Publishers often use this label for work which defies other genre distinctions, eg it isnt romance, isnt “chick-lit,” isnt science or speculative fiction, isnt a thriller, action, or political drama. It is meant to denote a fiction which is of higher quality, richer, denser, or, as the literary fiction book club states, work which “can make us uncomfortable or can weave magic.” These distinctions arent always clear, and there are some superb exceptions to the genre rule…

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