2026 National Book Award Fiction longlist

The ten books longlisted for the 2026 National Book Award for Fiction.

The complete longlist in published author-alphabetical order, not a ranking. Five finalists were announced October 6, 2026; no winner had been announced at the October 14 research date. This collection does not imply National Book Foundation endorsement.

Source: https://www.nationalbook.org/longlist-for-the-2026-national-book-award-for-fiction/

Numbers show collection order, not a source rating.

1. Paradiso 17 — Hannah Lillith Assadi
2. Red Ants — Kimberly Blaeser
3. Dèy — Edwidge Danticat
4. Pretend You're Dead and I Carry You — Julián Delgado Lopera
5. Python's Kiss — Louise Erdrich
6. The Disappearers — Marlon James
7. Beginning Middle End — Valeria Luiselli
8. Passengers — Alexander Maksik
9. The Renovation — Kenan Orhan
10. Mad Eden — Morgan Thomas