Looking for some of the best modern books of all time? These amazing works of contemporary fiction are a great place to start!
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The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
We’ll kick off our list of the best contemporary books with The Interestings, the 13th standalone novel by Meg Wolitzer. A group of gifted teenagers form friendships at summer camp. Their bond appears to be unbreakable, despite their lives heading in different directions.
On the one hand, there’s Jules, a therapist and former aspiring comic actress dealing with the harsh realities of marriage and parenting, and Jonah, a gifted guitarist-turned-engineer.
On the other hand, there’s Ethan and Ash, a wealthy and successful power couple living a life that Jules can only dream of.
The Interestings is an insightful, observant look at what happens to friendships when each person travels along a drastically different path. It’s a slower, reflective sort of read, and it explores each character with incredible depth.
Buy The Interestings: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
It’s difficult to choose just one Moriarty book for this list when you consider her previous hits (Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers, and The Husband’s Secret to name but a few). However, Apples Never Fall, released in 2021, deserves a spot here because of the delicious twists and turns it contains.
The Delaney family appears, on the surface, to be perfect. Four grown-up kids, incredible talent on the tennis court, a happy fifty-year marriage, a beautiful home in the suburbs – life couldn’t be better. That is, until the family matriarch, Joy, goes missing.
Apples Never Fall contains plenty of gasp-out-loud moments. It’s also a tender and witty look at family dynamics. Moriarty is a master at observing the complexity of relationships, picking them apart and laying them bare, with all their strange complications and quirks.
If you love a truly ‘unputdownable’ book about a complicated family, with plenty of character growth and a rapidly unfolding plot, this is the one for you.
Buy Apples Never Fall: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reed
A big hit when it was published back in 2019, Daisy Jones and the Six is a breathtaking, action-packed contemporary novel about the rise and fall of an iconic rock group.
Written in an interview format, you’ll observe Daisy’s antics in the ’60s and ’70s through the recollections of her bandmates, family, and friends. It’s so well done that it would be easy to believe that Daisy Jones and the Six were a real band.
RELATED: Daisy Jones and the Six Book Review
Beautiful, bold Daisy has a rollercoaster life as a rockstar, with all that entails. Sex, drugs, and fame quickly come her way, and at the age of twenty, she achieves a level of fame that many people would dream of.
With a fast-paced plot, Daisy Jones and the Six will present you with a cast of characters to fall in love with. The TV show, based on the book, is currently in production. So if you haven’t read it yet, now’s the time!
Buy Daisy Jones and the Six: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
Winner of the 2019 Booker Prize, Girl, Woman, Other is bold, experimental, and captivating. It follows multiple generations of the same family, and it explores several themes, including family dynamics, grief, identity, and the experience of being a black woman in modern Britain.
The book is split into four chapters, each with an ‘episode’ exploring the life of a different character. From Amma Bonsu, queer theatre director and mother of opinionated teenage daughter Yazz, to Dominique, a vibrant woman entangled in an abusive relationship, to Shirley King, a disillusioned teacher grappling with her marriage difficulties.
Written in an experimental form, it’s a sensitive, nuanced, and insightful look at intersectionality, how race, sexuality, gender, economic status, and history play out. A funny and sensitive book, it’s an excellent read and a well-deserved winner of the Booker prize.
Buy Girl, Woman, Other: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere exploded onto the scene in 2019, rising to the top of the New York Times bestseller list, and has since been adapted into an incredibly popular series starring Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon.
Is this book worth the hype? Absolutely. Set in Shaker Heights, a quiet leafy suburb in Cleveland, Little Fires Everywhere explores what happens when Mia Warren moves to town.
RELATED: 17 Addicting Books to Read
Mia, an artist and single mother to her quiet teenage daughter Pearl, stirs up the status quo and ruffles the feathers of her landlady Elena Richardson, an upstanding Shaker Heights citizen.
As Pearl settles in and grows closer to Elena’s children, another couple tries to adopt a Chinese-American baby, and a controversial custody battle erupts, with Mia on one side and Elena on the other.
It’s a rollercoaster of a story that will pull you, irresistibly, into its orbit. At the same time, it provides a frank and honest look at the challenges of having children, and asks the question: what makes a good mother?
Buy Little Fires Everywhere: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
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Sunset by Jessie Cave
Sunset is Jessie Cave’s first novel, and it’s a heartbreaker. Ruth and Hannah are sisters, and they are incredibly close, despite their differences. Vivacious, outgoing Hannah persuades Ruth to go on a holiday that changes Ruth’s life forever.
How do you put your life back together when everything has fallen apart? Sunset follows Ruth as she attempts to pick up the pieces, navigating her raw, breathless grief. Ruth gets a job at a coffee shop in Heathrow airport, the last place she felt safe and happy, and watches the world revolving around her, suspended in her grief.
Watching Ruth take tentative steps forward in her life is both incredibly inspiring, and totally gut-wrenching. Jessie Cave’s work is both funny and searingly honest, and she is determined not to sugarcoat the reality of losing a loved one. Sunset will break your heart, inspire you, and make you hold your loved ones a little closer.
Buy Sunset: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Queenie is a funny, vibrant, and honest look at what it means to find yourself in your twenties. Queenie Jenkins is a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London. She works at a newspaper, surrounded by white, middle-class colleagues, with all the challenges that provides.
Following a messy split from her boyfriend, Queenie looks for comfort. She just happens to be searching in all the wrong places.
Queenie is honest, witty, and heartfelt. With a pace that rockets along, especially in the second half, you won’t be able to put it down. Carty-Williams excellently captures the overwhelming questions that many people face in their twenties about who they are, what they want, and who they want to be.
Buy Queenie: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
While you may have watched the movie, the original novel is absolutely worth a read. Bridget Jones’s Diary, a modern classic by British writer Helen Fielding, follows Bridget, a frazzled, single thirty-something living in London.
Written in diary form, the book gives you access to Bridget’s most private thoughts, no matter how messy or complicated those thoughts may be.
While the book hasn’t aged well in some respects, it’s an honest snapshot of what it was like to be a single woman in the ’90s.
While Bridget’s romantic choices and constant self-loathing might make you groan, the shenanigans of her friends will make you laugh out loud.
Over the course of the book, Bridget grows and becomes more comfortable in her own skin, and it will leave you feeling uplifted.
If you want a perfect example of dry British humour, with plenty of sarcasm and self-deprecation, this is the book for you.
Buy Bridget Jones’s Diary: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
My Policeman by Bethan Roberts
My Policeman is the third novel by British writer Bethan Roberts. Marion, a newly qualified teacher, is starry-eyed the moment she sees Tom, her best friend’s big brother.
Despite the small hints that something might not be working between them, Marion and Tom get married and begin to build their lives together.
However, Tom’s heart belongs to another. Patrick is a vibrant, joyful museum curator, and he whisks Tom away to another world.
In reality, Tom and Patrick’s love is forbidden in 1950’s Brighton. Marion, Tom, and Patrick embark on a complicated and painful journey together, until the truth emerges and all three of them have to deal with the consequences.
It’s searingly honest, tender, and heartbreaking.
Plus, there’s a film adaptation being made with Harry Styles and Emma Corrin as the lead actors.
Buy My Policeman: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
Hot Stew by Fiona Mozley
Billionaire Agatha owns a building in Soho and would like to convert it in a further attempt to gentrify the area. She quickly runs into issues when she realizes the building is housing a brothel, and the occupants aren’t going to leave without a fight.
Hot Stew follows a diverse group of characters, all connected in some way to this building. Exploring the themes of female empowerment, wealth, property, and social division, Hot Stew is incredibly readable, with a fast-paced plot and intriguing character development.
Darkly funny and poignant, it’s the kind of book that will leave you questioning your own opinions on life in modern Britain, and it would make a great choice for your book club.
Buy Hot Stew: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers
Set in 1957 in a London suburb, Small Pleasures explores what happens when you follow love at all costs. This modern novel follows Jean Swinney, a feature writer on a local paper, living a fairly small and uneventful life.
When she stumbles upon the story of Gretchen Tilbury, a Swiss woman who swears her daughter is the result of a virgin birth, she quickly gets caught up in something far bigger than she could have anticipated.
Small Pleasures is a slower-paced, reflective read. The bizarre story of the virgin birth slowly unfolds, but the real drama happens within the mind of Jean as she falls in love with Gretchen Tilbury’s husband. Jean realizes that she can’t pass up the chance of true love – but there will be repercussions.
If you love a book with characters that feel almost palpably ‘real’, this is the one for you. You’ll know Jean well by the time you finish the book, and she’s so human that, despite some of her choices, she feels relatable throughout.
Buy Small Pleasures: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
The Lido by Libby Page
The Lido is the first novel by journalist Libby Page, and it will charm the socks off you! Reporter Kate navigates crippling anxiety whilst covering small stories for a local paper. When she is asked to cover the closure of the local lido, she meets eighty-six-year-old widow Rosemary, and an unlikely friendship is born.
While the closure of the lido drives the narrative forward, it’s really a story about how our lives – and our local landscapes – evolve over time. It explores how we make our communities at different stages of life, with both Kate and Rosemary having a big impact on each other.
A sweet tale of friendship, this is a hopeful, uplifting read. If you want to escape into a book and come away feeling lighter, it’s well worth checking it out.
Buy The Lido: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo
A fierce, triumphant story that launched a movement, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is a must-read for everyone, particularly frustrated millennial women.
The story follows Kim Jiyoung, living in Seoul. A new mother, she quits her job to care for her daughter full-time, playing the part of a contented mother despite feeling totally stripped of her own choices.
But when Jiyoung begins to impersonate the voices of other women – alive and dead – her family begin to worry.
READ MORE: Best Books for Young Women
It’s an eerie, unsettling journey through Jiyoung’s life as she tries to navigate heavy gender discrimination. Interspersed with facts about women’s rights in Korea, it feels disconcerting to read.
Jiyoung’s frustration as she deals with the impact of misogyny on her life is intense and painfully relatable to women across the globe, not just in Korea. An absolute must-read, it will leave you feeling full of fight and fire.
Buy Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
If you’ve ever had a ‘best’ friend, you’ll be able to relate to Firefly Lane. As close as sisters – maybe even closer – Kate Mularkey and Tully Hart are a powerhouse, navigating through school, university, work, family life, and beyond. Spanning over three decades, it’s the kind of novel that you can lose yourself in.
Kate and Tully are opposites in a lot of ways but with similar ambition and drive. But Tully’s life takes a drastically different route than Kate’s, and this causes conflict that feels both dramatic and completely relatable.
An honest and poignant observation of a friendship lasting a lifetime with some beautifully nostalgic 70’s and 80’s references, Firefly Lane is the ideal summer read. It will whisk you away into its world, and the characters will stay with you for a long time afterwards.
Buy Firefly Lane: Amazon | Blackwells| Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
A smash-hit bestseller in 2019 and into 2020, Where the Crawdads Sing is a beautifully written, evocative novel about a troubled woman finding solace in the natural world.
Known locally as the ‘Marsh Girl’, Kya Clark lives alone. Abandoned by her family, Kya is left to raise herself, fighting for her own survival, avoiding interacting with the unfriendly locals.
So when popular resident Chase Andrews is found dead in the marsh, everybody’s thoughts turn to the Marsh Girl as the prime suspect.
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The novel spans Kya’s life, following her lonely existence as she learns to work with nature for survival. Kya is captivated by the world around her, making observations and becoming almost as wild as her surroundings.
While the underlying mystery is captivating, the writing stands out. If you want to be truly transported to another world, losing yourself in the setting, this is the perfect book for you.
Buy Where the Crawdads Sing: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Sally Rooney is one of the best (and most popular) contemporary novelists of recent times, and Normal People is a bestseller. It follows Connell and Marianne, schoolmates living very different lives.
Connell is popular and well-liked, while Marianne is lonely and private. Connell and Marianne grow a strange, unlikely connection that will last a lifetime.
As they grow and change – from school to university to adult life – they continue to be drawn, almost magnetically, together. But their relationship is complicated to define.
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Some readers have described Normal People as a ‘Marmite’ book – you’ll ever love it, or hate it. It’s a medium-paced story about a strangely lonely love story.
Rooney is exceptionally observant, so if you love books that shine a light on our complicated human natures, you’ll probably land on the ‘love it’ side of the argument.
Buy Normal People: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Another popular book club choice, Eleanor Oliphant is a quirky, funny, uplifting read.
Eleanor is blunt. She says what she thinks, whether appropriate or not, and she has a very strict, regimented life, where the boundaries are clearly defined.
Unfortunately, this leaves no room for new people. Until Raymond comes along.
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While the premise may sound simple, Eleanor is a complex character and watching her grow as Raymond gently tries to get to know her is truly beautiful.
Eleanor’s past turns out to be more complicated than people may expect, and the unfolding mystery of her past is intriguing enough to make this book a real page-turner.
With some good twists and turns, it’s the ideal choice if you want something uplifting and interesting to binge-read over a weekend.
Buy Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey
Elizabeth is Missing is a must-read if you love a dark and compulsive mystery. Maud, an ageing grandmother dealing with dementia, is finding life progressively more difficult.
But she has a burning desire to find out what happened to her best friend, Elizabeth. Maud is convinced that Elizabeth is in danger – but is she?
You’ll be kept on your toes constantly as you follow Elizabeth’s determined mission to save her friend, despite the lack of help from her daughter, her carers, and the police.
As Maud grapples with memories rapidly changing and shifting through her hands, she realizes that Elizabeth’s disappearance may be linked to something else – the disappearance of Maud’s sister, Sukey, who vanished a long time ago.
This is a compulsively ‘readable’ novel. Pick this one up if you love a mystery but be prepared to not want to put it down until you get to the end!
Buy Elizabeth is Missing: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
The Midnight Library was a smash hit in 2020 and offered readers a moment of reflection and emotional connection at a moment when we all needed it.
The novel follows Nora Seed, a woman grappling with depression and suicidal thoughts. Nora discovers a library. There are thousands of books within that library, each one containing a new version of your life.
RELATED: Best Self-Discovery Novels to Read
Have you ever wondered what would have happened if you made different choices? Nora is able to explore this as she tries to find a version of her life that is worth settling into. As she explores, the library begins to shift and change, and there’s an element of danger as time begins to run out.
While it may not seem subtle, The Midnight Library has an important and life-affirming message. Pick it up when you’re in the mood for a good cry, and you’ll come away with a new appreciation for life and its infinite possibilities.
Buy The Midnight Library: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
The Heart’s Invisible Furies will walk you through the life of Cyril Avery. Born out of wedlock to a teenage mother, Cyril is adopted and is constantly reminded of this by his adoptive parents.
You’ll follow Cyril to boarding school, where he meets the tenacious and beautiful Julian. This is a story of identity. Who is Cyril, really? Where does he come from? And who will he become?
Spanning decades, it’s an emotional journey about acceptance and redemption. It will make you laugh, make you cry, and leave you feeling uplifted. Give this book a try if you love to feel genuinely connected with book characters.
Buy The Heart’s Invisible Furies: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
A compelling novel, Homegoing explores the lives of Effia and Esi, born into different villages in eighteenth-century Ghana. Effie marries an Englishman, living a life of relative comfort. Esi, meanwhile, is imprisoned, sold, and shipped off to America to live as a slave.
Homegoing tracks the lives of Effia and Esi’s descendants, through centuries. Effia’s descendants grapple with British colonization and warfare in Ghana, while Esi’s descendants live through the Civil War. Ending in the present day, Homegoing examines how one family can live very different lives.
This is a must-read if you love sweeping, emotional, and powerful contemporary novels that span centuries.
Buy Homegoing: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
The Joy Luck Club is the perfect contemporary book if you love to read about the dynamic between mothers and daughters.
Beginning in 1949, four Chinese women living in San Francisco meet, and quickly form a community. They call themselves the Joy Luck Club. Finally, forty years on, the daughters are ready to tell their stories.
It’s a complicated, tangled weave of secrets, heartbreak, betrayal, and love. With shifting truths depending on who is speaking, The Joy Luck Club unfolds in such a way that you won’t want to stop reading until you get to the bottom of it.
Pick this one up if you want to enjoy a mystery alongside an honest portrayal of human relationships.
Buy The Joy Luck Club: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Donna Tartt’s debut novel The Secret History was published in 1992, back when the author was still a college student.
It’s a phenomenally popular book, following a group of clever misfits at an elite college in New England. The students discover a new way of living under a charismatic professor – a way of living that will push the boundaries of morality.
RELATED: The Secret History Book Review
The book is an inverted mystery story, with one former student, Richard Papen, reflecting on the events that led to the murder of a friend. It’s a slow-paced read with the mystery unfolding, tantalizingly, in small steps.
If you love a long book you can get stuck into with deliciously complex (and sometimes unlikeable) characters, this one is for you.
Buy The Secret History: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Americanah begins in Lagos, with teenagers Ifemelu and Obinze falling in love. Living under military dictatorship, they flee, with Ifemelu heading to America, and Obinze arriving in London.
Years later, they have very different lives – but what happens when they meet again, face to face?
This sweeping novel crosses three continents, weaving a complex and intricate story of teenagers blossoming into adults in very different circumstances. It’s a story of love, the kind of love that is constantly challenged but is stronger for it.
It’s a phenomenal read, and you should pick this one up if you love astute observations of race, class, and the human condition.
Buy Americanah: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
Even if you’ve seen the High Fidelity movie, you need to read this. Rob, the main character, is freshly split from his ex, Laura. And despite what he tries to tell himself, he can’t get over it.
So Rob decides to explore his ‘top five most memorable breakups’, examining not only the impact each split had on him but also his own behaviour. You’ll follow Rob’s life, running a record shop with his employees Dick and Barry, making top-five pop-culture lists and trying to figure out what he wants for himself.
Rob is self-pitying. He has terrible self-esteem. He makes big mistakes, and he mistreats people. And yet, somehow, you’ll find yourself rooting for him anyway. So if you want a heartwarming story about friendship, love, and growth, and you love British humour, make sure to give High Fidelity a try.
Buy High Fidelity: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
A modern classic by award-winning writer Zadie Smith, White Teeth follows Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal. Despite their differences, Archie and Samad are both veterans of World War II.
Their friendship eases them through the twists and turns in their respective lives as they watch their children grow into adulthood.
It’s a brilliant, funny, beautifully written novel with brilliant dialogue. You’ll fall in love with the characters, and the rich, vivid portrait of multicultural London.
If you want to get into Zadie Smith’s work, there’s no better place to start.
Buy White Teeth: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Adapted into novel form from the original Japanese play, Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a remarkable book. It’s a must-read if you want to have your mind stretched a little. A small, unassuming café has a magical twist – visitors to the café may go back in time.
But there are rules: you have to sit in a particular seat and return to the present before the coffee gets cold, or there are dire consequences.
RELATED: Best Japanese Novels to Read
The conflict comes from the main rule: you can’t alter the present. So the question is, what’s the point? Why go back at all?
This book explores that concept with four separate (but linked) stories. Without giving anything away, it’s incredibly moving, surprising, and worth a read if you’re stuck in a ‘reading rut’.
Buy Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
A gorgeously written but challenging novel, A Little Life is not for the faint of heart, but if you’re prepared to dive into the darkest parts of humanity, it will reward you with incredible writing and storytelling.
The novel follows four classmates as they grow and change over time. Their relationships grow deeper and a lot darker. It’s not afraid to explore the concept of a broken soul, and the far-reaching implications of trauma.
It shifts from character to character, and it’s pretty slow-paced, and it will take you on a journey. Just make sure to keep the tissues at hand.
Buy A Little Life: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Ove is a grumpy man, full of rage and dislike. He’s not afraid to express his opinions, and he could easily make an appearance on Neighbours From Hell.
One morning, a bubbly, happy family with young children move in next door, accidentally squashing Ove’s mailbox in the process. What happens next is both hilarious and full of heart.
A Man Called Ove will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside, a lovely pick-me-up to give you an emotional boost. If you loved The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, you’ll probably love this one too.
Buy A Man Called Ove: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Some books break your heart, and this is one of them. Part gripping mystery, part love story, Never Let Me Go is a breathtaking read.
It follows Kathy, a student of Hailsham boarding school. The school is excellent, producing well-trained and intelligent students. However, they do not allow their students to have much, if any, contact with the outside world.
The novel explores what happens when Kathy leaves school, as it begins to dawn on her that her school may not have been all it seemed to be when she was a child. It’s an unflinching look at human nature and how society treats vulnerable people and our own flawed memories of the past. An absolute must-read.
Buy Never Let Me Go: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
Assembly by Natasha Brown
Assembly is an unflinching look at how it feels to be a black woman in modern Britain. Written from the first-person perspective, the main character is working hard to hold it all together.
She’s civil despite others being hostile towards her. She has a good education and a promising career. She’s making all the right financial choices.
But when she prepares to attend a fancy garden party at her boyfriend’s family estate, she starts to question herself. Is she who she wants to be? Why is she doing this, and who is she doing it for?
It’s an honest look at race, class, and money, and the thrilling story of what happens when a woman decides to take back the reins of her own life. Pick this one up if you are prepared to be challenged and inspired at the same time.
Buy Assembly: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan
Spanning two timelines (1960’s Uganda and present-day London), We Are All Birds of Uganda is a modern novel that follows family members’ struggles from different generations.
In Uganda, Hassan is a widow trying to hold things together after the loss of his wife, as a new regime takes charge and threatens everything he has. Fast forward to present-day London, and Sameer is a lawyer grappling with the strange emptiness of his own life.
Zayyan is an expressive and vivid writer. If you enjoy stories about legacy, heritage, generational divides, and the unbreakable connection of family, you won’t be able to put this one down.
Buy We Are All Birds of Uganda: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
A charming, funny, and moving novel, you should read The Elegance of the Hedgehog if you like reflective, philosophical novels.
Set in an upscale apartment building in Paris, it explores concierge Renée, the concierge observing the privileged lives of the people around her.
RELATED: 28 Best Books Set in Paris
Enter Paloma: a twelve-year-old genius, daughter of a politician. Paloma has decided to end her life on her thirteenth birthday, but she has a lot to say before then.
Both characters have a lot in common: they feel alienated and frustrated by the world around them. It’s a thoughtful, slow-paced novel (speeding up slightly for the last 50 pages). If you like a truly thought-provoking book, you should give this one a try.
Buy The Elegance of the Hedgehog: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org UK | Waterstones
There you have our list of the best modern books of all time! What do you think the best contemporary novels are? Let me know in the comments below!
If you liked this post, check out these:
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13 Best Holiday Reads
11 Best Character Driven Books
Megan Bidmead
Guest writer
Megan is a freelance writer based in Somerset, England. When she’s not writing about books, videogames, and pop culture, she’s running around after her two kids and trying to squeeze in the occasional walk in the countryside.
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