Maureen Corrigan Picks The Best Books Of 2018, Including The Novel Of The Year

Many of the best of this year's books were graced with humor and distinguished by deep dives into American identity. It was also a very good year for deceased authors whose posthumously published books were so much more than mere postscripts to their careers. Rebecca Makkai's The Great Believers -- a sweeping story about the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and its long aftermath — is my pick for novel of the year.

The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai

Lake Success, by Gary Shteyngart

There There, by Tommy Orange

Warlight, by Michael Ondaatje

Washington Black, by Esi Edugyan

Barracoon, by Zora Neale Hurston

The Largesse of the Sea Maiden, by Denis Johnson

I'll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara

Sharp, by Michelle Dean

Heartland, by Sarah Smarsh

For more reading recommendations, visit the NPR 2018 Book Concierge — more than 300 titles, hand-picked by NPR staff and book critics.

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