Staff Fiction Favorites

Adeyemi has created a gorgeously rendered world inspired by West African culture and mythology, full of ancient magic, love and heartbreak, betrayal and redemption. Her characters are superbly drawn and very human: brave, charismatic, at times afraid and unsure, but always willing to rise to the challenges Adeyemi throws their way. - Stuart

This sprawling novel follows a family over several generations, following a large cast of characters while still maintaining a sense of intimacy with the reader. Exquisitely written, Pachinko opens a window to a facet of history I had never read about before. Lee has crafted a narrative that is an honest, hope-filled portrayal of the immigrant experience. - Jade

I firmly believe Louisa Hall to be the most creative and boundary-pushing fiction writer of the 21st century. This speculative novel explores artificial intelligence through the vast canon of recorded words that computers feed on. Hall makes meaning out of an overload of data. Alan Turing, chat transcripts, a puritan diary, and unsent letters all contribute to this incredible story. - Clara

Kushner’s new novel is, in a word, devastating. It opens as the main character, Romy Hall, is on her way to prison to serve a life sentence for murder. Kushner writes so convincingly, with such compassion for people struggling to survive in modern California’s darkest corners, you’d think she has personally lived the life of her main character—and every other character in the book. - Rico

This comic is completely bonkers and has everything you could want: old-timey hobos, hobo slang, tramps, bums, magical maps, sidekicks, regular kicks, and a heavy dose of hilarity that doesn't quit. It's like O Brother, Where Art Thou? meets Deadly Class. On trains. Trust me—it’s amazing. - Kelly

I love a good hot mess and this was one in the best way possible. It feels so realistic you might think it’s actually a biography. I know people like Belden’s main character Allie (but I’m not naming names). The adulting that she has to do to cover for her trash fire of a boyfriend is astounding and exhausting. This would make an excellent movie. - Karena

What are the fleeting memories and traumas that shape us? Adrian Tomine follows this question through a collection of tragicomic stories that reflect the humanity in characters that are both flawed and lovable. From the first page to the last, Tomine had me enthralled with both his minimal artwork and poignant prose. - Gabe

Come for the murder mystery, stay for the queer women and a vividly painted portrait of San Francisco in 1876. San Francisco before the 1906 earthquake feels like a fascinating foreign country, offering a setting different from any historical fiction I've read before. I adored the twists and turns through tenements and languages, music and time. - Clara

Myfanwy Thomas wakes up with no memories, but with her pockets full of letters explaining that she is an agent of the Checquy, a Supernatural Secret Service. Someone in the Checquy is trying to kill her and dismantle the agency, and Myfanwy must discover the traitor before time runs out. An exciting, often laugh-out-loud book full of monsters, mayhem, and slime! - Sara

Like Thomas Hardy or Alice Munro, two writers he is often compared to, Trevor could convey an entire life—its triumphs and sorrows—in a few deft sentences. When he died in 2016 the world lost one of its great artists. Each of the stories collected here, the last he ever wrote, makes clear the open-hearted, almost painful, compassion he felt for his characters. - Rico