100 Must-Read Works of Jewish Fiction
“Jewish continuity has always hinged on uttered and written words….ours is not a bloodline but a textline,” say Fania Oz-Salzberger and Amos Oz in their beautiful book, Jews and Words. I am a returnee to the tradition—my great-grandparents left it; I converted back in after seminary. But I’ve always loved books and, particularly, Jewish literature. The Ozes’ words thrilled through me the first time I read them; maybe that love was something inherent.
In any case: reading through the diverse and ever-expanding Jewish literary canon is a natural way to work toward understanding a community that, while comparatively small, is incredibly diverse. This list draws Jewish voices in from all corners of the diaspora, from several continents as well as from Israel itself. The voices on it have different conceptions of what it means to be Jewish; some of these novels embrace the tradition self-consciously, some are more ambivalent about it, and some don’t mention religious traditions at all.
If we’re to believe Oz and his daughter: that diversity itself is something of a mitzvah. “Jews,” they say, “display a deeply rooted belief in the power of words to create and re-create reality.” To seek truth, they say, in new ways.
One hundred Jewish writers, or writers writing about Jews, on this list: that means at least, what?, 101 understandings of Jewish identity? There’s beauty here, and depth; reverence, and fun. With hope that you find something new—I certainly did, while reaching past my own shelves to find new titles, and with the help of my friend and literary guru, Ethan H.—and with equal hope that you’ll add your own titles below: here are 100 works of Jewish fiction that, in this Jewish woman’s opinion, should not be passed up.
1. The History of Love, Nicole Krauss
2. The World to Come, Dara Horn
3. The Collected Stories, Grace Paley
4. American Pastoral, Philip Roth
5. The Invisible Bridge, Julie Orringer
6. A Room Where the Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard, Hideo Levy
7. The Autograph Man, Zadie Smith
8. The Golems of Gotham, Thane Rosenbaum
9. The Believers, Zoe Heller
10. Albina and the Dog-Men, Alejandro Jodorowsky
11. The Liars’ Gospel, Naomi Alderman
12. Isles of the Blind, Robert Rosenberg
13. The Red Book, Deborah Copaken Kogan
14. Septimania, Jonathan Levi
15. 36 Arguments for the Existence of God, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein
16. A Perfect Peace, Amos Oz
17. Adé, Rebecca Walker
18. My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok
19. The Museum of Extraordinary Things, Alice Hoffman
20. The Far Euphrates, Aryeh Lev Stollman
21. Piece of Mind, Michelle Adelman
22. Herzog, Saul Bellow
23. The Messiah of Stockholm, Cynthia Ozick
24. Einstein’s Dreams, Alan Lightman
25. Are You There, God?, It’s Me, Margaret, Judy Blume
26. Yasmine, Eli Amir
27. In Her Shoes, Jennifer Weiner
28. The Sea Beach Line, Ben Nadler
29. Jacob’s Folly, Rebecca Miller
30. The Finkler Question, Howard Jacobson
31. No One Is Here Except All of Us, Ramona Ausubel
32. Super Sad True Love Story, Gary Shteyngart
33. Martha Quest, Doris Lessing
34. Pebble In The Sky, Isaac Asimov
35. The Lost Civilization of Suolucidir, Susan Daitch
36. The Biology of Luck, Jacob M. Appel
37. July’s People, Nadine Gordimer
38. A Blessing on the Moon, Joseph Skibell
39. After Abel, Michal Lemberger
40. These Things Happen, Richard Kramer
41. The Genizah At The House Of Shepher, Tamar Yellen
42. King of Yiddish, Curt Leviant
43. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, Gabrielle Zevin
44. The Blue Mountain, Meir Shalev
45. As a Driven Leaf, Milton Steinberg
46. Some Day, Shemi Zarhin
47. Dolly City, Orly Castel-Bloom
48. Motherless Brooklyn, Jonathan Lethem
49. The Luminous Heart of Jonah S., Gina B. Nahai
50. Enemies, A Love Story, Isaac Bashevis Singer
51. Like A Bride and Like A Mother, Rosa Nissán
52. The Liberated Bride, A. B. Yehoshua
53. Khirbet Khizeh, S. Yizhar
54. Suddenly, A Knock on the Door, Etgar Kerat
55. The Weight of Temptation, Ana María Shua
56. The Ministry of Special Cases, Nathan Englander
57. Gentleman’s Agreement, Laura Hobson
58. To The End of the Land, David Grossman
59. The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
60. The Planets, Sergio Chejfec
61. Let It Be Morning, Sayed Kashua
62. A Guest for the Night, S. Y. Agnon
63. The Seventh Beggar, Pearl Abraham
64. The Journey, H. G. Adler
65. A Scrap of Time, Ida Fink
66. Fatelessness, Imre Kertesz
67. Apples From the Desert, Savyon Liebrecht
68. The Complete Stories, Clarice Lispector
69. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman
70. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, Michael Chabon
71. The Pillar of Salt, Albert Memmi
72. Tevye the Dairyman and Motl the Cantor’s Son, Shalom Aleichem
73. Last Train to Istanbul, Ayse Kulin
74. Contact, Carl Sagan
75. Diary of the Fall, Michel Laub
76. Melisande! What Are Dreams?, Hillel Halkin
77. Thereafter Johnnie, Carolivia Herron
78. The Man in My Basement, Walter Mosley
79. The UnAmericans, Molly Antopol
80. Marjorie Morningstar, Herman Wouk
81. A Trumpet in the Wadi, Sami Michael
82. The Monkey’s Wrench, Primo Levi
83. My Holocaust, Tova Reich
84. The Conversion, Aharon Appelfeld
85. Even in Darkness, Barbara Stark-Nemon
86. The Natural, Bernard Malamud
87. Beyond the Pale, Elana Dykewomon
88. Sophie’s Choice, William Styron
89. The Storyteller, Jodi Picoult
90. Exodus, Leon Uris
91. The Secret Chord, Geraldine Brooks
92. Bitter Bronx, Jerome Charyn
93. The Good Lord Bird, James McBride
94. The Best Place on Earth, Ayelet Tsabari
95. The Painted Bird, Jerzy Kosinski
96. Love and Treasure, Ayelet Waldman
97. Here I Am, Jonathan Safran Foer
98. The Forgotten, Elie Wiesel
99. The End of Days, Jenny Erpenbeck
100. Hungry Hearts, Anzia Yezierska
