The editors of The Times Book Review chose the best fiction and nonfiction titles of 2020, from among the titles they had reviewed. The titles are a mix of bestsellers and wannabes, from debut and/or international writers, but more importantly, the NYT Book Review editors fell in love with the story or the writing.
Listed in alphabetical order by author. Click on the titles to read the reviews and learn more about the books.
FICTION
“Homeland Elegies” by Ayad Akhtar
“The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett
“Deacon King Kong” by James McBride
“A Children’s Bible” by Lydia Millet
“Hamnet” by Maggie O’Farrell
NONFICTION
“Hidden Valley Road” by Robert Kolker
“War” by Margaret MacMillan
“A Promised Land” by Barack Obama
“Shakespeare in a Divided America” by James Shapiro
“Uncanny Valley” by Anna Wiener