Netherland (Pantheon Books, 2008) is a novel described by Dwight Garner, in the New York Times, as “the wittiest, angriest, most exacting and most desolate work of fiction we’ve yet had about life in New York and London after the World Trade Center fell.”
Archive | Books 100 > Novels
The Books 100 list was written in 2009 and 2010. It is not currently being updated.
27“The Believers”
In “The Believers,” a controversial attorney defends an alleged Muslim terrorist in court before falling into a coma, bringing out the best and worst in his manic-depressive family.
33“Jeff in Venice, Death in Varnasi”
“Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi” is a brilliant satire vacillating between ancient and modern worlds and tribulations.
34“Chronic City”
Jonathan Lethem pens a hilarious cultural satire that captures, with brilliance and wit, the essence of New York.
40“Sag Harbor”
Colson Whitehead’s semi-autobiographical novel features a boy named Benji and his family’s summer in the Hamptons.
56“Big Machine”
Far-fetched yet poignant, “Big Machine” is an epic combination of crazy characters and loopy plotlines that will have readers laughing.
60“The Glass Room”
“The Glass Room” traces the history of a home and how it survives the ruin and chaos of dissolved families, wartime possession, and new inhabitants.
61“Summertime”
In “Summertime,” Coetzee blurs the lines between truth and fiction to examine his own life.
64“Shadow Tag”
The complexities of love and hatred, truth and fiction, are managed with exquisite skill in “Shadow Tag” by Louise Erdrich.
67“A Gate at the Stairs”
The compelling Tassie Keltjin comes of age in Lorrie Moore’s long-awaited novel, “A Gate at the Stairs.”