--- title: The Best Fiction Books of 2019 So Far description: Here are TIME's picks for the best fiction books of 2019 so far, from Sally Rooney's 'Normal People' to Susan Choi's 'Trust Exercise.' canonical: https://time.com/5587482/best-fiction-books-2019-so-far/ author: Annabel Gutterman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-05-23T16:46:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:57:01.720Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: The Best Fiction Books of 2019 So Far og:description: Young love, multi-generational epics and stories that transcend time og:url: https://time.com/5587482/best-fiction-books-2019-so-far/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcc8762fc4fbfcec6/698949c14ee262cf063147c1/best-fiction-of-the-year-so-far-2019.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Best of the year so far 2019: Fiction Books og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Best Fiction Books of 2019 So Far twitter:description: Young love, multi-generational epics and stories that transcend time twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcc8762fc4fbfcec6/698949c14ee262cf063147c1/best-fiction-of-the-year-so-far-2019.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The 11 Best Fiction Books of 2019 So Far > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with Ally. Ally is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: July 2026. ## Ally: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Ally is a digital financial services company offering online-only banking, including checking and savings accounts, through Ally.com and its mobile apps. Launched in 2009 as an original disruptor in financial services, Ally was built to challenge outdated banking norms with a simpler, more convenient way to bank. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account.  by [Annabel Gutterman](https://time.com/author/annabel-gutterman/)  ## Annabel Gutterman Senior Editor May 23, 2019 4:46 PM UTC   by [Annabel Gutterman](https://time.com/author/annabel-gutterman/)  ## Annabel Gutterman Senior Editor May 23, 2019 4:46 PM UTC For the characters in many of the best novels and short-story collections of the year so far, the search to understand oneself is fraught. Teenagers facing the turbulence of first love wrestle with their places in the world as they mature into adults. Immigrants, families and even a spy grapple with what it means to be an American when faced with growing hardships. A mother struggles with her identity as a parent after losing her child. From veterans including Susan Choi and Amy Hempel to emerging voices like Namwali Serpell and Angie Kim, the authors of these stories ask their characters and readers alike to consider how they’ve become who they are. Here, the best fiction books of 2019 so far. _Read TIME’s picks for the best_ [_nonfiction books_](http://time.com/5587502/best-nonfiction-books-2019-so-far/)_,_ [_movies_ ](http://time.com/5586670/best-movies-of-2019-so-far/)_and_ [_TV shows_](http://time.com/5588923/best-tv-shows-2019-so-far/) _of 2019 — so far._ ## _Trust Exercise,_ Susan Choi  It’s hard to write about Pulitzer Prize finalist Susan Choi’s latest novel without spoiling its magic. _Trust Exercise_ begins with Sarah and David, first-years at a performing arts high school, who are on the precipice of an angsty love affair. Their somewhat conventional journey twists when a minor character takes center stage, calling into question everything the reader has learned about the teens and their seemingly dramatic lives. The slow build of this mind-bending book is worth the wait as Choi challenges readers to consider the boundaries between fiction and reality. ## **_Sing to It: New Stories_** **, Amy Hempel**  The 15 stories in _Sing to It_ demonstrate the masterful way in which celebrated short-fiction writer Amy Hempel can pivot between humor and sadness, often in fewer than two pages. From a volunteer at an animal shelter to a wife dealing with her husband’s affair, the characters that populate this collection are rendered in specific yet sparing terms. Hempel constructs quick and quiet narratives that probe the intersections of love and loneliness. ## **_Black Leopard, Red Wolf,_** **Marlon James**  When a child goes missing in the mythical world of _Black Leopard, Red Wolf_, a mercenary named Tracker is hired to find him. The novel, the first in a promised trilogy, follows Tracker’s adventures as he passes through ancient cities inspired by African history and mythology looking for the boy. Man Booker Prize winner [Marlon James](http://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2019/5567700/marlon-james/), who described his latest book as an “[African _Game of Thrones_](http://time.com/5521259/marlon-james-black-leopard-red-wolf-book/),” shows off his impressive skill at blending mystery, magic and history in this thought-provoking epic. ## **_Miracle Creek_** **, Angie Kim**  In Angie Kim’s gripping debut, an experimental medical facility mysteriously explodes in a fire that kills an adult and a child. Although the plot of _Miracle Creek_ is propelled by a murder trial following the incident, the book shines when the characters involved open up about what it’s like to make intense sacrifices for the people they love. From the immigrants who ran the facility to the single mother of the child who was killed, Kim makes a case for compassion that surpasses the suspense of her page-turner. ## **_The Other Americans_** **, Laila Lalami**  Nine characters narrate the events of Pulitzer Prize finalist [Laila Lalami’s fourth novel](http://time.com/5551314/the-other-americans-book-review/), which follows an investigation after Driss, an elderly Moroccan immigrant, is suspiciously killed in a hit and run. From Driss’ daughter to the undocumented laborer who witnessed the crash, the narrators showcase the concerns and insecurities they feel toward their places in the California community where the mystery of Driss’ death looms large. Together, their voices create a vivid image of a fractured America. ## **_Where Reasons End_** **, Yiyun Li**  What if the living could communicate with the dead? In her latest book, novelist and memoirist Yiyun Li imagines conversations between a mother and her son who recently took his own life. In pages that transcend time, Yi conveys in delicate, moving prose the ferocity with which a parent can love a child. Although a devastating read, _Where Reasons End_ provides a sensitive and essential look at the complexities of grief. ## **_Lost Children Archive_** **, Valeria Luiselli**  A family pulled in different directions makes its way across the U.S. in Valeria Luiselli’s road-trip saga. The husband intends to drive to Apacheria, while his wife wants to investigate the status of her friend’s two undocumented daughters who were last seen at an immigration detention center on the border. As the family’s journey unravels, the couple’s children become aware of the cracks forming between their parents and worry what will happen to their unit. Politics, history and a familial crisis come together in Luiselli’s dynamic examination of immigration and equality. ## **_An Orchestra of Minorities_** **, Chigozie Obioma**  Man Booker finalist Chigozie Obioma’s bold second novel is centered around Chinonso, a Nigerian poultry farmer, who is lovestruck after stopping a woman, Ndali, from jumping off a bridge. A chi, or guardian spirit, narrates Chinonso’s story as the young lover sacrifices everything to go to college in Cyprus, desperate to prove his worth to Ndali’s wealthy family. But when he makes it to Cyprus, Chinonso’s plans quickly fall apart. What ensues is a heartbreaking quest, inspired by _The Odyssey_, as Chinonso makes the long, trying trek home. ## _Normal People_, Sally Rooney  In [Sally Rooney’s follow-up](http://time.com/5567569/sally-rooney-normal-people-review/) to _Conversations with Friends_, we’re introduced to Irish teens Marianne and Connell in terms of how they differ: he’s popular, but working class, and she’s a loner, but wealthy. They embark on an enthralling on-again, off-again relationship, rendered completely lifelike through Rooney’s tight language and attention to detail. Although the melodrama in the last quarter of the book undercuts the expertly crafted tension that precedes it, _Normal People_ remains a deeply immersive rumination on social class, self-doubt and first love. ## _The Old Drift_, Namwali Serpell  This multi-generational epic follows three families over four generations, beginning in a colonial settlement near the Zambezi River in 1904\. The characters in _The Old Drift_ interact in subtle and surprising ways, adding to a bigger narrative that tackles class, race and ancestry. Namwali Serpell’s debut can’t be placed in a single genre — it oscillates fluidly through sci-fi, historical and romantic fiction — and establishes Serpell as an exciting new voice in literature. ## **_American Spy_** **, Lauren Wilkinson**  [This spy thriller](http://time.com/5523825/american-spy-lauren-wilkinson-book/) follows former FBI agent Marie Mitchell in the form of a letter she has written to her young twin sons. The novel travels in time as Marie tracks both her career in espionage during the Cold War and her upbringing in Queens in the 1960s to paint a vibrant portrait of a woman at odds with her identity**.** Lauren Wilkinson’s page-turner asks potent questions about politics, race and what it means to be an American. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5587482/best-fiction-books-2019-so-far/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5587482/best-fiction-books-2019-so-far/"},"headline":"The 11 Best Fiction Books of 2019 So Far","datePublished":"2019-05-23T16:46:56.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:57:01.720Z","description":"Young love, multi-generational epics and stories that transcend time","url":"https://time.com/5587482/best-fiction-books-2019-so-far/","keywords":["Books"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcc8762fc4fbfcec6/698949c14ee262cf063147c1/best-fiction-of-the-year-so-far-2019.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Annabel Gutterman","jobTitle":"Senior Editor","url":"https://time.com/author/annabel-gutterman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcc8762fc4fbfcec6/698949c14ee262cf063147c1/best-fiction-of-the-year-so-far-2019.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Best of the year so far 2019: Fiction Books","caption":"Trust Exercise, The Old Drift, Black Leopard Red Wolf, Where Reasons End","creditText":"","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/books/","name":"Books"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5587482/best-fiction-books-2019-so-far/","name":"The 11 Best Fiction Books of 2019 So Far"}}]}] ```