Notable Books – Fiction

Christchurch City Libraries lists literary prize winners and links to catalogue searches, but we may not hold copies of all titles mentioned.

The Notable Books Council of the Reference and User Services Association (a division of the American Library Association) selects Notable Books each year.

See other Notable Books category winners.

See more literary prize winners.

2024

• Biography of X by Catherine Lacey
• Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
• Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine
• Hangman by Maya Binyam
• In Memoriam by Alice Winn 
• North Woods by Daniel Mason
• Open Throat by Henry Hoke
• Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park
• The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
• The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
• Y/N by Esther Yi

2023

• Elsewhere Alexis Schaitkin
• The Haunting of Hajji Hotak: And Other Stories Jamil Jan Kochai 
• Horse Geraldine Brooks 
• Seeking Fortune Elsewhere Sindya Bhanoo 
• Stories From The Tenants Downstairs Sidik Fofana 
• The Furrows Namwali Serpell
• The Rabbit Hutch Tess Gunty
• The Swimmers Julie Otsuka
• Trust Hernan Diaz
• Vagabonds! Eloghosa Osunde
• What We Fed To The Manticore Talia Lakshmi Kolluri 

2022

• Afterparties Anthony Veasna So
• Cloud Cuckoo Land Anthony Doerr
• Gordo Jaime Cortez
• Hell of a Book Jason Mott 
• Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro
• Matrix Lauren Groff
• Painting Time Maylis de Kerangal 
• The Five Wounds Kirstin Valdez Quade 
• The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
• The Wrong End of the Telescope Rabih Alameddine 
• When We Cease to Understand the World Benjamín Labatut

2021

• Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam 
• The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett 
• Piranesi by Susanna Clarke 
• The Office of Historical Corrections: A Novella and Stories by Danielle Evans 
• Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami, translated from the Japanese by Sam Bett and David Boyd 
• Temporary by Hilary Leichter
• Deacon King Kong by James McBride 
• Hamnet: A Novel of the Plague by Maggie O’Farrell. 
• Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin, translated by Megan McDowell 
• Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart 
• Run Me To Earth by Paul Yoon 

2020

• Trust Exercise Susan Choi 
• The Water Dancer: A Novel Ta-Nehisi Coates
• The Innocents: A Novel Michael Crummey
• Dominicana: A Novel Angie Cruz
• Everything Inside: Stories Edwidge Danticat
• Girl, Woman, Other Bernardine Evaristo
• Sabrina & Corina: Stories Kali Fajardo-Anstine
• The Topeka School Ben Lerner
• Lost Children Archive: A Novel Valeria Luiselli
• Lanny: A Novel Max Porter
• Normal People: A Novel Sally Rooney 
• On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous: A Novel Ocean Vuong
• The Nickel Boys Colson Whitehead 

2019

• Waiting for Eden Elliot Ackerman
• Friday Black Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
• Washington Black Esi Edugyan
• An American Marriage Tayari Jones
• The Mars Room Rachel Kushner
• The Great Believers Rebecca Makkai
• Warlight Michael Ondaatje 
• There There Tommy Orange 
• The Overstory Richard Powers 
• The House of Broken Angels: a Novel Luis Alberto Urrea 
• Don’t Skip out on Me Willy Vlautin 

2018

• Stay with Me Ayobami Adebayo
• Days without End Sebastian Barry 
• The Last Ballad Wiley Cash 
• American War Omar El Akkad 
• Here in Berlin Cristina Garcia
• Less Andrew Sean Greer
• Exit West Mohsin Hamid
• Human Acts Han Kang
• Pachinko Min Jin Lee
• Solar Bones Mike McCormack
• Lincoln in the Bardo George Saunders 
• Sing, Unburied, Sing Jesmyn Ward 

2017

• Behold the Dreamers: A Novel Imbolo Mbue
• Christodora: A Novel Tim Murphy 
• Grief Is the Thing with Feathers: A Novel Max Porter 
• Homegoing: A Novel Yaa Gyasi 
• I’m Thinking of Ending Things: A Novel Iain Reid 
• Missile Paradise: A Novel Ron Tanner 
• The Nix: A Novel Nathan Hill 
• The Sport of Kings: A Novel C. E. Morgan 
• To the Bright Edge of the World: A Novel Eowyn Ivey 
• The Underground Railroad Colson Whitehead 
• An Unrestored Woman Shobha Rao 
• The Unseen World Liz Moore 

2016

• In the Country Mia Alvar
• The Sellout Paul Beatty
• Did You Ever Have a Family Bill Clegg
• Delicious Foods James Hannaham
• Black River S.M. Hulse
• Fortune Smiles Adam Johnson
• The Prophets of Eternal Fjord Kim Leine
• The Tsar of Love and Techno Anthony Marra
• The Sympathizer Viet Thanh Nguyen
• This Is the Life Alex Shearer
• The Book of Aron Jim Shepard
• A Little Life Hanya Yanagihara

2015

• All My Puny Sorrows Miriam Toews
• All the Light We Cannot See Anthony Doerr
• The Bone Clocks David Mitchell
• The Children Act Ian McEwan
• The Crane Wife Patrick Ness
• The Enchanted Rene Denfeld
• Narrow Road to the Deep North Richard Flanagan
• On Such a Full Sea Chang-Rae Lee
• Orfeo: A Novel Richard Powers
• Something Rich and Strange: Selected Stories Ron Rash
• Station Eleven Emily St. John Mandel
• Tigerman Nick Harkaway

2014

• Americanah Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• Life After Life Kate Atkinson
• Claire of the Sea Light Edwidge Danticat
• Too Bright to Hear Too Loud to See Juliann Garey
• Enon Paul Harding
• Unchangeable Spots of Leopards Kristopher Jansma
• The Dinner Herman Koch
• Constellation of Vital Phenomena Anthony Marra
• The Woman Upstairs Claire Messud
• Tale for the Time Being Ruth Ozeki
• The Goldfinch Donna Tartt

2013

• This is How You Lose Her Junot Díaz
• Half-Blood Blues Esi Edugyan
• A Hologram for the King Dave Eggers
• The Round House Louise Erdrich
• Canada Richard Ford
• Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk Ben Fountain
• The Dog Stars Peter Heller
• The Orphan Master's Son Adam Johnson
• The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry Rachel Joyce
• The Headmaster's Wager Vincent Lam
• One Last Thing Before I Go Jonathan Tropper
• Battleborn Claire Vaye Watkins

2012

• Lost Memory of Skin Russell Banks
• The Sense of an Ending Julian Barnes
• The Sisters Brothers Patrick deWitt
• Say Her Name Francisco Goldman
• The Art of Fielding Chad Harbach
• Light Lifting Alexander MacLeod
• The Tiger’s Wife Téa Obreht
• The Cat’s Table Michael Ondaatje
• The Tragedy of Arthur Arthur Phillips
• Swamplandia! Karen Russell
• We the Animals Justin Torres
• Selected Stories William Trevor

2011

• Nashville Chrome Rick Bass
• Room: A Novel Emma Donoghue
• A Visit from the Goon Squad Jennifer Egan
• Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter Tom Franklin
• Freedom Jonathan Franzen
• Next James Hynes
• The Surrendered Chang Rae Lee
• Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War Karl Marlantes
• The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet: A Novel David Mitchell
• Skippy Dies Paul Murray
• The Lotus Eaters Tatjana Soli
• The Lonely Polygamist: A Novel Brady Udall

2010

• The Convalescent Jessica Anthony
• The Year of the flood Margaret Atwood
• The Anthologist Nicholson Baker
• Await your reply Dan Chaon
• Little Bee Chris Cleave
• Spooner Pete Dexter
• Tinkers Paul Harding
• The Vagrants Yiyun Li
• Let the great world spin Colum McCann
• A Mercy Toni Morrison
• Generosity: An enhancement Richard Powers
• Brooklyn Colm Toibin

2009

• The Hakawati Rabih Alameddine
• The Wasted Vigil Nadeem Aslam
• Peace Richard Bausch
• City of Thieves: A Novel David Benioff
• The Plague of Doves Louise Erdrich
• Atmospheric Disturbances Rivka Galchen
• Unaccustomed Earth Jhumpa Lahiri
• Dangerous Laughter: Thirteen Stories Steven Millhauser
• Resistance Owen Sheers
• Olive Kitteridge Elizabeth Strout
• The Ginseng Hunter Jeff Talarigo

2008

• Away Amy Bloom
• Five Skies Ron Carlson
• The Yiddish Policemen’s Union Michael Chabon
• An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England Brock Clarke
• Finn: a novel John Clinch
• The Ministry of Special Cases Nathan Englander
• The Five-Forty-Five to Cannes Tess Uriza Holthe
• Mister Pip Lloyd Jones
• On Chesil Beach Ian McEwan
• Complete Stories David Malouf
• Out Stealing Horses Per Pettersen
• Cheating at Canasta William Trevor

2007

• Beautiful Dreamer Christopher Bigsby
• Madonnas of Leningrad Debra Dean
• The Inheritance of Loss Kiran Desai
• The Whistling Season Ivan Doig
• The Secret River Kate Grenville
• The Attack Yasmina Khadra, translated from the French by John Cullen
• The Girls Lori Lansens
• The Road Cormac McCarthy
• The People’s Act of Love James Meek
• Black Swan Green David Mitchell
• Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman Haruki Murakami
• Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife Sam Savage

2006

• Midnight at the Dragon Café Judy Fong Bates
• Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close Jonathan Safran Foer
• Veronica Mary Gaitskill
• Hungry Tide Amitav Ghosh
• Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro
• Beasts of No Nation Uzodinma Iweala
• No Country for Old Men Cormac McCarthy
• Saturday Ian McEwan
• Kafka on the Shore Haruki Murakami, translator: Philip Gabriel
• Gilead Marilynne Robinson
• The Hummingbird’s Daughter Luis Alberto Urrea

2005

• The Lemon Table Julian Barnes
• The Half Brother Lars Saabye Christensen
• Birds without wings Louis de Bernières
• I Sailed with Magellan Stuart Dybek
• The Swallows of Kabul Yasmina Khadra
• The Madonna of Excelsior Zakes Mda
• Cloud Atlas David Mitchell
• Runaway Alice Munro
• Popular Music from Vittula Mikael Niemi
• The Plot Against America Philip Roth
• Old School Tobias Wolff

2004

• Brick Lane Monica Ali
• The Inquisitor’s Manual Antonio Lobo Antunes
• Any Human heart William Boyd
• Alva and Irva: The Twins who saved a city Edward Carey
• Brownsville: Stories Oscar Casares
• Curious incident of the dog in the night-time Mark Haddon
• The Kite runner Khaled Hosseini
• The Known world Edward P. Jones
• The Fortress of Solitude Jonathan Lethem
• Love Toni Morrison
• Star of the sea Joseph O’Connor
• Drinking coffee elsewhere Z Z Packer
• The Cave Jose Saramago

2003

• The Book of illusions Paul Auster
• Carmelo Sandra Cisneros
• The Shell collector Anthony Doerr
• Miniatures Norah Labiner
• Lovely green eyes Arnost Lustig
• Atonement Ian McEwan
• That they may face the rising sun John McGahern (published in the U.S. as By the lake)
• In Revere, in those days Roland Merullo
• Family matters Rohinton Mistry
• Rouse Up, O Young Men of the New Age! Kenzaburō Ōe
• The Russian Debutante’s handbook Gary Shteyngart
• God’s fool Mark Slouka

2002

• True history of the Kelly Gang Peter Carey
• Among the missing Dan Chaon
• Samuel Johnson is indignant: stories Lydia Davis
• Erasure: a novel Percival Everett
• The Corrections Jonathan Franzen
• The Pick up Nadine Gordimer
• Island: the complete stories Alistair MacLeod
• Bucking the tiger Bruce Olds
• Austerlitz W G Sebald
• The Death of Vishnu Manil Suri
• Crooked river burning Mark Winegardner

2001

• The Blind Assassin Margaret Atwood
• Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay Michael Chabon
• Disgrace J M Coetzee
• Being Dead Jim Crace
• Last Samurai Helen DeWitt
• Delinquent Virgin Laura Kalpakian
• Truth and Bright Water Thomas King
• English Passengers Matthew Kneale
• Living to Tell Antonya Nelson
• Anil’s Ghost Michael Ondaatje
• Scar Vegas Tom Paine
• White Teeth Zadie Smith
• The Quick and the Dead Joy Williams

2000

• Master Georgie Beryl Bainbridge
• The Hours Michael Cunningham
• The Country life Rachel Cusk
• A Star called Henry Roddy Doyle
• House of sand and fog Andre Dubus
• For the relief of unbearable urges Nathan Englander
• Waiting Ha Jin
• The Colony of unrequited dreams Wayne Johnston
• A Dangerous friend Ward Just
• A Gesture life Chang-rae Lee
• Motherless Brooklyn Jonathan Letham
• Henry of Atlantic City Frederick Reuss

1999

• Triage Scott Anderson
• Flanders Patricia Anthony
• The Voyage of the Narwhal Andrea Barrett
• Collection fictions Jorge Luis Borges
• The Coast of good intentions Michael Byers
• The Farming of bones Edwidge Danticat
• About a boy Nick Hornby
• Charming Billy Alice McDermott
• Birds of America Lorrie Moore
• I married a communist Philip Roth
• Beach boy Ardashir Vakil

1998

• Yo! Julia Alvarez
• Alias Grace Margaret Atwood
• The Jade peony Wayson Choy
• Reading in the dark Seamus Deane
• Cold Mountain Charles Frazier
• Aguero sisters Cristina Garcia
• The Wind-up bird chronicle Haruki Murakami
• The Wishbones Tom Perrotta
• News of the Spirit Lee Smith
• The Far Euphrates Aryeh Lev Stollman
• Blu’s hanging Lois-Ann Yamanaka

1997

• Behind the scenes at the museum Kate Atkinson
• Ship Fever: Stories Andrea Barrett
• Drown Junot Diaz
• The Woman who walked into doors Roddy Doyle
• Middle Son Deborah Iida
• A Fine balance Rohinton Mistry
• Asking for love and other stories Roxana Robinson
• Funny boy Shyam Selvadurai
• Last orders Graham Swift
• After rain William Trevor
• The Night in question: stories Tobias Wolff

1996

• The First man Albert Camus
• The Point: stories Charles D’Ambrosio
• The Paperboy Pete Dexter
• The Unconsoled Kazuo Ishiguro
• Native speaker Chang-Rae Lee
• All the days and nights William Maxwell
• Snow angels Stewart O’Nan
• The Body is water Julie Schumacher
• Eveless Eden Marianne Wiggins

1995

• In the time of the butterflies Julia Alvarez
• The Birthday boys Beryl Bainbridge
• Souls raised from the dead Doris Betts
• The End of vandalism Tom Drury
• Scar tissue Michael Ignatieff
• Ancestral truths Sara Maitland
• Open secrets Alice Munro
• The Bird artist Howard Norman
• In the lake of the woods Tim O’Brien
• The Collected stories Grace Paley
• The Grass dancer Susan Power
• The Cage Audrey Schulman

1994

• In Troubled waters Beverly Coyle
• The Virgin suicides Jeffrey Eugenides
• A Lesson before dying Ernest Gaines
• The Pugilist at rest Thom Jones
• Judge on trial Ivan Klima
• Here’s your hat, what’s your hurry? Elizabeth McCracken
• Remembering Babylon David Malouf
• Wolf whistle Lewis Nordan
• The Shipping news E. Annie Proulx
• Nobody’s fool Richard Russo
• Montana, 1948 Larry Watson

1993

• Leviathan Paul Auster
• Before and after Rosellen Brown
• A Good scent from a strange mountain Robert Olen Butler
• The Brothers K David James Duncan
• Turtle moon Alice Hoffman
• Let the dead bury their dead and other stories Randall Kenan
• All the pretty horses Cormac McCarthy
• Billie Dyer and other stories William Maxwell
• Small spaces between emergencies Alison Moore
• Jazz Toni Morrison
• Bailey’s Cafe Gloria Naylor
• The English patient Michael Ondaatje
• A Thousand acres Jane Smiley