The Best Queer Fiction of the Century (So Far)

Book Riot’s celebration of the Best Books of the Century (So Far) continues, and this time, we’re looking at the Best Fiction of the Century, especially when it comes to literary and contemporary fiction. Here are six of the queer books that made our list. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine EvaristoGirl, Woman, Other is a rich and vivid portrait of 12 people, most of them women and Black. From a lesbian playwright to a nonbinary influencer and a white-passing schoolteacher, the characters’ stories are connected by their shared identities and experiences across decades of life in the United Kingdom. The fast-paced novel is written entirely in lowercase, allowing the prose to flow almost lyrically as it examines Britain’s complicated colonial history. It won Evaristo the Booker Prize in 2019, making her the first Black woman to win that prize. —Vanessa Diaz Jonny Appleseed by Joshua WhiteheadIn this beautifully written novel, Jonny is an Indigiqueer person returning to the reservation to attend his stepfather’s funeral. In the week that follows, he tries to reconcile his life in the city with his life on the rez, including the complex relationship he has with his family. Jonny Applesee...