What Is Book Club Fiction?

What Is Book Club Fiction?

What makes a book worthy of discussion and sharing? In a recent podcast I listened to, two literary agents discussed a manuscript from an author seeking an agent to represent them in the sale of their book. One agent asked the other what genre the book fell into, and the other described it as being “book club fiction.” Having just created a kit for book clubs to use for my dystopian romantic fantasy, the categorization of a book as “book club fiction” gave me pause. I had to look up what that meant. 

According to The Novelry, “Book club picks often are upmarket novels, because they are written with quality and they are often set apart by subverting tropes rather than simply conforming to them.” The Novelry says these books are often “high-concept stories, which is a term to describe a novel with a unique premise that can be easily pitched in one sentence,” but that they also must have wide appeal, be good enough to compel readers to finish the story, and must be conversation starters. 

Fair enough, but I’d like to argue that almost any good book is worthy of being a book club pick. The best books—including genre fiction known for specific tropes—speak to something deeply human in all of us. They touch something within us—whether that’s love and redemption or outrage and ruin. Fantasy and dystopian novels such as Fount and Fortune are perfect book club fiction because they often depict or explore societal, governmental or world issues grounded in some version of reality. They allow us to discuss the whys and what ifs of our world in a comfortable setting. The beauty of book club discussions? Everyone reads the same story, but they see it through different eyes, hearts and personal experiences. The same story is different for every reader, and when we share our diverse insights on a common reading experience, we learn more about those around us.

That’s a special kind of magic.