Which book published in the 21st century do you think future generations will deem a “classic”?
I think maybe
All the Light We Cannot See
A Visit from the Goon Squad
The Night Watchman
Small Things Like These
The Goldfinch
The Secret Life of Bees
The Poisonwood Bible
The Kite Runner
Where the Crawdads Sing
The Heart’s Invisible Furies
To name some that have endured and still have a strong following.
This is a great list. I might differ with a few, because the writing is not as strong as the plot, and I believe that to become a classic it is such a high standard that it goes beyond a solid read. But that is my opinion, I know I can be bias to great writing.
This is more of a wishlist than a prognostication. Some of these are books I want to share with future generations that might not ever be deemed classics. In no particular order…
Echo Maker, by Richard Powers
Behind the Beautiful Forevers, by Katherine Boo
The Night Watchman, and I would add The Sentence, by Erdrich
This Other Eden, by Paul Harding
Four Hundred Souls: a community history of African America, 1619-2019, ed. Kendi
Robin, Nice listing. Behind the Beautiful Forevers was a gut punch. It still is a book I think about. I find Louise Erdrich fascinating, I keep thinking she will be more popular than she is, she is just so great.