Just Announced: The Children's & YA Book Awards Winners Explore Now

Home 1
Books 2
Awards 3
Barnes & Noble's Best Literary Fiction of 2023 4

Browse the Best Books of 2023

Barnes & Noble's Best Fiction of 2023
Barnes & Noble's Best Mysteries of 2023
Barnes & Noble's Best Fantasy of 2023
Barnes & Noble's Best History of 2023
Barnes & Noble's Best Cookbooks of 2023
Barnes & Noble's Best Teens & YA Books of 2023
Barnes & Noble's Best Young Reader Books of 2023
All Barnes & Noble's Best Books of 2023
All Best Books of the Year 2023
Best Books of the Year Home

Standard Order

Prices

$5 - $10
$10 - $25
$25 - $50

Formats

Audiobook
eBook
Hardcover
Large Print
Paperback

Barnes & Noble's Best Literary Fiction of 2023

Get swept away by compelling characters and gorgeous narratives in our list of the Best Literary Fiction Books of the year.

1- 20 of 63 results

Best Sellers
Newest to Oldest
Oldest to Newest
Price - Low to High
Price - High to Low
Title - A to Z
Title - Z to A

Best Books of 2023

Title: This Other Eden, Author: Paul Harding

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

This Other Eden

by Paul Harding

eBook $9.99 $17.99 Current price is $9.99, Original price is $17.99.

Available Immediately After Purchase

Best Books of 2023

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

Ladies' Lunch: And Other…

by Lore Segal

Narrated by Callie Beaulieu

Audiobook (Unabridged) $10.99

. Price is $10.99 . You save %.

FREE with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription trial!

Available Immediately After Purchase

Best Books of 2023

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

Ladies' Lunch: And Other…

by Lore Segal

Narrated by Callie Beaulieu

Audiobook (Unabridged) $10.99

. Price is $10.99 . You save %.

FREE with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription trial!

Available Immediately After Purchase

Best Books of 2023

Title: Let Us Descend (Oprah's Book Club), Author: Jesmyn Ward

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

Let Us Descend (Oprah's Book…

by Jesmyn Ward

eBook $13.99

Available Immediately After Purchase

Best Books of 2023

Title: North Woods, Author: Daniel Mason

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

North Woods

by Daniel Mason

eBook $13.99

Available Immediately After Purchase

Best Books of 2023

Title: Ladies' Lunch: And Other Stories, Author: Lore Segal

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

Ladies' Lunch: And Other…

by Lore Segal

eBook $13.99

Available Immediately After Purchase

Best Books of 2023

Title: Death Valley, Author: Melissa Broder

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

Death Valley

by Melissa Broder

eBook $13.99

Available Immediately After Purchase

Best Books of 2023

Title: The Vaster Wilds: A Novel, Author: Lauren Groff

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

The Vaster Wilds: A Novel

by Lauren Groff

eBook $14.99

Available Immediately After Purchase

Best Books of 2023

Title: The Fraud: A Novel, Author: Zadie Smith

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

The Fraud: A Novel

by Zadie Smith

eBook $14.99

Available Immediately After Purchase

Best Books of 2023

Title: Absolution, Author: Alice McDermott

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

Absolution

by Alice McDermott

eBook $14.99

Available Immediately After Purchase

Best Books of 2023

Title: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store (2023 B&N Book of the Year), Author: James McBride

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

The Heaven & Earth Grocery…

by James McBride

eBook $14.99

Available Immediately After Purchase

Best Books of 2023

Title: The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club), Author: Abraham Verghese

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

The Covenant of Water (Oprah's…

by Abraham Verghese

eBook $16.99 $28.00 Current price is $16.99, Original price is $28.00.

Available Immediately After Purchase

Best Books of 2023

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

Death Valley

by Melissa Broder

Narrated by Melissa Broder

Audiobook (Unabridged)

$17.09 ~~$18.99~~

. Current price is $17.09 . Old price was $18.99 . You save %.

FREE with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription trial!

Available Immediately After Purchase

B&N EXCLUSIVE

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

This Other Eden (B&N Exclusive…

by Paul Harding

BN Exclusive $17.99

Available Online

Best Books of 2023

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

This Other Eden

by Paul Harding

Paperback $17.99

Available Online

Best Books of 2023

Title: Death Valley: A Novel, Author: Melissa Broder

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

Death Valley: A Novel

by Melissa Broder

Paperback $17.99

Available Online

Title: Let Us Descend: A Novel, Author: Jesmyn Ward

Pre-Order Now Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

Let Us Descend: A Novel

by Jesmyn Ward

Paperback $17.99

Pre-order Now

Best Books of 2023

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

Ladies' Lunch: And Other…

by Lore Segal

Paperback $18.99

Available Online

Best Books of 2023

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

Death Valley

by Melissa Broder

Narrated by Melissa Broder

Audiobook (Unabridged)

$17.09 ~~$18.99~~

. Current price is $17.09 . Old price was $18.99 . You save %.

FREE with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription trial!

Available Immediately After Purchase

Pre-Order Now Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

The Fraud: A Novel

by Zadie Smith

Paperback $19.00

Pre-order Now

Pagination Links

No Previous Page
Active Page1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Next Page

It’s time for Barnes & Noble’s end of the year round up for the Best Literary Fiction Books of 2023! Our booksellers have narrowed down the list to the best of the best including the latest from award winning authors, Alice McDermott, Zadie Smith and Paul Harding. A skeleton is unearthed in a small town in our Barnes & Noble Book of the Year, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. Fans of historical fiction will delight in Zadie Smith’s latest book The Fraud, set in Charles Dickens’ Victorian England during the time of the Tichborne Trial. Ladies’ Lunch features hilarious and heartbreaking short stories on aging and life in the slow lane from 95 year old national treasure, Lore Segal. There are classic survival stories such as The Vaster Wilds and multigenerational family sagas like The Covenant of Water. You won’t want to miss these addictive and heartfelt books in our list of the Best Literary Fiction Books of the Year!

Get lost in aisles of the Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, Barnes & Noble’s Book of the Year, a captivating read about small town secrets and the community ties that sustain us. Jews & African Americans live side by side in a poverty-stricken neighborhood in small town Pennsylvania. When a skeleton is unearthed, it opens the door wide on events that happened decades earlier. This exceptional tour-de-force from author James McBride reminds us that even in the darkest of times, love and community have the power to bring us together.

Set against the rich backdrop of South India, The Covenant of Water (Oprah’s Book Club) is a gorgeous and unforgettable novel about a family who is cursed to lose one member each generation to drowning. Powerful and transportive, it follows the currents of the characters as they seek to find the cause of "the condition." An exploration in grief, ambition and forgiveness, it is a tribute to the sacrifices that we make for future generations to come.

Pulitzer Prize finalist Daniel Mason brings us North Woods, an immersive and expansive book exploring the connection between the land and the lives of the people that inhabit it. As time goes on, each story builds upon the last in masterful vignettes telling a cross-centuries tale with the house as its focal point.

Absolution is the latest from National Book Award Winning Author Alice McDermott. It flips the history of the Vietnam War on its head with the other half taking the frontlines. This evocative masterpiece depicts the folly, grace, absolution and sacrifice of the American wives in Saigon, casting a spotlight on the obligations of women in the 1960s.

Get swept away by compelling characters and gorgeous narratives in our Best Literary Fiction Books of 2023. If you are yearning for more from the genre, check out our complete list of literary fiction books at Barnes & Noble! We have the latest releases including bestselling literary fiction and our list of bookseller favorites. Looking for the perfect gift for your booklover? Browse our holiday gift guide for the best literary fiction books and more!

10 Best Literary Fiction Books of 2023:

Death Valley by Melissa Broder
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
This Other Eden by Paul Harding
North Woods by Daniel Mason
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store (2023 Barnes & Noble Book of the Year) by James McBride
Absolution (Barnes & Noble Book Club Edition) by Alice McDermott
Ladies’ Lunch: And Other Stories by Lore Segal
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
The Covenant of Water (Oprah’s Book Club) by Abraham Verghese
Let Us Descend (Oprah’s Book Club) by Jesmyn Ward

(Books are listed in alphabetical order by author)