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December 12, 2017



2017 was another great year for the novel.

These are the 11 novels I have most recommended to friends, family, and anyone else who has crossed my path this year (my personal metric for "favorite").

What was your favorite novel of 2017? Let me know on Twitter or Facebook.





Affections by Rodrigo Hasbún

Rodrigo Hasbún's Affections is a fascinating novel of family and revolution.





The Australian by Emma Smith-Stevens

Emma Smith-Stevens' brilliant novel The Australian is one of the funniest (and smartest) debuts I have read in years.





The Epiphany Machine by David Burr Gerrard

David Burr Gerrard's ambitious alternate history The Epiphany Machine is one of the year's finest books.





Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

Samanta Schweblin's inventive Fever Dream is the most haunting book of the year.





The Floating World by C. Morgan Babst

C. Morgan Babst's powerful novel The Floating World is a nuanced and lyrical debut with New Orleans at its heart.





Harmless Like You by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan

Rowan Hisayo Buchanan's novel Harmless Like You is a dazzling debut about family, home, and love. One of the best books I have read this year.





The Leavers by Lisa Ko

Longlisted for the 2017 National Book Award for Fiction and winner of the 2016 PEN/Bellwether Award for Socially Engaged Fiction, Lisa Ko's debut novel The Leavers is a powerful and timely look at the immigrant experience, and one of the year's most profound works of fiction.





Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Celeste Ng's powerful novel Little Fires Everywhere is a nuanced portrait of motherhood, community, and identity.





Salt Houses by Hala Alyan

Hala Alyan's novel Salt Houses is a stunning debut about the lasting impact of the Six-Day War from a Palestinian perspective.





Sorry to Disrupt the Peace by Patty Yumi Cottrell

Patty Yumi Cottrell's novel Sorry to Disrupt the Peace is a brilliant, darkly comic debut, and my favorite novel of the year.





Sympathy by Olivia Sudjic

Olivia Sudjic's debut Sympathy is a startlingly original novel about obsession and identity.



also at Largehearted Boy:

list of online "best of 2017" book lists

Largehearted Boy favorite nonfiction of 2017

Largehearted Boy favorite short story collections of 2017

Largehearted Boy favorite novels of 2016

Largehearted Boy favorite novels of 2015

Largehearted Boy favorite novels of 2014

Largehearted Boy favorite novels of 2013

Largehearted Boy favorite novels of 2012

Largehearted Boy favorite novels of 2011

Largehearted Boy favorite novels of 2010

Largehearted Boy favorite novels of 2009

Largehearted Boy favorite novels of 2008

Largehearted Boy favorite novels of 2007

other lists at Largehearted Boy

Antiheroines (interviews with up and coming female comics artists)

Book Notes (authors create playlists for their book)

Note Books (musicians discuss literature)

guest book reviews

musician/author interviews



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