Library Journal Best Books - Literary Fiction (Awarded by Library Journal)

Awards List

2023

The Covenant of Water
(*)
Abraham Verghese

This Other Eden
(*)
Paul Harding

Like the Appearance of Horses
(*)
Andrew Krivak

The Light at the End of the World
(*)
Siddhartha Deb

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
(*)
James McBride

The Fraud
(*)
Zadie Smith

North Woods
(*)
Daniel Mason

Wellness
(*)
Nathan Hill

The Wren, the Wren
(*)
Anne Enright

Let Us Descend
(*)
Jesmyn Ward

Tremor
(*)
Teju Cole

2022

The Town of Babylon
(*)
Alejandro Varela

The Candy House
(*)
Jennifer Egan

If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English
(*)
Noor Naga

Young Mungo
(*)
Douglas Stuart

Trust
(*)
Hernan Diaz

Brother Alive
(*)
Zain Khalid

Properties of Thirst
(*)
Marianne Wiggins

Lessons
(*)
Ian McEwan

Demon Copperhead
(*)
Barbara Kingsolver

Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm
(*)
Laura Warrell

2021

The Prophets
(*)
Robert Jones Jr.

The Removed
(*)
Brandon Hobson

The Five Wounds
(*)
Kirstin Valdez Quade

Open Water
(*)
Caleb Azumah Nelson

Once There Were Wolves
(*)
Charlotte McConaghy

Bewilderment
(*)
Richard Powers

Matrix
(*)
Lauren Groff

Chronicles from the Happiest People on Earth
(*)
Wole Soyinka

Cloud Cuckoo Land
(*)
Anthony Doerr

What Storm, What Thunder
(*)
Myriam J.A. Chancy

2020

Apeirogon
(*)
Colum McCann

The Index of Self-Destructive Acts
(*)
Christopher R. Beha

Little Family
(*)
Ishmael Beah

A Burning
(*)
Megha Majumdar

Hamnet
(*)
Maggie O'Farrell

Migrations
(*)
Charlotte McConaghy

The New American
(*)
Micheline Aharonian Marcom

Transcendent Kingdom
(*)
Yaa Gyasi

Leave the World Behind
(*)
Rumaan Alam

2019

Boy Swallows Universe
(*)
Trent Dalton

Disappearing Earth
(*)
Julia Phillips

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
(*)
Ocean Vuong

The Nickel Boys
(*)
Colson Whitehead

Inland
(*)
Tea Obreht

Night Boat to Tangier
(*)
Kevin Barry

Red at the Bone
(*)
Jacqueline Woodson

The Shadow King
(*)
Maaza Mengiste

The Water Dancer
(*)
Ta-Nehisi Coates

Frankissstein
(*)
Jeanette Winterson

2018

The House of Impossible Beauties
(*)
Joseph Cassara

Gun Love
(*)
Jennifer Clement

Speak No Evil
(*)
Uzodinma Iweala

The Overstory
(*)
Richard Powers

The Great Believers
(*)
Rebecca Makkai

There There
(*)
Tommy Orange

Lake Success
(*)
Gary Shteyngart

Waiting for Eden
(*)
Elliot Ackerman

We That Are Young
(*)
Preti Taneja

The Projectionist
(*)
Grove Press

Award Categories

Crime Fiction

Graphic Novels

Horror

Literary Fiction

Pop Fiction

Romance

SF/Fantasy

Short Stories

World Literature

Award Years

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018