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Jennie Robertson's avatar

I'm so excited about this list as a reader, writer, and teacher! I definitely want to try to read through your list. So often I don't read Christian books because what is marketed as Christian has no depth, but I want to read the books that do.

I write literary fiction, though, and I'm not sure how to find readers for it. I am a Christian; my first book is not overtly Christian, though it has many Christian themes and metaphors. I hope that it will make people hungry for Christ, and I'm optimistic because my developmental editor said at the end that she thought maybe the main character should have a "religious conversion" or something. She's (the editor) right--she (the character) should, and that is exactly the point that I meant to bring her to. So that was gratifying, but I can't pay everyone to read it like I did with the editor, haha.

I really appreciate you bringing out the point that writing about a sinful world in need of God necessarily often goes to dark places. That's one thing that I think makes it hard to find a market; too many people think "Christian" is a brand that means safe, clean, etc., not something that tackles the hard things and applies hope to them, as it should.

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Melody Schwarting's avatar

Jennie, I am so glad for writers like you, and I have prayed that your readers will find you. We need that depth, courage, and honesty. I love a good conversion story when the story is begging for it. Those Jonah moments, if you will.

I'm just a reader, zero publishing experience here, so the only thing I can offer is this: as you read some of the books on this list, look at the titles/covers/descriptions and see how they indicate an element of faith in the novel. Sometimes it's obvious, sometimes not. City of Tranquil Light, for example, comes from the characters' word for heaven in the novel (it's about missionaries in China). Somehow indicating the faith aspect of your book (while not calling it "Christian Fiction," which has different tones of safe/clean as you mentioned) will help the readers who are looking for that to find it. I've often been surprised by how much I find about religion in mainstream fiction once I go looking for it. Give us those clues! :)

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Jennie Robertson's avatar

I like those ideas, thank you!

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Scott Smyth's avatar

It may make me a total nerd, but I'm salivating over Malcolm Guite's upcoming Arthuriad epic.

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Melody Schwarting's avatar

Counting the days, it will be incredible!!!

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Elizabeth Brink's avatar

I love this! I have been a chronological snob towards today's literary fiction (even though some of it I've loved), so I very much appreciate this wisdom. I love your hinged point that we are the beneficiaries of past readers' neighborliness towards the current fiction of their day and thus we can also play that role for readers of the future by being invested in today's authors and works. I love the whole concept of literary neighborliness in general and that is something I want to strive for, even when it takes me outside my comfort zone. (As surely the concept of Christian neighborliness does!)

Though I wouldn't call these literary fiction works since they're more genre fiction, I think both Beth Brower's Emma M Lion series and Christina Baehr's Secrets of Ormdale series capture what you're exploring here. I have just been to my library's website to request that they buy 'I, Julian' and to put 'The Dearly Beloved' and some Mary Sharratt on hold. I've bookmarked this post to return to it, too.

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Melody Schwarting's avatar

Thank you! :) I have also been through a journey with new books--I no longer try the most hyped/buzziest books if the premise doesn't appeal to me on its own standing (no Colleen Hoover for me so far, haha). I think that's helped me get a really good intuition for books that are worth trying and what's worth passing on until someone convinces me otherwise. You're right, neighborliness takes us out of our comfort zones, which is always a risk, but one Jesus modeled for us.

I have been "saving" Emma M Lion for a rainy day, I just know it will be the thing I need at some point! Cozy/light reads will always have a place in my reading life. They're part working up the courage to try something challenging.

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Elizabeth Brink's avatar

Lol, good rules of thumb, I’d say! I love that about good intuition. I’ve honed that for my reading of classics so I think I can bring it now to modern books with more success than when I was a “new and committed” reader after college.

Ah, Emma will be perfect rainy day reading!

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The Rev Canon Zach Barton's avatar

Super helpful. I’m currently wrestling through “not vindicating God” while also not letting the darkness crowd out the light. Let the dark be pretty dark. Let the light be bright. That’s the Christian literary fiction “nut” I’m trying to crack!

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Melody Schwarting's avatar

Godspeed, Zach! Your work will be all the better for the wrestling.

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Craig's avatar

Interesting overview and perspective. In adventuring into my own attempts to author short essays, my blog measurement tools may tell me that an essay would take 5 to 7 minutes to read, yet I still frequently hear that the essays are too long. Apparently, anyone who has faced the challenge of putting pen to paper now must consider the short attention span of the potential readership. And yet, it is delightful to know that there are still those who have the desire and the discipline to tackle a tale that requires both time and attention. For those who continue to value a yarn that takes many pages to be told, blessing to you ... and may your joy be complete through the exercise of using the eyes and mind God gave you. Thanks so much for once again sharing your thoughts!

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Melody Schwarting's avatar

Thank you, Craig! Maybe it's just the circles I run in, but I find more than ever that people are hungry for the fruits of long attention, in a world that seems designed to lessen our attention spans. I hope your own readers come to find that, too.

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Sarah K. Butterfield's avatar

I found myself nodding and cheering along with this whole article! You put words to why I love Christian literary fiction so much. And thank you so much for your list of recommendations. I have read some but not all of those titles (The Dearly Beloved is one of my all time favorite books!).

I host a "Faith and Fiction Book Club" at my church, using novels as a jumping point for discussing matters of faith. Some big hits have been: "The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell" by Robert Dugoni, "The One in a Million Boy" by Monica Wood, "This Tender Land" by William Kent Krueger, "The Book of Longings" by Sue Monk Kidd, and "The Caretaker" by Ron Rash.

I'm looking forward to discovering more!

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Melody Schwarting's avatar

I love this, Sarah, thank you! I will be looking up those titles! Your book club sounds amazing, and I wish you many more hours of deep discussion.

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Sarah K. Butterfield's avatar

Thank you! It’s my favorite part of my job at my church!

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David Smith's avatar

Thank God for this list! Based on the ones I have read, I shall be acquiring many of the others. Kudos.

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Melody Schwarting's avatar

I thank God regularly for all these wonderful books, too. Happy reading!

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Phil Frank's avatar

Lots of good information here. Thank you. But The Gift of Asher Lev is actually the sequel to My Name is Asher Lev. It was written about 20 years later and the story takes place about 20 years later. I don't read them every year but almost.

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Melody Schwarting's avatar

You're right! Thank you, I made that correction. I read The Gift of Asher Lev more recently so it was first in my mind. I've loved everything I've read by Potok. He is well worth re-reading.

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Phil Frank's avatar

I've been reading Potok since the early '80s. So to me it was a long time after Asher Lev that The Gift came out. I kept hoping there would be a third one, but. I've given up on that. And I'm glad somebody mentioned Elizabeth Gouge because she's one of my favorites also.

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Dawn Duryea's avatar

Thanks, Melody, for this thoughtful essay! I also enjoy old books and new books and agree that we need to read contemporary fiction if for no other reason than to hear commentary on our current culture. I think we have similar tastes in books. I loved reading Pachinko, Transcendent Kingdom, Purple Hibiscus and Gilead. I have The Covenant of Water and People of the Book on my TBR list. I have read other books by Alice McDermott, Elizabeth Strout, Louise Erdrich and Wendell Berry. Thanks for the list - it is hard to sift through all the offerings - that's why I am always looking for recommendations!

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Melody Schwarting's avatar

Thank you Dawn. Yes, we must have similar tastes with that many books overlapping! The Covenant of Water was one of my favorite reads in 2024--so immersive, and shines a light on the Mar Thoma Christians of India. Even though it was over 700 pages I didn't want it to end.

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Dawn Duryea's avatar

Sounds wonderful! I have heard good things about it and am hoping to read it this year.

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Allison East's avatar

This is Happiness is top of my list these days.

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Melody Schwarting's avatar

I just read History of the Rain by Niall Williams and it blew me away! (It's the first of his Faha novels, but I don't think they need to be read in order.) Really looking forward to This Is Happiness. Several friends with similar tastes really love it. Enjoy!

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Allison East's avatar

I read History of the Rain too, and agree — knocked my socks off!

thanks for the list you’ve compiled, looking forward to exploring more of these titles!

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Ashley Tumlin Wallace's avatar

I am so excited about this list! Thank you!

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Melody Schwarting's avatar

Thank you! I hope you find much to read and enjoy!

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Melanie Bettinelli's avatar

Bookmarking your list to come back to. I very much enjoyed Purple Hibiscus, Peace Like a River, I Cheerfully Refuse, Small Things Like These, The Great Passion, and Laurus.

More of Vodolazkin's novels should be on your list. The Aviator and A History of the Island are especially good and so is Brisbane.

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Melody Schwarting's avatar

Thank you, Melanie! I just got a copy of A History of the Island. Laurus is the only one of Vodolazkin's I've read so far. Glad to hear he explores those themes in his other books too.

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Sherri C's avatar

Robinson’s Gilead won the Pulitzer. I had never been able to name my favorite book before reading it.

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Melody Schwarting's avatar

And well deserved! My favorite in that series is Home. Gilead was a revelation to me--incredibly beautiful.

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Katie Holloway's avatar

Thanks so much for this thoughtful piece. I don't read a lot of 'Christian fiction' nor do I write fiction with overtly Christian content because I have come across so many poorly-written books that are marketed as Christian fiction. But your broader parameters may well be helpful. Would you consider a book 'Christian' then that deals with biblical themes, even if the author is, say, an atheist, or of a different faith?

My favourite books are the ones that grapple with those kind of issues, whatever the author might personally believe. I would love to read more from Bible-believing Christians, though.

I'm publishing bite-sized book reviews on my Substack, if you're interested.

PS I LOVED Transcendent Kingdom, it got a rare five stars from me!

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Melody Schwarting's avatar

Thank you, Katie!

As I mentioned in the article, plenty of the books on this list are not by authors who self-identify as Christian, but their books are so theological in theme that the work itself is "Christian" (in my definition above) regardless of the author's beliefs. Meanwhile, some, like Paula Gooder, are practicing their beliefs publicly.

I agree, I would love to see more well-written fiction by people who are practicing the Christian faith. Personally, I've seen enough in that field to think we're in a renaissance; it's just that these authors are publishing independently, out of small indie presses, or by mainstream publishers, not the type of thing I find in ChristianBook catalogues. Traditional evangelical publishers have shown that they aren't the place to pitch books like this. I think part of the reason is that over the past 40 years or so, fiction from evangelical publishers has developed into genres with tight conventions and distinctive styles (thinking of Christian romance novels in particular). As long as those books are selling, evangelical publishers don't need to branch out.

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Katie Holloway's avatar

Yeah those are really interesting points. I think there's a massive need for more Christians in the arts in general, too. But it's encouraging to see an upsurgence of that - we can be in the world but not of the world. We don't have to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

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Zach Hindes's avatar

Your post is another among many in the past few weeks and months were I've tell of a Christian literary renaissance. Always great to read one of these and read so many comments to the affirmative. Hoping to be one drop in the wave that's to come! (when it comes to fantasy)

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Melody Schwarting's avatar

Amen! Please do--we need your work!

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Christy N. Coy's avatar

Enjoyed your essay tremendously and everyone’s comments as well. Thanks to all for their courage to share in a neighborhood of like-minded readers and ‘feelers’.

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Melody Schwarting's avatar

Thank you Christy!

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