When time is tight but your book club craves a compelling read, novellas are the perfect solution. While typical novels stretch to 80,000–100,000 words, novellas deliver impactful stories in under 40,000 words. This concise format means every word counts, making them ideal for a quick yet profound literary experience.
While classics like George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” and Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” are timeless book club staples, we’ve scoured recent releases for fresh, hidden gems that will spark lively discussions. These aren’t always found on celebrity book lists, but they’re highly rated and packed with substance.
1. It Lasts Forever and Then It’s Over by Anne de Marcken (2024)
For fans of zombie fiction, Anne de Marcken’s 2024 novella is a haunting read. “It Lasts Forever and Then It’s Over” follows an unnamed undead girl post-apocalypse as she tries to recall her name and fragments of her humanity. Her fragmented memories and longing for the past, delivered with a zombie’s dry, humorless tone, are both heartbreaking and mesmerizing.
One Goodreads reviewer called it “a love letter to grief and all the sorrow, beauty, and pain it entails.” Another pondered, “Maybe we are all just zombies aimlessly wandering the apocalypse, trying to untangle the complex web of human emotions.”
De Marcken, who received the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction and the Novel Prize, manages to humanize zombies, making them relatable. As she told Reactor Mag, “Our monsters are reflections of ourselves at any given cultural moment. They tell us what we find [imminently] threatening… I became curious about this ravenous cannibal and what it says about us — about me.”
2. They Were Here Before Us by Eric LaRocca (2023)
If your book club enjoys the macabre, Eric LaRocca’s 2023 collection, “They Were Here Before Us,” is a must-read. This novella features six short stories that are not for the faint of heart, exploring themes of death and loss in captivatingly twisted ways.
While many are dark, some offer poignant insights, like “Bird and Bug Are Happy,” which follows a lesbian couple, one of whom is losing her memory. As Bug cares for Bird, she confronts painful resurfacing memories. LaRocca (he/they) shared with Gatecrashers the importance of including queer characters in his writing: “I recall how when I first began writing short fiction… I was so hesitant to include queer characters… Of course, I now realize how foolish that sounds.”
LaRocca’s unique style is an acquired taste, but fans rave about his fantastical, horrific worlds. As one Goodreads reader noted, “This was a fun little novella, punchy and visceral at times, but also agonizing on the feels. Very much a LaRocca, who somehow plays to my artsy-fartsy side with his beautifully veiled, devastating prose every time.” This pick is sure to spark intense discussion among your book club members.
3. Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi (2020)
Tochi Onyebuchi’s science fiction novella, “Riot Baby,” released in 2020, is an excellent choice, especially for Black History Month. The story unfolds through the perspectives of Ella and her brother, Kev, who are born during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Ella possesses supernatural abilities, including foresight, telekinesis, and astral projection. They navigate a racially charged world, and when Kev is unjustly jailed, Ella must grapple with her powers to protect him.
Readers deeply resonated with the subject matter. An Amazon reviewer shared, “The author’s mastery of language is beautiful, and powerful, and paints a visceral picture of life as a Black person. While I’m not necessarily the intended audience, I was drawn into the struggle that Kev faced first as a child and then as a young man incarcerated in a corrupt system.”
Onyebuchi, a civil rights lawyer, meticulously portrays the struggles of Black Americans. He explained to NPR, “I was wary of engaging in any sort of savior complex; the incarcerated are most qualified to speak about their own experiences, but I wanted to tell people some of what I saw and heard and read about in these places.”
4. The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo (2020)
For a touch of fantasy, Nghi Vo’s 2020 novella, “The Empress of Salt and Fortune,” is a fantastic book club recommendation. The story follows Chih, a gender nonconforming cleric, on a journey to Thriving Fortune, the former residence of Empress In-Yo. There, Chih encounters Rabbit, who holds the Empress’s secrets, which Chih gradually uncovers. In just over 100 pages, Vo masterfully weaves a tale of overthrown power, a hidden birthright, and lost love.
While the setting seems historical, the theme of gender nonconformity is timeless. An Amazon reader praised the “satisfyingly layered” characters, adding that the “queer characters are well-written and feel like a natural part of the story.” Another reviewer described it as “a beautiful gem of a story… it feels rich and complete in itself. The characters are vivid and feel real despite the fantasy aspects of the story.”
How We Chose These Novellas?
Since novellas rarely feature on mainstream book lists, we dug deep to find highly-rated, popular picks that Women.com readers would enjoy. Using sites like Goodreads and Google, we focused on novellas from 2020-2025 that offered hard-hitting themes perfect for book club discussions, ensuring our four selections spanned diverse genres. We also considered reader reviews and prioritized award-winning authors to guarantee literary quality. While not every novella here might be your cup of tea, we’re confident at least one will captivate you and your book club members!