Book List

2011 Best of Fiction: The Top 25

FICTION

LAST MAN IN TOWER

by Aravind Adiga

Adiga nails the culture of corruption. How exciting to watch a writer come into his own, surpassing the achievement of his... Full review >

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FICTION

UNTIL THE DAWN'S LIGHT

by Aharon Appelfeld

A beautiful and affecting novel, Tolstoyan in its compassion for humanity. Full review >

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FICTION

THE SENSE OF AN ENDING

by Julian Barnes

A knockout. What at first seems like a polite meditation on childhood and memory leaves the reader asking difficult... Full review >

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FICTION

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

by Justin Cartwright

Tubal and Co. is a small, ancient private bank in London, and its longtime chief, Sir Harry Trevelyan-Tubal, has drafted his... Full review >

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FICTION

THE GRIEF OF OTHERS

by Leah Hager Cohen

With gorgeous prose, Cohen skillfully takes us from past to present and back again as she explores the ramifications of... Full review >

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FICTION

OPEN CITY

by Teju Cole

Determining whether the novel's main character is hero, villain or somewhere in between might require the reader to start... Full review >

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FICTION

THE PRAGUE CEMETERY

by Umberto Eco

What does it all add up to? An indictment of the old Europe, for one thing, and a perplexing, multilayered,... Full review >

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FICTION

THE FORGOTTEN WALTZ

by Anne Enright

In rueful, witty, unpredictable and compassionate prose, Enright gives expression to subtle, affecting shades of human... Full review >

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FICTION

THE MARRIAGE PLOT

by Jeffrey Eugenides

Dazzling work—Eugenides continues to show that he is one of the finest of contemporary novelists. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

FICTION

THE MAGICIAN KING

by Lev Grossman

Fabulous fantasy spiked with bitter adult wisdom—not to be missed. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

FICTION

FAITH

by Jennifer Haigh

Haigh deals with complex moral issues in subtle ways, and her narrative is beautifully, sometimes achingly poignant. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

FICTION

THE MIGHTY WALZER

by Howard Jacobson

A delight from start to finish, and a note-perfect evocation of the gray 1950s. Full review >

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THRILLER & SUSPENSE

11/22/63

by Stephen King

Though his scenarios aren’t always plausible in strictest terms, King’s imagination, as always, yields a most satisfying... Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

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