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The 50 Best Genre-Bending Books

Created by Emily Temple, April 8
Sometimes, it seems as though the arguments about genre — be it poetry vs. fiction, fiction vs. nonfiction, literary fiction vs. SF vs. fantasy vs. mystery vs. vs. vs. — will never end. So why not just take yourself off the board entirely? After all, marketing professionals aside, does anyone really care what genre they’re reading if the book is good? After the jump, 50 genre-bending novels guaranteed to enthrall you, whether you’re a literary fiction snob or a die-hard fantasy nerd. Enjoy without judgements!
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Bluets (Maggie Nelson)
Bluets
1
Maggie Nelson
The Rings of Saturn (W.G. Sebald)
The Rings of Saturn
2
W.G. Sebald
American Gods
American Gods
3
Autobiography of Red (Anne Carson)
Autobiography of Red
4
Anne Carson
Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell)
Cloud Atlas
5
David Mitchell
Alif the Unseen
Alif the Unseen
6
Gun, With Occasional Music
Gun, With Occasional Music
7
Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link
Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link
8
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke)
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
9
Susanna Clarke
Zone One (Colson Whitehead)
Zone One
10
Colson Whitehead
Cosmicomics (Calvino)
Cosmicomics
11
Calvino
Boy, Snow, Bird (Helen Oyeyemi)
Boy, Snow, Bird
12
Helen Oyeyemi
Red Moon
Red Moon
13
The New York Trilogy
The New York Trilogy
14
Annihilation (Jeff Vandermeer)
Annihilation
15
Jeff Vandermeer
Slaughterhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut)
Slaughterhouse-Five
16
Kurt Vonnegut
Perdido Street Station (China Mieville)
Perdido Street Station
17
China Mieville
Gutshot (Amelia Gray)
Gutshot
18
Amelia Gray
Neuromancer (William Gibson)
Neuromancer
19
William Gibson
Flaubert's Parrot (Julian Barnes)
Flaubert's Parrot
20
Julian Barnes
House of Leaves (Mark Z. Danielewski)
House of Leaves
21
Mark Z. Danielewski
The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Brian Selznick)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
22
Brian Selznick
The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
23
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 1
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 1
24
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (Haruki Murakami)
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
25
Haruki Murakami
11.22.63
11.22.63
26
Sassafrass, Cypress and Indigo (Ntozake Shange)
Sassafrass, Cypress and Indigo
27
Ntozake Shange
Death Comes to Pemberley (P.D James)
Death Comes to Pemberley
28
P.D James
The Keep (Jennifer Egan)
The Keep
29
Jennifer Egan
The Tragedy of Arthur
The Tragedy of Arthur
30
Reality Hunger
Reality Hunger
31
The Princess Bride (William Goldman)
The Princess Bride
32
William Goldman
The Yiddish Policemen's Union (Michael Chabon)
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
33
Michael Chabon
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
34
Toni Morrison
Ned Beauman: The Teleportation Accident
Ned Beauman: The Teleportation Accident
35
The Collected Works of Billy the Kid by Michael Ondaatje
The Collected Works of Billy the Kid by Michael Ondaatje
36
2666 (Roberto Bolaño)
2666
37
Roberto Bolaño
Crystal Eaters
Crystal Eaters
38
The Just City (Jo Walton)
The Just City
39
Jo Walton
This Is Not a Novel (David Markson)
This Is Not a Novel
40
David Markson
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