The 10 Best Novels of 2024: Must-Read Masterpieces
In 2024, the literary world was graced with numerous compelling novels that captivated readers and critics alike. Based on authoritative reviews and media recommendations, here are 10 standout American novels from that year:
1. All Fours by Miranda July
Why Read It? A revelation of midlife reinvention, All Fours is Miranda July at her most audacious and tender. When a woman impulsively abandons her road trip to hole up in a motel, her surreal self-discovery—blurring desire, art, and identity—will leave you breathless. The New York Times named it a Top 10 Book of 2024 for its razor-sharp wit and emotional bravery. Dive in if you crave a story that’s as unpredictable as it is deeply human.
2. Good Material by Dolly Alderton
Why Read It? Dolly Alderton’s Good Material is the ultimate breakup novel for the modern age. With her signature humor and heart, Alderton dissects love, friendship, and the messy aftermath of relationships. Named a NYT Top 10 Book, it’s packed with laugh-out-loud moments and poignant truths—perfect for anyone who’s ever loved, lost, and lived to swipe right again.
3. James by Percival Everett
Why Read It? A radical reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from enslaved Jim’s perspective, James is a masterpiece of subversion and survival. Percival Everett’s genius lies in his ability to weave satire, tragedy, and defiance into a narrative that feels urgently contemporary. If you believe great literature should challenge and electrify, this is your next read.
4. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Why Read It? Poet Kaveh Akbar’s debut novel is a lyrical explosion—part addiction memoir, part existential quest. A grieving Iranian-American man becomes obsessed with a dying artist who courted martyrdom, leading to a transcendent meditation on pain and purpose. Martyr! will wreck you, then stitch you back together with its beauty.
5. You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue
Why Read It? A hallucinatory re-creation of Cortés’s encounter with Moctezuma, this NYT standout blends history and myth into a fever dream of conquest and resistance. Enrigue’s prose is electric, his vision daring. For lovers of Cloud Atlas or The Name of the Rose, this is a mind-bending trip through time.
6. The Book of Love by Kelly Link
Why Read It? Kelly Link’s long-awaited debut novel is a spellbinding tapestry of love, ghosts, and small-town secrets. Blending fantasy and raw emotion, The Book of Love feels like reading a whispered spell—one that lingers long after the last page. If you adored Her Body and Other Parties, prepare to be enchanted.
7. Parade by Rachel Cusk
Why Read It? Rachel Cusk’s Parade is a cerebral, gorgeously unsettling exploration of art and identity. Through fragmented narratives and piercing insights, Cusk dismantles the illusions of selfhood. For fans of autofiction or anyone who relishes prose that crackles with intelligence, this is essential reading.
8. Wait by Gabriella Burnham
Why Read It? A haunting ode to longing, Wait follows two sisters on a sun-drenched island where time stretches and bends. Burnham’s prose shimmers with quiet intensity, capturing the ache of absence and the fragile hope of return. Perfect for devotees of Normal People or The Girls.
9. Ghostroots by ’Pemi Aguda
Why Read It? A Nigerian family’s secrets unfold through lush, magical realism in this breathtaking debut. Aguda’s storytelling—steeped in folklore and modernity—will remind you of Helen Oyeyemi with its eerie elegance. If you yearn for tales where ghosts and grief intertwine, Ghostroots is your next obsession.
10. Long Island by Colm Tóibín
Why Read It? Tóibín returns to the quiet power of Brooklyn with this sequel, following Eilis Lacey decades later as a new crisis forces her to confront past choices. A masterclass in restraint and emotion, Long Island proves that the most devastating storms brew beneath still surfaces.
Final Hook:
These novels aren’t just books—they’re doorways into lives, worlds, and truths you’ll carry forever. Which one will you dive into first?
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Parade
Rachel Cusk’s Parade is a sharp meditation on performance, identity, and art. Following a renowned theater director, the novel explores the blurred lines between reality and illusion as she navigates creative ambition and personal disillusionment. With Cusk’s signature precision, Parade questions the roles we play in life.-
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Martyr!
“Martyr!” is a thought-provoking poetry collection by Kaveh Akbar that explores themes of faith, spirituality, identity, and self-sacrifice. Through powerful, evocative language, Akbar delves into the internal conflict between religious devotion and the human experience, especially focusing on the concept of martyrdom—the tension between surrendering oneself for a cause and the self-affirmation of personal identity. Akbar uses his poems to interrogate the nature of…-
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Ghostroots
“Ghostroots” by ‘Pemi Aguda is a debut short story collection set in Lagos, Nigeria, blending the mundane with the supernatural. The twelve stories explore themes of inheritance, maternal lineage, and haunting legacies, often focusing on women grappling with familial and societal burdens. Aguda’s prose weaves unsettling yet deeply human narratives, where everyday life intersects with spectral presences. Notable stories include “Breastmilk,” which delves into…-
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All Fours
Miranda July’s 2024 novel All Fours follows a 45-year-old semi-famous artist who disrupts her stable Los Angeles life with her husband and child by impulsively announcing a cross-country road trip. The journey becomes a catalyst for self-discovery as she grapples with midlife crises, sexual awakening, and perimenopause, culminating in an unexpected affair. Blending humor and poignancy, the novel explores themes of desire, identity, and…-
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James: A Novel
“James: A Novel” by Percival Everett is a reimagining of Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” told from the perspective of Jim, the enslaved man who accompanies Huck down the Mississippi River. Everett subverts the original narrative by centering James’s voice, intellect, and agency, exposing the brutal realities of slavery and racial hypocrisy in 19th-century America. The novel explores themes of identity, freedom, and…-
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You Dreamed of Empires
Álvaro Enrigue’s You Dreamed of Empires reimagines the 1519 meeting of Hernán Cortés and Moctezuma, blending history with hallucinatory storytelling. With dark humor and rich prose, it explores power, conquest, and the distortions of history.-
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Long Island
Long Island is a 2024 novel by Colm Tóibín, which serves as a continuation of his critically acclaimed novel Brooklyn. The story follows the life of Eilis Lacey, now in her 40s, living on Long Island with her husband Tony Fiorello and their two teenage children. Despite her years in America, Eilis has remained deeply connected to her Irish roots and has never returned…-
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Wait
Wait is a reflective, emotionally intimate novella that centers around a woman navigating an uncertain waiting period — literal and metaphorical — in her life. Told through sharp, lyrical prose, the story explores themes of time, longing, womanhood, and the body, set against the backdrop of quiet domestic moments and internal conflict. The narrator moves through a phase of suspended animation — waiting for…-
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Good Material
Good Material is a witty, heartfelt, and emotionally sharp novel about breakup, masculinity, friendship, and growth, told from the perspective of Andy, a stand-up comedian in his mid-thirties who’s just been dumped by the love of his life, Jen. The twist? This isn’t a typical breakup novel told from the woman’s point of view — Alderton flips the script and explores heartbreak through a…-
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The Book of Love
**Kelly Link’s debut novel, The Book of Love, is a genre-defying blend of fantasy, coming-of-age narrative, and exploration of love in its many forms. Set in the peculiar seaside town of Lovesend, Massachusetts, the story follows three teenagers—Laura, Daniel, and Mo—who return from the dead under mysterious circumstances. Guided by their enigmatic music teacher, Mr. Anabin, and a supernatural entity named Bogomil, they must…-
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All Fours is as far from a masterpiece as any book I can imagine. You lost me at #!.