Wow so I got a ton of suggestions for more New York fiction. I should also clear up some apparent confusion about the original list—it was meant as a list of MY favorite fiction set in New York, not as some kind of definitive “best of all time” list, and as such I only included books I have actually read, not books I thought “should” be on it, but as people’s suggestions came in I was reminded of just how many New York-set books I have yet to read. There were also a few that people suggested that I have read and didn’t put on the list for whatever reason; I will list these here in the spirit of democracy, or something. Some people suggested memoirs which, I guess depending on your perspective/sympathies (or not) with James Frey could be considered fiction, but for the purposes of the list I am not including them (I am working on a separate non-fiction list). A couple people also just recommended authors, so I’ve put them on the list without specific title suggestions.
I think I got everyone who made suggestions on Tumblr/Twitter/via email, but if I overlooked yours I apologize.
So! Here are the other recommendations, again in alphabetical order by author, with comments where applicable:
- Kurt Andersen, Turn of the Century
- David Benioff, The 25th Hour
- Lawrence Block, When the Sacred Gin Mill Closes
- Lawrence Block, Small Town
- Cecil Castellucci, Rose Sees Red (“a short, lovely YA novel set in 80s NYC”)
- Deborah Eisenberg, Collected Stories (should have been on original list; she is wonderfulwonderfulwonderful)
- Jonathan Dee, The Privileges
- Nora Ephron, Heartburn
- Frederick Exley, A Fan’s Notes (yes)
- Jack Finney, Time and Again
- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (I couldn’t decide whether this should be considered a “New York” book but enough people suggested it that I have reconsidered my original omission)
- Paula Fox, Desperate Characters (“such a quintessential New York novel it’s almost painful. It makes me want to move out of Brooklyn, and I don’t even live there anymore.”)
- Matthew Gallaway, The Metropolis Case
- Mark Helprin, Winter’s Tale (“my favorite novel of all time (it’s a shame about Mark Helprin’s politics, but there you are)”)
- Patricia Highsmith (Thessaly suggested her but I have only read The Talented Mr. Ripley and Ripley Under Ground, neither of which can be considered NY novels. Recommendations?)
- William Hjortsberg, Falling Angel
- Andrew Holloran, Dancer from the Dance
- Charlie Huston, Hank Thompson trilogy
- Sue Kaufman, Diary of a Mad Housewife
- Thomas Kelly, The Rackets
- Nicole Krauss
- Ben Kunkel, Indecision
- Jonathan Lethem, Motherless Brooklyn (I had this idea that there should only be one Lethem book on the list, and that that book should be Fortress of Solitude, but I should have put MB on the list, I now realize)
- Jonathan Lethem, Chronic City
- Myron Levoy, Alan & Naomi
- Sam Lipsyte, The Ask ([whispers] I didn’t love this book.)
- Ann M. Martin, Baby-Sitter’s Club Super Special Number Six: New York, New York (“because obviously”)
- James McCourt, Mawrdew Czgowchwz
- Herman Melville, Bartleby the Scrivener (“I’d add Melville’s Bartleby too, if there’s room for novellas. (There’s always room for novellas! They’re like appetizers.)”)
- Walter Mosley (“has switched from his long-running Easy Rawlins series set primarily in L.A. to a new series set in NYC and the first two books are very good.”)
- Grace Paley
- Dawn Powell, The Locusts Have No King
- Rob Reuland, Hollow Point
- SJ Rozan, Bill Smith & Lydia Chin books
- Tom Spanbauer, In the City of Shy Hunters (“probably made me want to move to New York more than any other book”)
- George Selden, A Cricket in Times Square
- Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (suggested by several people and I am embarrassed to admit that I have never read it! I think I missed that window where it was supposed to be assigned somewhere around 9th grade)
- Zadie Smith, The Autograph Man (“This is absolutely not something that should be added to a list of novels that are strong through and through. BUT there is this page in Zaide Smith’s The Autograph Man, which is not actually a very good book, where a character is driving through New York City in a taxi for the first time, and it is perfect.”)
- William Styron, Sophie’s Choice (“maybe the best NYC novel ever. It’s so misunderstood! The opening section, about working as an NY publishing slave, is so funny and surprisingly contemporary.”)
- Lynne Tillman, No Lease on Life (“characterized by no less than Fran Lebowitz as deserving of a special Pulitzer for the most perfect use of the word “moron” in American lit. Anyhow, this is the quintessential East Village crank monologue novel.”)
- Nick Tosches, Trinities
- Donald Westlake, Dancing Aztecs
- Edith Wharton, Custom of the Country (“that makes it very Wharton-heavy, I know” <—- Not a bad thing at all, and this is a Wharton I haven’t read)
- E.B. White, Stuart Little
- Herman Wouk, Marjorie Morningstar
- John Wray, Lowboy (Probably should have been on the original list, even though I found it rough going in parts. That being said, it’s a book that’s stayed with me so that counts for something.)
