Kirkus Best Books of the Year Winners Fictional Families

Awards List

2024

Greta & Valdin

Greta & Valdin (*)
Rebecca K. Reilly

Feb-2024
/ General Fiction

Real Americans

Real Americans (*)
Rachel Khong

May-2024
/ General Fiction

This Strange Eventful History

This Strange Eventful History (*)
Claire Messud

May-2024
/ Literary

Sandwich

Sandwich (*)
Catherine Newman

Jun-2024
/ General Fiction

Long Island Compromise

Long Island Compromise (*)
Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Jul-2024
/ General Fiction

Colored Television

Colored Television (*)
Danzy Senna

Sep-2024
/ General Fiction

Intermezzo

Intermezzo (*)
Sally Rooney

Sep-2024
/ General Fiction

The Mighty Red

The Mighty Red (*)
Louise Erdrich

Oct-2024
/ Thriller

2023

The Last Animal

The Last Animal (*)
Ramona Ausubel

Apr-2023
/ General Fiction

The New Earth

The New Earth (*)
Jess Row

Apr-2023
/ General Fiction

The Bee Sting

The Bee Sting (*)
Paul Murray

Aug-2023
/ Literary

Tom Lake

Tom Lake (*)
Ann Patchett

Aug-2023
/ General Fiction

Dayswork

Dayswork (*)
Chris Bachelder

Sep-2023
/ Literary

Happiness Falls

Happiness Falls (*)
Angie Kim

Sep-2023
/ Literary

The Wren, the Wren

The Wren, the Wren (*)
Anne Enright

Sep-2023
/ Literary

Family Meal

Family Meal (*)
Bryan Washington

Oct-2023
/ General Fiction

The Unsettled

The Unsettled (*)
Ayana Mathis

Oct-2023
/ General Fiction

Day

Day (*)
Michael Cunningham

Nov-2023
/ Literary

2022

Olga Dies Dreaming

Olga Dies Dreaming (*)
Xochitl Gonzalez

Jan-2022
/ General Fiction

The Family Chao

The Family Chao (*)
Lan Samantha Chang

Feb-2022
/ General Fiction

The Swimmers

The Swimmers (*)
Julie Otsuka

Feb-2022
/ Literary

This Time Tomorrow

This Time Tomorrow (*)
Emma Straub

May-2022
/ Women's Fiction

The Family Izquierdo

The Family Izquierdo (*)
Ruben Degollado

Sep-2022
/ General Fiction

The Furrows

The Furrows (*)
Namwali Serpell

Oct-2022
/ Literary

The Hero of This Book

The Hero of This Book (*)
Elizabeth McCracken

Oct-2022
/ Literary

2021

The Removed

The Removed (*)
Brandon Hobson

Feb-2021
/ Literary

The Arsonists' City

The Arsonists' City (*)
Hala Alyan

Mar-2021
/ General Fiction

The Five Wounds

The Five Wounds (*)
Kirstin Valdez Quade

Apr-2021
/ General Fiction

Monkey Boy

Monkey Boy (*)
Francisco Goldman

May-2021
/ Literary

Secrets of Happiness

Secrets of Happiness (*)
Joan Silber

May-2021
/ Women's Fiction

Golden Girl

Golden Girl (*)
Elin Hilderbrand

Jun-2021
/ Women's Fiction

The Netanyahus

The Netanyahus (*)
Joshua Cohen

Jun-2021
/ Literary

The War for Gloria

The War for Gloria (*)
Atticus Lish

Sep-2021
/ General Fiction

Crossroads

Crossroads (*)
Jonathan Franzen

Oct-2021
/ Literary

Fight Night

Fight Night (*)
Miriam Toews

Oct-2021
/ Women's Fiction

Award Categories

Affirming Picture Books

Beginning Readers

Book Club Fiction

Books for Beginning Readers

Empowering Picture Books

Environmental Fiction

Fiction in Translation

Fictional Families

Fictional Voices

Funniest Picture Books

Historical Fiction

Informational Picture Books

Joyous Picture Books

Middle-Grade About Speaking Up

Middle-Grade Activist

Middle-Grade Adventures

Middle-Grade Family Stories

Middle-Grade Fantasy and SF

Middle-Grade Fiction

Middle-Grade Friendship Stories

Middle-Grade Graphic Fiction

Award Years