Top new literary-fiction books in October 2023
Last updated:
October 31, 2023
October 2023 featuring new releases by John Grisham, Melissa Broder, Jesmyn Ward, Jean Kwok, Bryan Washington, Saffron A. Kent, Francis Spufford, Alice McDermott, Rochelle B. Weinstein, Lucy Lennox and many more.
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The Exchange: After The Firm by John Grisham
#1 New York Times bestselling author John Grisham delivers high-flying international suspense in a stunning new legal thriller that marks the return of Mitch McDeere, the brilliant hero of The Firm...fiction · mystery · legal · suspense · contemporary · crime · thriller · audiobook · politics · conspiracies -
![Death Valley by Melissa Broder]()
Death Valley by Melissa Broder
The most profound book yet from the visionary author of Milk Fed and The Pisces, a darkly funny novel about grief that becomes a desert survival story.In Melissa Broder’s astounding new novel, a woman arrives alone at a Best Western seeking respite from an emptiness that plagues her...fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · female-author · fantasy · death · humor · magical-realism · book · adult -
![Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward]()
Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
From Jesmyn Ward—the two-time National Book Award winner, youngest winner of the Library of Congress Prize for Fiction, and MacArthur Fellow—comes a haunting masterpiece, sure to be an instant classic, about an enslaved girl in the years before the Civil War.“‘Let us descend,’ the poet now began, ‘and enter this blind world...historical-fiction · fiction · literary-fiction · poc-mc · female-author · historical · slavery · black-mc · book · adult -
![The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok]()
The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok
"At once a hugely atmospheric and suspenseful mystery and a compelling exploration of motherhood and belonging that packs a profound emotional punch. I couldn't stop thinking about this book...mystery · fiction · contemporary · suspense · family · literary-fiction · poc-mc · feminism · womens-fiction · poc-author -
![Family Meal by Bryan Washington]()
Family Meal by Bryan Washington
From the bestselling, award-winning author of Memorial and Lot, an irresistible, intimate novel about two young men, once best friends, whose lives collide again after a loss.Cam is living in Los Angeles and falling apart after the love of his life has died. Kai's ghost won't leave Cam alone; his spectral visits wild, tender, and unexpected...fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · lgbtq · 21st-century · poc-author · family · poc-mc · romantic-love · humor -
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![You Beautiful Thing, You by Saffron A. Kent]()
You Beautiful Thing, You by Saffron A. Kent
*Coming to KU October 29th* Nineteen-year-old Tempest Jackson wants a baby. No, her biological clock isn’t ticking, but she’s desperate for unconditional love. Rejected by all except her brother and soon to be married off by her father for financial gain, she aches for someone to hold close and call hers. Enter Ledger Thorne. Soccer god, devastatingly handsome and her brother’s rival...romance · sports · contemporary · new-adult · enemies-to-lovers · angst · age-gap · stalking · forced-proximity · grumpy-sunshine -
![Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford]()
Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford
From “one of the most original minds in contemporary literature” (Nick Hornby) the bestselling and award-winning author of Golden Hill delivers a noirish detective novel set in the 1920s that reimagines how American history would be different if, instead of being decimated, indigenous populations had thrived... -
![Absolution by Alice McDermott]()
Absolution by Alice McDermott
A riveting account of women’s lives on the margins of the Vietnam War, from the renowned winner of the National Book Award.In Saigon in 1963, two young American wives form a wary alliance. Tricia is a starry-eyed newlywed, married to a rising oil engineer “on loan” to US Navy Intelligence...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · literary-fiction · fantasy · audiobook · war · violent-conflict · book · adult -
![What You Do to Me by Rochelle B. Weinstein]()
What You Do to Me by Rochelle B. Weinstein
From the bestselling author of This Is Not How It Ends comes a moving novel of two unfinished love stories and the music and lyrics that bring them together.Journalist Cecilia James is a sucker for a love song. So when she stumbles across a clue to the identity of the muse for one of rock’s greatest, she devotes herself to uncovering the truth, even as her own relationship is falling apart...romance · fiction · family · womens-fiction · female-mc · religion · mystery · mental-illness · grief · feminism -
![The Nanny Proposal by Lucy Lennox]()
The Nanny Proposal by Lucy Lennox
I’ve been in love with Dr. Grant Brighton for four long years.He’s tall. Gorgeous. Brilliant. An amazing single dad.He’s also straight, uninterested in dating someone ten years younger than him, and, tragically, *my boss*...romance · mlm · contemporary · lgbtq · audiobook · age-gap · fake-relationship · marriage-of-convenience · boss-employee · fiction -
![The Glutton by A.K. Blakemore]()
The Glutton by A.K. Blakemore
A subversive historical novel set during the French Revolution, inspired by a young peasant boy turned showman, said to have been tormented and driven to murder by an all-consuming appetite.1798, France. Nuns move along the dark corridors of a Versailles hospital where the young Sister Perpetué has been tasked with sitting with the patient who must always be watched...historical-fiction · fiction · horror · historical · 21st-century · literary-fiction · humor · human-condition · dark · gothic -
![Cruel Crypts by Becca Steele]()
Cruel Crypts by Becca Steele
From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Becca Steele, comes an all-new standalone M/F academy romance.Knox Ashcroft. One of the so-called gods of Hatherley Hall. He’s everything I despise–a spoiled, arrogant, lacrosse-playing rich boy.From the moment we met, he made it clear that the loathing was mutual. I don’t belong in his world, and he wants me gone...romance · contemporary · high-school · suspense · drama · dark · enemies-to-lovers · steamy · forced-proximity · multi-pov -
![Everything Is Not Enough by Lola Akinmade Åkerström]()
Everything Is Not Enough by Lola Akinmade Åkerström
From international bestselling author Lola Akinmade Åkerström, the highly anticipated follow-up to her debut novel, In Every Mirror She's Black, focusing on the lives of three Black women as they fight their own personal struggles in one of the most egalitarian societies, Sweden...fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · female-author · poc-mc · romantic-love · family · travel · female-mc · friendship -
![Midnight Is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead]()
Midnight Is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead
From the critically acclaimed author of In My Dreams I Hold A Knife and The Last Housewife comes a gothic Southern thriller about a killer haunting a small Louisiana town, where two outcasts—the preacher's daughter and the boy from the wrong side of the tracks—hold the key to uncovering the truth...romance · mystery · horror · fiction · contemporary · dark · psychological · season-autumn · female-mc · literary-fiction -
![Tremor by Teju Cole]()
Tremor by Teju Cole
A powerful, intimate novel that masterfully explores what constitutes a meaningful life in a violent world—from the award-winning author of Open CityLife is hopeless but it is not serious. We have to have danced while we could and, later, to have danced again in the telling.A weekend spent antiquing is shadowed by the colonial atrocities that occurred on that land...fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · poc-author · poc-mc · spirituality · social-commentary · black-mc · book · adult -
![The Waters by Bonnie Jo Campbell]()
The Waters by Bonnie Jo Campbell
A master of rural noir returns with a fierce, mesmerizing novel about exceptional women and the soul of a small town. On an island in the Great Massasauga Swamp―an area known as “The Waters” to the residents of nearby Whiteheart, Michigan―herbalist Hermine “Herself” Zook has healed the local women of their ailments for generations...fiction · dark · literary-fiction · contemporary · noir · mystery · outdoors · university · family · female-mc -
![Where Wild Things Grow by J. Rose]()
Where Wild Things Grow by J. Rose
We were lost until Briar Valley offered us a home. Love. Safety. Protection. But it came at a cost. I ran to protect my family. Now, it’s time to return.When tragedy strikes, I’m forced to retrace my steps, back into the arms of the men whose hearts I broke.I’ve spent my entire life running. No more...romance · reverse-harem · dark · new-adult · contemporary · small-town · grumpy-sunshine · cheerful-mc · grumpy-mc · mental-illness -
![West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman]()
West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman
LOOKING FOR AN ANYTHING-BUT-ORDINARY WHODUNIT? Welcome to the West Heart country club. Where the drinks are neat but behind closed doors . . . things can get messy. Where upright citizens are deemed downright boring. Where the only missing piece of the puzzle is you, dear reader...mystery · fiction · historical-fiction · crime · law-enforcement · historical · whodunit · thriller · audiobook · killer -
![Harrison by V.R. Tennent]()
Harrison by V.R. Tennent
Violet Chase has always been off limits. The girl I wanted...but could never have.In my teens, her father warned me to keep my hands to myself. Boys like me, don’t get girls like her. His family saved me, and I owed them. Her brothers, my best friends, made it clear where I stood - below them.We had one stolen moment of passion, then I ran...romance · contemporary · suspense · dark · organized-crime · steamy · angst · legal · kind-mc · survival -
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![Edenville by Sam Rebelein]()
Edenville by Sam Rebelein
An unsettling, immersive, and wildly entertaining debut novel from an exciting new voice in horror for fans of Paul Tremblay and Stephen Graham Jones.After publishing his debut novel, The Shattered Man, to disappointing sales and reviews, Campbell P. Marion is struggling to find inspiration for a follow-up...horror · fiction · mystery · contemporary · university · dark-academia · gothic · spooky · literary-fiction · thriller -
![Blackouts by Justin Torres]()
Blackouts by Justin Torres
From the bestselling author of We the Animals, Blackouts mines lost histories--personal and collective.Out in the desert in a place called the Palace, a young man tends to a dying soul, someone he once knew briefly, but who has haunted the edges of his life...fiction · lgbtq · literary-fiction · contemporary · latinx-mc · magical-realism · gothic · hispanic · poc-mc · book -
![The Sun Sets in Singapore by Kehinde Fadipe]()
The Sun Sets in Singapore by Kehinde Fadipe
Basking in Singapore’s nonstop sunshine, low tax rate, and luxury goods market, Dara, Amaka, and Lillian are living the glamorous expat dream—until their carefully constructed lives are upended by a handsome and mysterious new arrival. Dara, a workaholic lawyer from the UK, is on the brink of partnership at her firm...fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · poc-mc · breakup · domestic-drama · friendship · romance · female-mc · black-mc -
![Hurricane Season by Mark Powell]()
Hurricane Season by Mark Powell
Shy Walsh might be the greatest female fighter of her time, but a loss in a Vegas title fight, and the sneaking suspicion that she wanted to lose, sends her reeling back to her Central Florida home and her dying mother. She needs some perspective, she needs to pull herself together. But one day she meets Thomas Clayton, a doctor recently released from prison, and everything changes... -
![The List by Yomi Adegoke]()
The List by Yomi Adegoke
Ola Olajide, a celebrated journalist at Womxxxn magazine, is set to marry the love of her life in one month’s time. Young, beautiful, and successful—she and her fiancé Michael are considered the “couple goals” of their social network and seem to have it all...fiction · contemporary · poc-author · mystery · poc-mc · black-mc · literary-fiction · family · suspense · psychological -
![The Girl Who Cried Diamonds & Other Stories by Rebecca Hirsch Garcia]()
The Girl Who Cried Diamonds & Other Stories by Rebecca Hirsch Garcia
The boundaries between realist and fabulist, literary and speculative are shattered in this remarkable debut collection for readers of Carmen Maria Machado, André Alexis, and Angélique Lalonde A girl born in a small, unnamed pueblo is blessed ― or cursed ― with the ability to produce valuable gems from her bodily fluids...dark · mental-illness · latinx-mc · fiction · magical-realism · anthologies · fantasy · horror · literary-fiction · poc-mc -
![The House On Sun Street by Mojgan Ghazirad]()
The House On Sun Street by Mojgan Ghazirad
A young girl grows up in a family uprooted by the terror of an Islamic Revolution, where her culture, her gender, and her education are in peril.For the curious and imaginative Moji, there is no better place to grow up than the lush garden of her grandparents in Tehran...historical-fiction · fiction · politics · historical · 20th-century · family · literary-fiction · book · adult -
![Straw Dogs of the Universe by Ye Chun]()
Straw Dogs of the Universe by Ye Chun
A harrowing and redemptive immigrant story for readers of PachinkoA Chinese railroad worker and his young daughter—sold into servitude—in 19th century California search for family, fulfillment, and belonging in a violent new land“Heaven and earth aren’t humane.To them the ten thousand thingsAre straw dogs...historical-fiction · fiction · family · historical · literary-fiction · drama · western · industrial-era · book · adult
