The Ten Best Novels of 2024 – With Something Good, the arts and culture newsletter from The Conversation UK, we aim to cut through the noise and recommend the very best in new releases every fortnight.
In 2024, we’ve been spoiled for choice when it comes to recommending fiction. From Samantha Harvey’s spellbinding Booker winner Orbital to Percival Everett’s ambitious retelling of Huckleberry Finn, these are the books that made the most lasting impression on our expert reviewers.
1. The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
Recommended by Manjeet Ridon, Associate Dean International for the Faculty of Arts, Design and Humanities, De Montfort University.
The Safekeep revisits a dark chapter of Dutch history: the expropriation and theft of Jewish property during World War II. It follows Isabel, a lonely protagonist who lives in the family house, keeping it in order as her late mother would have wanted.
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She soon becomes suspicious of their maid and unravels the truth about the house and its stolen past. This debut novel highlights the trauma of history and the emotional wounds of siblings grieving their mother while grappling with painful legacies.
2. Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Recommended by Debra Benita Shaw, Reader in Cultural Theory, University of East London.
Winner of the 2024 Booker Prize, Orbital takes readers on a profound journey into the human cost of space travel, set against the backdrop of the climate crisis.
Six cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station face the isolation of space and the impending environmental disaster on Earth. The novel explores the balance of human ambition, the harsh realities of our planetary crisis, and the deep psychological implications of witnessing Earth from space.
3. Gliff by Ali Smith
Recommended by Sarah Annes Brown, Professor of English Literature, Anglia Ruskin University.
Set in a dystopian Britain where climate change, refugee crises, and authoritarianism have intensified, Gliff is a deeply atmospheric novel.
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The first of a two-part series, it reflects Smith’s focus on meaning-making and destruction through wordplay. While accessible, the narrative remains complex and subtle, leaving the reader with unresolved puzzles that resonate long after reading.
4. Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Recommended by Orlaith Darling, Postdoctoral Fellow in Contemporary English Literature and Critical Theory, University College Dublin.
Rooney’s latest work delves into the intricacies of relationships and the hope placed in others, focusing on the unspoken emotional debts we share. In Intermezzo, the quiet moments of everyday life are as significant as the dramatic exchanges, illustrating how simple acts of care and love are what hold us together amid the chaos of life.
5. James by Percival Everett
Recommended by Emily Zobel Marshall, Reader in Postcolonial Literature, Leeds Beckett University.
A reimagining of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, James shifts the focus to Jim, the character sidelined in the original work. Set in the pre-Civil War American South, it follows Jim’s escape from being sold away from his family.
This novel weaves black literary criticism into a literary narrative, reshaping classic American literature to give voice to the characters left in the margins.
6. Butter by Asako Yuzuki
Recommended by Jane McBride, PhD Candidate in Literature, University of Galway.
Butter is a darkly immersive novel about a journalist, Rika, who becomes involved in interviews with Manako Kaji, a murderer who seduces men with delicious but deadly meals.
As the novel explores Kaji’s obsession with physical pleasure, it critiques the misogyny and violence of modern Japan. The prose is visceral and sharp, leaving the reader captivated by its unsettling yet intimate portrayal of human connection.
7. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Recommended by Alice Kelly, Assistant Professor of Literature and History, University of Warwick.
Akbar’s debut novel grapples with the weight of death, especially when it is senseless and violent. Following Cyrus Shams, whose mother died in a plane crash caused by military forces, the novel explores themes of intergenerational trauma, immigrant experiences, and the pursuit of meaning after tragedy. Alternating perspectives highlight how we try to assign meaning to loss and make sense of the deaths that matter.
8. Parade by Rachel Cusk
Recommended by Scarlett Baron, Associate Professor in the Department of English, UCL.
Parade is a radical exploration of the intersection of gender, selfhood, creativity, and family. Through a series of perspectives on artists, Cusk examines the choices that shape identity and art. Her work challenges conformity, showing how self-expression can be a powerful force against the limitations imposed by society.
9. Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan
Recommended by Ankhi Mukherjee, Professor of English and World Literatures, University of Oxford.
Set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan Civil War, Brotherless Night explores the devastation of the conflict through the eyes of its characters, revealing the complexities of personal and political struggle. Ganeshananthan’s novel is a poignant and stirring reflection on loss, survival, and the fight for justice amid war’s brutal realities.
10. The Heir’s Dilemma by Emma Gannon
Recommended by Julianne McGhee, Associate Professor of English, University of Birmingham.
Gannon’s novel examines the complex relationships within a modern aristocratic family, focusing on the generational tensions between an heir and their parents. It explores themes of inheritance, responsibility, and identity, making it a sharp critique of class dynamics while offering an engaging and multifaceted family drama.
These ten novels are the standout works of 2024, each offering a unique perspective on our world, whether through the lens of historical trauma, the exploration of space, or the subtle intricacies of human relationships. Their lasting impact will shape conversations in the literary world for years to come.
let’s enjoy few years on earth with peace and happiness….✍🏼🙏