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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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How many of these have you read?

Page 1 of 2
1
Bluets (Maggie Nelson)
Bluets
Maggie Nelson
2
The Rings of Saturn
The Rings of Saturn
3
American Gods
American Gods
4
Autobiography of Red
Autobiography of Red
5
Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell)
Cloud Atlas
David Mitchell
6
Alif the Unseen
Alif the Unseen
7
Gun, With Occasional Music
Gun, With Occasional Music
8
Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link
Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link
9
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke)
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
Susanna Clarke
10
Zone One (Colson Whitehead)
Zone One
Colson Whitehead
11
Cosmicomics (Calvino)
Cosmicomics
Calvino
12
Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi
Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi
13
Red Moon
Red Moon
14
The New York Trilogy
The New York Trilogy
15
Annihilation
Annihilation
16
Slaughterhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut)
Slaughterhouse-Five
Kurt Vonnegut
17
Perdido Street Station (China Mieville)
Perdido Street Station
China Mieville
18
Gutshot (Amelia Gray)
Gutshot
Amelia Gray
19
Neuromancer
Neuromancer
20
Flaubert's Parrot (Julian Barnes)
Flaubert's Parrot
Julian Barnes
21
House of Leaves (Mark Z. Danielewski)
House of Leaves
Mark Z. Danielewski
22
The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Brian Selznick)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Brian Selznick
23
The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
24
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 1
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 1
25
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (Haruki Murakami)
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Haruki Murakami
26
11.22.63
11.22.63
27
Sassafrass, Cypress and Indigo (Ntozake Shange)
Sassafrass, Cypress and Indigo
Ntozake Shange
28
Death Comes to Pemberley (P.D James)
Death Comes to Pemberley
P.D James
29
The Keep (Jennifer Egan)
The Keep
Jennifer Egan
30
The Tragedy of Arthur
The Tragedy of Arthur
31
Reality Hunger
Reality Hunger
32
The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride
33
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
34
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
Toni Morrison
35
Ned Beauman: The Teleportation Accident
Ned Beauman: The Teleportation Accident
36
The Collected Works of Billy the Kid by Michael Ondaatje
The Collected Works of Billy the Kid by Michael Ondaatje
37
2666
2666
38
Crystal Eaters
Crystal Eaters
39
The Just City (Jo Walton)
The Just City
Jo Walton
40
This Is Not a Novel (David Markson)
This Is Not a Novel
David Markson
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