Ann Patchett Recommends 5 Must-Read Literary Fiction Books: ‘This is One of the Finest Contemporary Novels I’ve Read’
Ann has written unforgettable stories, but she's also a champion of great books—here are her top picks!
Key Takeaways
- Ann Patchett shares five literary fiction favorites she says every reader should get lost in.
- From time travel to family sagas, Ann’s picks explore love, loss and human connection.
- Discover the books she calls unforgettable—including one she's recommending to everyone!
The only thing Ann Patchett enjoys more than writing books is recommending them. And really, who better to suggest a novel than someone who has devoted her life to writing them? The New York Times bestselling author has penned more than 15 critically acclaimed books, including Tom Lake, Commonwealth and Bel Canto, but one of her most cherished literary milestones remains opening Parnassus Books in her home city of Nashville. When it comes to getting lost in a good book, Ann truly appreciates all genres. But one she returns to again and again is literary fiction—which prioritizes depth, artistry and thematic exploration over fast-paced plot.
Here, we gathered up some of Ann’s best literary fiction book recommendations—including a recent one she said she’ll “be recommending to everyone.”
‘This Time Tomorrow’ by Emma Straub
Bestselling author Emma Straub—who also happens to be the daughter of the late bestselling author David Straub—has said that This Time Tomorrow is the closest thing to an autobiographical book she’s written. The story itself centers on Alice as she approaches her 40th birthday. She’s content with the life she’s built…even if it looks different from what she once imagined. But when she wakes up on her 16th birthday in 1996, she’s given a chance to relive the past, including precious time with her father before illness changed everything. Now, Alice must decide whether revisiting the past is enough or if she’s willing to change the future.
Why Ann loves it: “If I could time travel, I’d go back just far enough to start Emma Straub’s beautiful novel This Time Tomorrow again for the first time. The pages brim with tenderness and an appreciation for what we had and who we were. I could not have loved it more.”
‘Good People’ by Patmeena Sabit
From the outside looking in, the Sharaf family captures the American dream. Once refugees with nothing, they’ve built a life of wealth and success in an elite neighborhood—and their smart daughter, Zorah, is the pride of the family. But when an unthinkable tragedy shatters their world, rumors swirl about what life behind closed doors was like. Told from multiple perspectives, Good People explores the complicated bonds of family and the eternal question: How well do we really ever know our loved ones?
Why Ann loves it: “Good People is a thrilling tour de force of a novel. I’ll be recommending this book to everyone.”
‘Sorrow and Bliss’ by Meg Mason
Meg Mason’s Sorrow and Bliss is a recent favorite of Ann Patchett’s but readers all over social media raving about it—many said the book made them “laugh and cry in equal measure.” The story follows Martha, who has always known something inside her isn’t right, but she quite can’t name it. Her husband Patrick tries to support her, but as their marriage begins to unravel, Martha is forced to confront what she truly wants from life.
Why Ann loves it: “Sorrow and Bliss is a brilliantly faceted and extremely funny book about depression that engulfed me in the way I’m always hoping to be engulfed by novels. While I was reading it, I was making a list of all the people I wanted to send it to, until I realized that I wanted to send it to everyone I know.”
‘Mothers and Sons’ by Adam Haslett
Forty-year-old New York asylum lawyer Peter has built a life around helping others while keeping his own painful past at a distance. But when a young gay asylum seeker’s case stirs old memories, Peter is forced to confront a long-buried secret and reconnect with his estranged mother.
Why Ann loves it: “Both moving and deeply compelling, a story about the search for your own humanity, and the lengths we will go to maintain it. Adam Haslett is one of our very best writers.”
‘Absolution’ by Alice McDermott
If you’re a fan of historical literary fiction set during wartime, pick up this riveting novel by Alice McDermott. In 1963 Saigon, two young American wives form an alliance. There’s Tricia, a newlywed married to a rising oil engineer “on loan” to US Navy Intelligence, and Charlere, a picture-perfect hostess, altruist and mom of three—who yearns to “do good” no matter the cost. After Tricia miscarries, she gets caught up in Charlene’s group of do-gooder American wives who volunteer at hospitals, orphanages and the like. But 60 years later, Charlene’s daughter reaches out to Tricia. The two reconnect over what happened in Saigon all those years ago and how Charlene really shaped both of their lives.
Why Ann loves it: “Alice McDermott has always been one of our greatest writers but here she exceeds every expectation. Absolution is one of the finest contemporary novels I’ve read. It is a moral masterpiece.”
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