In a world dominated by bestsellers and blockbuster adaptations, many literary gems slip through the cracks. This list celebrates 15 underrated novels—some quietly released, others overshadowed that deserve your full attention in 2025.
1. BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL – V.E. SCHWAB
A haunting tale of grief, memory, and rebirth. This gem is a dark fantasy, making it one of the most introspective and emotionally rich works.
2. THE EMPEROR OF GLADNESS – OCEAN VUONG
This fiction is as devastating and beautiful as expected. With themes of loss, love, and trauma, this novel is a masterclass in emotional economy.
3. THE HOUSEKEEPER AND THE PROFESSOR – YOKO OGAWA
A tale of a brilliant math professor with a memory lasting only 80 minutes and the bond he forms with his housekeeper. This novel is a beautiful meditation on time, memory, and human connection.
4. PIRANESI – SUSANNA CLARKE
With its mythic tone, Piranesi is a philosophical fantasy about solitude, identity, and perception. Criminally underrated despite Clarke’s earlier fame.
5. THREE DAYS IN JUNE – ANONYMOUS
This vivid novel explores relationships, wartime memory, and human connection. A short but deeply resonant read that lingers long after the final page.
6. TIN MAN – SARAH WINMAN
This tender story of love, art, and loss between two men is heartbreakingly understated. This prose carries a quiet power that sneaks up on you.
7. THE MAN WHO SPOKE SNAKISH – ANDRUS KIVIRAKH
A strange, satirical, and folkloric Estonian novel about language, tradition, and the loss of cultural identity.
8. NEVER LET ME GO – KAZUO ISHIGURO
Often overshadowed by Ishiguro’s other works, this dystopian novel is deeply affecting. It tackles ethics, humanity, and love with eerie calm.
9. THE PISCES – MELISSA BRODER
A brutally honest, absurd novel about heartbreak and obsession wrapped in a bizarre love story between a woman and a merman. Yes, really.
10. THE BINDING – BRIDGET COLLINS
In a world where painful memories can be bound into books, a young man discovers a forbidden truth. Lush, original, and quietly devastating.
11. THE DREAMERS – KAREN THOMPSON WALKER
Set in a college town overtaken by a mysterious sleeping illness, this novel is an exploration of dreams, consciousness, and human fragility.
12. CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN – SAYAKA MURATA
An offbeat, minimalist exploration of identity, and self-worth through the eyes of a woman working at a Tokyo convenience store.
13. SO LUCKY – NICOLA GRIFFITH
A powerhouse about illness, identity, and autonomy. This semi-autobiographical novel is raw, political, and unapologetically angry.
14. THE MESSAGE – ANONYMOUS
This genre-bending novel has earned a cult following for its deep philosophical tones. A challenging yet rewarding read.
15. THE BOOK OF FORM AND EMPTINESS – RUTH OZEKI
Blending magic with Zen Buddhist philosophy, this novel follows a boy who begins hearing voices from objects after his father’s death. A thoughtful, meditation on grief and meaning.
These underrated novels won’t just entertain you; they’ll provoke thought, stir emotion, and leave their mark on your literary souls. If you’re looking to fall in love with books all over again, start right here.
