And so here is a superlong, certainly arbitrary, too-much-pored-upon list of 120 books that we feel represents some of the finest—if not the finest—works of fiction published in English (mostly in the United States) in 2016.
Usual caveats apply: We know we screwed up. Certain beloved titles got missed, and certain beloved titles we found mediocre. Our picks derive from our own reading and that of our friends, and also from TMN readers. From award lists, newspaper picks, and random books that showed up in the mail from indie presses. We listened to the staff of Powells.com, our marvelous book sponsor, and the staff of many wonderful bookstores nationwide. Plus a random bartender on Sunset Blvd., a woman in a New York subway, and multiple mothers-in-law.
