Staff Fiction Favorites

This delightful, deeply funny, and raw story is the perfect read if you're looking for something that's wholly original. It's like an MFA Shape of Water with an R rating—you'll be completely lured in by the dazzling descriptions of Venice Beach and the erotic encounters of our narrator-in-crisis. Perfect to read with friends! - Kelly

This daring debut novel by actress, poet, and activist Amber Tamblyn is a powerful gut-wrenching indictment of sexual violence. A gender role reversal has the effect of immersing the reader into the dark emotional and physical aftermath of sexual assault. Tamblyn's brilliant mix of prose and poetry had me captured from the first page. - Trey

Part cooking show, part alien abduction story, all adorable. Riess takes 2 storylines that have been done to death and smashes them together to bring new life to them both. The art is colorful and charming without being garish, and each character (human and not) are interesting and exciting. A great read for all ages! - J

William Boyd should be as well known as Steinbeck or Dickens. Like them, he does it all: amazing plots, wonderful descriptions and—especially—great characters. Written in the form of journal entries, this book tells the story of an art dealer and sometime-spy whose life is a kind of history of the 20^th century. Both intimate and sweeping, this is simply a great old-fashioned read. - Rico

Like Kundera, this novel originated in the Czech Republic and migrated to France. Twice translated, this version of Kundera’s first international hit is superior to the original according to the author himself. The seven fantastic yet grounded tales within its pages are told with the skill of a linguistic master, and leave one feeling there might be a little magic in the mundane. - Aric

A gritty crime novel set in gritty Glasgow, Laidlaw is the book that brought Tartan Noir into existence. As much about gang presence and gang culture as it is about a murderer and his victim, this is a mystery novel for fans of The Wire and The Departed. A psychological and intense detective thriller! - Jess

This sweeping, gorgeously written novel follows the dynastic Forster family, who in Wright’s telling are the first family in America to invent and popularize soda pop. Wright follows each family member across decades and continents, and they are by turns troubled, ambitious, humorous, heroic, and tragic, but all are written with incredible sympathy and humanity. I adored it. - Stuart

In case you haven't heard, Ferrante is brilliant and you should read everything she's written. Troubling Love is a whirlwind mystery that delves deep into my personal favorite topic, the relationship between a mother and daughter. Ferrante's use of language is unparalleled as she writes of a daughter obsessed with finding out who her mother really was in the days following her death. - Emma

I hesistate to tell you anything about the plot of this book because it absolutely should not work. And yet, it is one of the most touching, charming, and romantic books I've ever read. It’s a neurodiverse, feel-good, feminist rom-com. Take a break from the stress of life and immerse yourself in this smart, sexy fantasy. - Clara

Flipping between 19th century China and a futurist Pacific Northwest, Salt Fish Girl is equal parts ecological dystopia and surrealist queer birth narrative. Magical realism and mythology feed the cyclical, fantastical story of Nu Wa, an immortal shape-shifter. This book is blurry, messy and absolutely riveting! - Clara