When you sit down to read a book, you probably have a set of general expectations. For example, you probably expect to see text broken up into a series of chapters and paragraphs.
Or, maybe you have expectations based on the book’s genre—you trust that the romance novel you’re about to read will have a generally happy conclusion.
There’s nothing wrong with having such expectations. In fact, a book’s compliance with certain norms can help readers make qualified decisions about what to read next.
However, some books set out to defy genre norms and conventions, whether it be in the story’s narration style or the way the text itself is presented.
Such literature is often referred to as “experimental,” and in this post, we’ll explain what that means and take a look at 10 experimental fiction books that create a sometimes challenging but rewarding reading experience.
What Is Considered Experimental Literature?
Experimental literature can be roughly defined as literature that is written using innovative techniques, or that is presented in such a way that defies literary norms and conventions.
This can include any number of peculiarities, but the focus is usually on form rather than content. For example, the text may not be set in standard configurations or paragraphs, but rather in stanzas (like the example below) or intertwined with images.
Other examples include texts that play with grammatical or linguistic conventions, like Ernest Vincent Wright’s Gadsby, a 50,000-word novel that was written without any use of the letter ‘e.’
Some literary devices, such as the stream of consciousness narrative technique employed in Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, can also be considered experimental.
Experimental Fiction Books
Below are 10 experimental books that push the boundaries of literary conventions while still remaining accessible to the average (but open-minded) reader.
1. Some of Us Are Very Hungry Now by Andre Perry
Andre Perry’s essays in this collection take on a variety of unconventional forms, including multiple choice questions, screenplays, and even imagined talk-show transcripts.
Throughout, Perry reflects on identity, racism, and belonging, taking readers from Washington, DC, to Iowa City to Hong Kong, and from elite college campuses to Midwestern dive bars.
2. Oreo by Fran Ross
Oreo lives with her maternal grandparents in Philadelphia. Her Black mother tours with a theater group, and her Jewish deadbeat dad disappeared when she was an infant, but not before leaving a mysterious note that launches her quest to find him.
The chapters of Oreo are divided into subsections, much like a textbook, and in between readers will find diagrams, restaurant menus, advertisements, and even tests. This satirical play on the odyssey of Theseus with a feminist twist is recognized by many as a masterpiece of postmodern literature.
3. Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Monster is a YA novel that follows 16-year-old Steve, who is on trial for murder after a robbery gone wrong (but it’s unclear whether there’s actually any plausible connection between him and the crime).
What makes the book unique is that, given Steve’s dreams of becoming a filmmaker, the story is written almost entirely in screenplay format, with interludes from a handwritten diary.
As a way of coping with his situation, Steve writes down everything, scene by scene, but reality soon becomes blurred and even he can no longer tell fact from fiction.
4. Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
Formatted as an English syllabus, Special Topics in Calamity Physics follows Blue van Meer, who has a head full of literary, philosophical, scientific, and cinematic knowledge. All she needs are some friends, and after starting school at St. Gallway, she finds some—a group of eccentric teens known as the Bluebloods.
One drowning and one hanging later, Blue finds herself trying to piece together a byzantine murder mystery. Each chapter is linked to a source material, such as Othello and Wuthering Heights. The text is also full of footnotes, many of which refer to fictional sources.
5. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
In the spirit of Wright’s Gadsby, Ella Minnow Pea uses fewer letters as the story progresses. The novel is set on the fictional island of Nollop, just off of South Carolina, where an aging memorial statue dictates which letters the town’s residents may use.
As letters fall from its inscription—The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog—those letters become outlawed.
6. Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher
Jason Fitger used to be a novelist. Now, he’s a professor of creative writing and literature at a small liberal arts college.
His romantic life is dead (thanks in part to his use of his private affairs in his novels), and the majority of his writing now consists of countless recommendation letters for his students, including those he barely knows, and those he knows too intimately.
7. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
This tear-jerking classic is told through the personal progress reports of Charlie, a bakery worker with a very low IQ who is chosen for a scientific experiment to make him smarter.
The experiment seems to have worked on a lab mouse named Algernon, and as his treatment takes effect, Charlie’s intelligence also grows until it surpasses that of the doctors who are treating him.
But as he watches Algernon peak before suddenly deteriorating, Charlie worries that the same will happen to him.
8. Dictee by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha
Dictee is a work of autiobiography, yet it’s also the story of several women: the Korean revolutionary Yu Guan Soon, Joan of Arc, Demeter and Persephone, Cha’s mother, and Cha herself.
Throughout the slim book, readers will find a range of textual and visual experiments, including photographs and letters that appear with little or no context, as well as sentences in English, French, Korean, and Chinese. The context of this work is heartbreaking, as Cha was murdered just a week after its publication.
9. Invisible Monsters Remix by Chuck Palahniuk
In this daring satire on the beauty and fashion industry, our fashion-model protagonist seems to have it all, until an accident destroys her face, her ability to speak, and her self-esteem.
In group speech therapy, the narrator meets Brandy Alexander, a trans woman. Brandy teaches the narrator how to create a new life and identity, and even gives her a new name—Daisy St. Patience, the first among many new identities.
This new edition presents the chapters in mixed order (which was the author’s original intention), with instructions on which chapter to read next.
10. City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg
City on Fire follows the intertwining lives of several New Yorkers in the days leading up to the city’s 1977 blackout.
Throughout the book’s 900 pages, readers will find tear-stained, handwritten letters, a fictional investigative report on people who design firework displays, and a punk rock zine.
Books That Break the Rules
Certain genre tropes and conventions certainly serve a purpose in fiction. They tell readers what they can expect, and help them make reading decisions that align with their preferences.
But every once in a while, it can be refreshing to read a work of fiction that bends or defies some of those conventions, whether it be through its format, narrative structure, or other aspects.
If you’re in the mood to challenge yourself and try something new, expand your reading horizons with one of these experimental novels that aren’t afraid to break the rules.
Do you have a favorite book that’s considered experimental? Tell us about it in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- Stream of Consciousness: How Writers Use This Narrative Technique to Reveal Characters
- 9 Virginia Woolf Books to Dive Into
- Exploring Speculative Fiction: Your Guide to this Super-Genre
- The Most Popular Fiction Genres: Definitions and Examples
As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.
