkus
62) Apples Never Fall – Liane Moriarty List: NY Post
The Washington Post
63) Appleseed – Matt Bell List: Entropy
NY Times
64) Black Buck – Mateo Askaripour List: Goodreads
The Washington Post
65) Bolla: A Novel – Pajtim Statovci List: Kirkus
NY Public Library
66) Bombshell: A Hell’s Belles Novel – Sarah MacLean List: Bookshop Santa Cruz
Kirkus
67) Burntcoat – Sarah Hall List: Publishers Weekly
The Guardian
68) Early Morning Riser – Katherine Heiny List: Evening Standard
Kirkus
69) Fight Night – Miriam Toews List: Bookshop Santa Cruz
Kirkus
70) Golden Girl – ELIN HILDERBRAND List: Goodreads
Kirkus
71) Gordo – Jaime Cortez List: Bookpage
Bookshop Santa Cruz
72) Harrow – Joy Williams List: Entropy
Kirkus
73) I Will Die in a Foreign Land – Kalani Pickhart List: Entropy
NY Public Library
74) Kink: Stories – R.O. Kwon, Garth Greenwell List: Entropy
NY Times
75) Land of Big Numbers – Te-Ping Chen List: Kirkus
The Washington Post
76) Lean Fall Stand – Jon McGregor List: Kirkus
Publishers Weekly
77) Light From Uncommon Stars – Ryka Aoki List: Bookshop Santa Cruz
Kirkus
78) Malibu Rising – Taylor Jenkins Reid List: Indigo
The Washington Post
79) Mary Jane – Jessica Anya Blau List: Book Riot
Bookshop Santa Cruz
80) Milk Blood Heat – Dantiel W. Moniz List: Entropy
Kirkus
81) Milk Fed – Melissa Broder List: Bookpage
Powell’s
82) Monkey Boy – Francisco Goldman List: Boston Globe
Kirkus
83) My Heart Is a Chainsaw – Stephen Graham Jones List: Bookshop Santa Cruz
Boston Globe
84) My Phantoms – Gwendoline Riley List: Evening Standard
The Guardian
85) Nightbitch – Rachel Yoder List: Entropy
Good Books
86) Once There Were Wolves – Charlotte McConaghy List: Goodreads
Library Journal
87) One Two Three – Laurie Frankel List: Abebooks
Goodreads
88) Open Water – Caleb Azumah Nelson List: Library Journal
The Guardian
89) Project Hail Mary – Andy Weir List: Kirkus
Marginal Revolution
90) Razorblade Tears – S.A. Cosby List: Kirkus
NY Times
91) Second Place – Rachel Cusk List: Abebooks
Kirkus
92) Secrets of Happiness – Joan Silber List: Kirkus
The Washington Post
93) Skinship: Stories – Yoon Choi List: Bookshop Santa Cruz
Kirkus
94) That Summer – Jennifer Weiner List: Goodreads
The Washington Post
95) The Arsonists’ City – Hala Alyan List: Entropy
Kirkus
96) The Books of Jacob – Olga Tokarczuk List: Financial Times 2
The Guardian
97) The Dangers of Smoking in Bed – Mariana Enriquez List: Kirkus
Powell’s
98) The Four Winds – Kristin Hannah List: Amazon
The Washington Post
99) The Last Thing He Told Me – Laura Dave List: Abebooks
Indigo
100) The Luminous Novel – List: Financial Times 2
Marginal Revolution
101) The Magician – Colm Toibin List: NY Times
The Washington Post
102) The Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family – Joshua Cohen List: Kirkus
NY Times
103) The Plot – Jean Hanff Korelitz List: Celadon
NY Times
104) The Reading List – Sara Nisha Adams List: Goodreads
NY Public Library
105) The Rib King – Ladee Hubbard List: Book Riot
Kirkus
106) The Souvenir Museum: Stories – Elizabeth McCracken List: Bookshop Santa Cruz
Kirkus
107) The Sweetness of Water – Nathan Harris List: Boston Globe
The Washington Post
108) The Vixen – Francine Prose List: Financial Times
The Washington Post
109) The War for Gloria – Atticus Lish List: Kirkus
NY Times
110) The Women of Troy – List: Financial Times
The Guardian
111) The Wrong End of the Telescope – Rabih Alameddine List: Book Riot
Bookshop Santa Cruz
112) Things We Lost To The Water – Eric Nguyen List: Bookshop Santa Cruz
Entropy
113) This Close to Okay – Leesa Cross-Smith List: Entropy
Goodreads
114) Trust – Domenico Starnone, translated by Jhumpa Lahiri List: Kirkus
Marginal Revolution
115) We Are the Brennans – Tracey Lange List: Celadon
Goodreads
116) Winter in Sokcho – Elisa Shua Dusapin, trans. from the French by Aneesa Abbas Higgins List: Kirkus
Publishers Weekly
117) A Children’s Bible – Lydia Millet List: Entropy
118) A Country for Dying – Abdellah Taïa List: Entropy
119) A Girl is a Body of Water – Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi List: Entropy
120) A Lonely Man – Chris Power List: Kirkus
121) A Lot Like Adiós – Alexis Daria List: Kirkus
122) A RADICAL ACT OF FREE MAGIC – H.G. Parry List: Kirkus
123) A Woman of Intelligence – Karin Tanabe List: The Washington Post
124) Above Us the Milky Way: An Illuminated Alphabet – Fowzia Karimi List: Entropy
125) Agadir – Muhammed Khair-Eddine List: Entropy
126) Alice Knott – Blake Butler List: Entropy
127) AMERICAN ESTRANGEMENT – SAÏD SAYRAFIEZADEH List: Kirkus
128) Anne-Marie the Beauty – Yasmina Reza List: Entropy
129) Apsara Engine – Bishakh Som List: Entropy
130) Artforum – César Aira List: Entropy
131) Assembly – Natasha Brown List: The Washington Post
132) b, Book, and Me – Kim Sagwa List: Entropy
133) Ballad for Sophie – Filipe Melo List: Bookshop Santa Cruz
134) BATTLE ROYAL – LUCY PARKER List: Kirkus
135) Beautiful, Violent Things – Madeline Anthes List: Entropy
136) Bestiary – K-Ming Chang List: Entropy
137) Billy Summers – Stephen King List: Kirkus
138) BINA – ANAKANA SCHOFIELD List: Kirkus
139) Black Sun – Rebecca Roanhose List: Entropy
140) Black Water Sister – Zen Cho List: Entropy
141) Brickmakers – List: Financial Times 2
142) Burnt Sugar – Avni Doshi List: NY Times
143) Ceremonials – Katharine Coldiron List: Entropy
144) Cleanness – Garth Greenwell List: Entropy
145) Conjure Women. – List: Booklist
146) Correction – Gabriel Blackwell List: Entropy
147) Count the Ways: A Novel – Joyce Maynard List: Amazon
148) Creatures of Passage – Morowa Yejidé List: The Washington Post
149) Crooked Hallelulah – Kelli Jo Ford List: Entropy
150) Daewoo – François Bon List: Entropy
151) Dark Neighbourhood – List: The Guardian
152) Dark Roads – Chevy Stevens List: Indigo
153) Darryl – Jackie Ess List: Entropy
154) Dava Shastri’s Last Day – Kirthana Ramisetti List: Amazon
155) Dear Miss Metropolitan – Carolyn Ferrell List: Publishers Weekly
156) Destroyer of Light – Jennifer Marie Brissett List: Kirkus
157) Dial A for Aunties – Jesse Q. Sutanto List: Goodreads
158) Disappear Doppelgänger Disappear – Matthew Salesses List: Entropy
159) DoveLion: A Fairy Tale for Our Times – Eileen R. Tabios List: Entropy
160) Dreams of Being – Michael J Seidlinger List: Entropy
161) ECHO TREE – HENRY DUMAS List: Kirkus
162) Exposition – Nathalie Léger List: Entropy
163) Failure to Thrive – Meghan Lamb List: Entropy
164) Fake Accounts – Lauren Oyler List: The Washington Post
165) False Witness: A Novel – Karin Slaughter List: Kirkus
166) Fault Lines – Emily Itami List: Barnes & Noble
167) Five Tuesdays in Winter: Stories – Lily King List: Kirkus
168) FOREGONE – RUSSELL BANKS List: Kirkus
169) Fortune Favors the Dead. – List: Booklist
170) From the Caves – Thea Prieto List: Entropy
171) Ghosts of New York – Jim Lewis List: NY Times
172) Girl A – Abigail Dean List: Abebooks
173) Godshot – Chelsea Bieker List: Entropy
174) Good Company – Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney List: The Washington Post
175) Greek Myths – Charlotte Higgins, Chris Ofili List: Barnes & Noble
176) Greta and Valdin – Rebecca K. Reilly List: Good Books
177) Grievers – adrienne maree brown List: Entropy
178) Hamnet – Maggie O’Farrell List: Celadon
179) Hao: Stories – Ye Chun List: NY Public Library
180) Hard Like Water – Yan Lianke, translated by Carlos Rojas List: Financial Times 2
181) Harsh Times – List: Financial Times
182) Heading For Bilbao – Suzanne Ahn List: Entropy
183) His Name Was Death – Rafael Bernal List: Entropy
184) Homeland Elegies – Ayad Akhtar List: Entropy
185) Honey Mine – Camille Roy List: Entropy
186) Hour of the Witch – Chris Bohjalian List: The Washington Post
187) How Lucky: A Novel – Will Leitch List: Amazon
188) How Much of These Hills is Gold – C Pam Zhang List: Entropy
189) How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House – Cherie Jones List: The Washington Post
190) I Hold a Wolf by the Ears – List: Entropy
191) I LOVE YOU BUT I’VE CHOSEN DARKNESS – CLAIRE VAYE WATKINS List: Kirkus
192) I Love You but I’ve Chosen Darkness: A Novel – Claire Vaye Watkins List: The Washington Post
193) If I Had Two Wings – Randall Kenan List: Entropy
194) Imagine a Death – Janice Lee List: Entropy
195) In Memory of Memory – Maria Stepanova List: Kirkus
196) In the Company of Men – List: Boston Globe
197) In: A Graphic Novel – Will McPhail List: Bookpage
198) Include Me Out – María Sonia Cristoff List: Entropy
199) Indelicacy – Amina Cain List: Entropy
200) INFINITE – Brian Freeman List: Kirkus
201) Inheritors – Asako Serizawa List: Entropy
202) Interior Chinatown – Charles Yu List: Entropy
203) Killer Unconquered – Chris Lambert List: Entropy
204) KIN – MILJENKO JERGOVIĆ List: Kirkus
205) LADY JOKER, VOLUME 1 – Kaoru Takamura List: Kirkus
206) Lake Like a Mirror – Ho Sok Fong List: Entropy
207) Lakewood – Megan Giddings List: Entropy
208) Last Days in Cleaver Square – List: Marginal Revolution
209) Little Feasts – Jules Archer List: Entropy
210) Loop Tracks – Sue Orr List: Good Books
211) Lorna Mott Comes Home – Diane Johnson List: The Washington Post
212) Luster – Raven Leilani List: Entropy
213) Machinehood – S.B. Divya List: Kirkus
214) Margaret and the Mystery of the Missing Body – Megan Milks List: Entropy
215) Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno-Garcia List: Entropy
216) Mona – Pola Oloixarac List: NY Public Library
217) Monster in the Middle – Tiphanie Yanique List: Boston Globe
218) More Than I Love My Life – List: Financial Times 2
219) Morningside Heights – Joshua Henkin List: Powell’s
220) Mrs. March – Virginia Feito List: Evening Standard
221) My Red Heaven – Lance Olsen List: Entropy
222) Never Have I Ever – Isabel Yap List: Entropy
223) Nights When Nothing Happened – Simon Han List: Entropy
224) No Gods, No Monsters – Cadwell Turnbull List: Kirkus
225) Noor – Nnedi Okorafor List: Bookshop Santa Cruz
226) Northern Spy – Flynn Berry List: Kirkus
227) Nostalgia Has Ruined My Life – Zarah Butcher-McGunnigle List: Good Books
228) Nudes – Elle Nash List: Entropy
229) Occupation – List: Financial Times 2
230) One Kind Favor – Kevin McIlvoy List: Entropy
231) Oona Out of Order. – List: Booklist
232) Palmares – Gayl Jones List: Kirkus
233) Parakeet – Marie-Helene Bertino List: Entropy
234) Party Legend – Sam Duckor Jones List: Good Books
235) People We Meet on Vacation – Emily Henry List: Kirkus
236) Phototaxis – Olivia Tapiero List: Entropy
237) Pilgrim Bell – Kaveh Akbar List: Bookshop Santa Cruz
238) Playlist for the Apocalypse – Rita Dove List: NY Times
239) Radiant Fugitives – Nawaaz Ahmed List: Book Riot
240) Ramadan Ramsey – Louis Edwards List: Publishers Weekly
241) Real Life – Brandon Taylor List: Entropy
242) REALITY AND OTHER STORIES – JOHN LANCHESTER List: Kirkus
243) RED ISLAND HOUSE – ANDREA LEE List: Kirkus
244) Reprieve – James Han Mattson List: Book Riot
245) Rites – Savannah Johnston List: The Washington Post
246) Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake – Alexis Hall List: Blue Willow Bookshop
247) Sankofa – Chibundu Onuzo List: Amazon
248) Sansei and Sensibility – Karen Tei Yamashita List: Entropy
249) Savage Tongues – Azareen Van Der Vliet Oloomi List: Entropy
250) Search History – Eugene Lim List: Entropy
251) Send for Me – Lauren Fox List: NY Times
252) Seven Days in June – Tia Williams List: Kirkus
253) Several People Are Typing – Calvin Kasulke List: Powell’s
254) Sharks in the Time of Saviors – Kawai Strong Washburn List: Entropy
255) She Who Became the Sun – Shelley Parker-Chan List: Indigo
256) She’s a Killer – Kirsten McDougall List: Good Books
257) Silverview – John le Carré List: NY Post
258) Skye Falling – List: Boston Globe
259) Slipping – Mohamed Kheir List: Entropy
260) Small Things Like These – Claire Keegan List: Financial Times
261) Something Gross – Big Bruiser Dope Boy List: Entropy
262) Something New Under the Sun – Alexandra Kleeman List: NY Times
263) Sorrowland – Rivers Solomon List: Powell’s
264) Speculative Fiction for Dreamers: A Latinx Anthology Edited – Alex Hernandez, Matthew David Goodwin, Sarah Rafael García List: Entropy
265) Spellbound – Catherine Robertson List: Good Books
266) State of Terror – Hillary Rodham Clinton, Louise Penny List: NY Post
267) Strange Beasts of China – Yan Ge List: NY Times
268) Subjects We Left Out – Naomi Washer List: Entropy
269) Summer Fun – Jeanne Thornton List: Entropy
270) Sunset – Jessie Cave List: Evening Standard
271) The Ancestry of Objects – Tatiana Ryckman List: Entropy
272) The Anomaly – Hervé Le Tellier; trans. Adriana Hunter List: Blue Willow Bookshop
273) The Antarctica of Love – List: Financial Times 2
274) The Apollo Murders – Chris Hadfield List: Indigo
275) The Atmospherians – Alex McElroy List: Entropy
276) The Beginners – List: Marginal Revolution
277) THE BLACKMAILER’S GUIDE TO LOVE – MARIAN THURM List: Kirkus
278) The Blacktongue Thief – Christopher Buehlman List: Bookshop Santa Cruz
279) THE BLIZZARD PARTY – JACK LIVINGS List: Kirkus
280) The Book of Kane and Margaret – Kiik Araki Kawagucki List: Entropy
281) The Book of Mother – Violaine Huisman List: NY Times
282) The Bureau of Past Management – List: Financial Times 2
283) The Chosen and the Beautiful – Nghi Vo List: The Washington Post
284) THE CORPSE FLOWER – Anne Mette Hancock List: Kirkus
285) The Country of Others – List: Financial Times 2
286) The Dating Playbook – Farrah Rochon List: Kirkus
287) The Days of Afrekete – Asali Solomon List: Celadon
288) The Death of Jane Lawrence: A Novel – Caitlin Starling List: Bookshop Santa Cruz
289) The Depression – Mathias Svalina & Jon Pack List: Entropy
290) The Disaster Tourist – Yun Ko-eun List: Entropy
291) The Duke Who Didn’t. – List: Booklist
292) The Echo Wife – Sarah Gailey List: Bookshop Santa Cruz
293) The Every – Dave Eggers List: Bookshop Santa Cruz
294) The Fell – Sarah Moss List: Good Books
295) The Firekeeper’s Daughter – Angeline Boulley List: Celadon
296) THE FREE BASTARDS – Jonathan French List: Kirkus
297) THE FUGITIVITIES – JESSE MCCARTHY List: Kirkus
298) The Girl with the Louding Voice – Abi Daré List: Entropy
299) The Glassy Burning Floor of Hell – List: Boston Globe
300) The Gnome Stories – Ander Monson List: Entropy
301) The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All – Josh Ritter List: Blue Willow Bookshop
302) The Great Mistake – JONATHAN LEE List: Kirkus
303) The Great Offshore Grounds – Vanessa Veselka List: Entropy
304) The Guncle: A Novel – Steven Rowley List: Goodreads
305) The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country – Amanda Gorman List: Bookshop Santa Cruz
306) The Holdout. – List: Booklist
307) The Hole – Hiroko Oyamada List: Entropy
308) The Hollow Places – T. Kingfisher List: Entropy
309) The Jigsaw Man – Nadine Matheson List: Bookshop Santa Cruz
310) The Lamplighters – Emma Stonex List: Good Books
311) The Life of the Mind – Christine Smallwood List: Kirkus
312) The Lost Apothecary – Sarah Penner List: Barnes & Noble
313) The Maidens – Alex Michaelides List: Celadon
314) The Man Who Lived Underground – Richard Wright List: Boston Globe
315) The Mysterious Correspondent: New Stories – List: Marginal Revolution
316) The Night Watchman – Louise Erdrich List: Entropy
317) The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot – List: Goodreads
318) The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You: Stories – Maurice Carlos Ruffin List: Bookshop Santa Cruz
319) The Only Good Indians. – List: Booklist
320) The Orphanage – Serhiy Zhadan, trans. from the Ukrainian by Reilly Costigan-Humes and Isaac Stackhouse Wheeler List: Publishers Weekly
321) The Parted Earth – Anjali Enjeti List: Entropy
322) The Passenger – List: The Guardian
323) The Pastor – Hanne Ørstavik, trans. from the Norwegian by Martin Aitken List: Publishers Weekly
324) The People We Keep – Allison Larkin List: Book Riot
325) The Perfect Nine – Ngugi Wa Thiong’o List: Entropy
326) The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida – Clarissa Goenawan List: Entropy
327) The Perishing – Natashia Deón List: Entropy
328) The Personal Librarian – Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray List: The Washington Post
329) THE QUEER PRINCIPLES OF KIT WEBB – CAT SEBASTIAN List: Kirkus
330) The Rain Heron: A Novel – Robbie Arnott List: Bookshop Santa Cruz
331) The Reconception of Marie – Teresa Carmody List: Entropy
332) The Regal Lemon Tree – Juan José Saer List: Entropy
333) The Rock Eaters: Stories – Brenda Peynado List: NY Public Library
334) The Secret Lives of Church Ladies – Deesha Philyaw List: Entropy
335) The Seventh Mansion – Maryse Meijer List: Entropy
336) The Shimmering State – Meredith Westgate List: Powell’s
337) THE SOULMATE EQUATION – CHRISTINA LAUREN List: Kirkus
338) The Space between Worlds. – List: Booklist
339) The Strangers – Katherena Vermette List: Indigo
340) The Subtweet – Vivek Shraya List: Entropy
341) The Sun Collective – Charles Baxter List: NY Times
342) The Swank Hotel – Lucy Corin List: Entropy
343) The Trees – Percival Everett List: NY Times
344) The Turnout – Megan Abbott List: Boston Globe
345) The Twilight Zone: A Novel – Nona Fernández, translated by Natasha Wimmer List: Kirkus
346) The Vegas Dilemma – Vi Khi Nao List: Entropy
347) The White Dress – Nathalie Léger List: Entropy
348) The Wish – List: Goodreads
349) The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels – India Holton List: NY Times
350) Thick Skin – N/A/ Oparah List: Entropy
351) Three Rooms – Jo Hamya List: Kirkus
352) Tight Little Vocal Cords – Loie Rawding List: Entropy
353) Tiny – Mairead Case List: Entropy
354) Tōku Pāpā – Ruby Solly List: Good Books
355) Tokyo Ever After – Emiko Jean List: NY Post
356) Tokyo Ueno Station – Yu Miri List: Entropy
357) Transcendent Kingdom – Yaa Gyasi List: Entropy
358) Transmutation – Alex DiFrancesco List: Entropy
359) Treacle Walker – List: The Guardian
360) True Love – Sarah Gerard List: Entropy
361) UNTHINKABLE – BRAD PARKS List: Kirkus
362) UNTRACEABLE – SERGEI LEBEDEV List: Kirkus
363) Verge – Lidia Yuknavitch List: Entropy
364) Verzeichnis einiger Verluste [Inventory of Losses] – List: Marginal Revolution
365) Virtuoso – Yelena Moskovich List: Entropy
366) Waiting for the Waters to Rise – List: Financial Times 2
367) We Are All Birds of Uganda – Hafsa Zayyan List: Evening Standard
368) Weather – Jenny Offill List: Entropy
369) What Comes After – JoAnne Tompkins List: Bookpage
370) When the Whales Leave – Yuri Rytkheu List: Entropy
371) When We Cease to Understand the World – Benjamín Labatut List: NY Times
372) When We Make It – Elisabet Velasquez List: Entropy
373) Where the Sky Meets the Ocean and the Air Tastes Like Metal and the Birds Don’t Make a Sound – Mike Kleine and Dan Hoy List: Entropy
374) Whiteout Conditions – Tariq Shah List: Entropy
375) Wild Swims: Stories – Dorthe Nors List: Entropy
376) Win Me Something: A Novel – Kyle Lucia Wu List: Entropy
377) Winter Recipes From the Collective: Poems – Louise Glück List: NY Times
378) With Teeth – Kristen Arnett List: The Washington Post
379) Worsted – Garielle Lutz List: Entropy
380) You Exist Too Much – Zaina Arafat List: Entropy
27 Best Fiction Book Sources/Lists
| Source | Article |
| Amazon | Best literature and fiction of 2021 |
| Barnes & Noble | Barnes & Noble’s Best Fiction of 2021 |
| Blue Willow Bookshop | The Best Books of 2021 |
| Booklist | The Reading List: Best Adult Genre Fiction, 2021 |
| Bookpage | Best Fiction of 2021 |
| Bookshop Santa Cruz | Best Fiction of the Year 2021 |
| Abebooks | The best books of 2021 |
| Book Riot | Best Books of 2021 |
| Boston Globe | Best Books of 2021 |
| Celadon | Our Favorite Fiction Books Of 2021 |
| Entropy | BEST OF 2020-2021: BEST FICTION BOOKS |
| Evening Standard | Best books 2021: our writers pick the year’s best novels, from Patricia Lockwood to Torrey Peters |
| Financial Times | Best books of 2021: Fiction |
| Financial Times 2 | Best books of 2021: Fiction in translation |
| Good Books | GOOD BOOKS favourite books of 2021 |
| Goodreads | Best Fiction |
| The Guardian | Best fiction of 2021 |
| Indigo | Top 10 Best Fiction of 2021 |
| Kirkus | Best Fiction Books of the Year |
| Library Journal | Best Literary Fiction of 2021 |
| Marginal Revolution | My favorite fiction of 2021 |
| NY Post | These are the 35 best books to give as holiday gifts this year |
| NY Times | 100 Notable Books of 2021 |
| NY Public Library | Best Books for Adults 2021 |
| Powell’s | Best Books of 2021: Fiction |
| Publishers Weekly | Best Fiction |
| The Washington Post | 50 notable works of fiction |
