Don't let a book being written in a foreign language stop you. Some of the best books we've encountered are novels in translation—books where the English version is not the original version. You may lose a little bit in the translation, but you gain a world of knowledge about life and customs outside the borders of this country. Here are some of the best novels in translation you can find in our collection.
Compiled by:
Emily B.
Before the Coffee Gets ColdKawaguc
Series: Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Originally published in Japanese.
What if you could go through time and solve a mystery, find your true love, or get answers to a question you've been afraid to ask? Before the Coffee Gets Cold seeks to answer those questions in a sweet and unique way. Somewhere in Tokyo, there's a cafe. In that cafe, there's a chair. If you sit in that chair, you have the opportunity to go back in time for the length of time it takes for the coffee to get cold. There are rules to follow that limit you, but the risk just might be worth it. This is the first book in a series.
Persepolis: The Story of a ChildhoodGN 741.5092 Satrapi Sat
Originally published in French.
Persepolis is a graphic novel about what it was like to grow up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution as a young girl. Full of black and white imagery and honest discourse, the author brings to life with unflinching detail the best and worst parts of her childhood. A must-read for anyone who wants to know what life was really like for women as emperors were dethroned and revolution boiled.
Days Come and GoBourn
Originally published in French.
Days Come and Go is the story of the country of Cameroon as it evolves and changes over the course of three generations of women. The matriarch, Anna, is living her final days in Paris while daughter, Abi, and another young woman, Tina, find themselves at the heart of Cameroon's struggles to define itself. This is a story of love, politics, tradition, change, and the turmoil of a country that, at its heart, believes in the power of connection.
The Shadow of the WindRuizzaf
Originally published in Spanish.
Perhaps one of the best known books in translation in the last 50 years, The Shadow of the Wind is an epic tale of books, memory, censorship, murder, love, magic, and one boy on a quest to save something bigger than he could ever imagine. Full of poetic imagery, daring adventure, and a mystery that propels the story forward, this is a book that's not to be missed.
Empty WardrobesCarvalh
Originally published in Portuguese.
Dora and her young daughter were left with nothing. It isn't until her mother-in-law reveals the truth one night that Dora must face the patriarchal society in which she has always lived and start over. This is a book about grief, resolve, devastation, humiliation, and, ultimately, hope in the face of betrayal. Can Dora choose a new path forward, even when she can't see around the next corner or the ramifications of the next decision?
The Silence of the ChoirSarr
Originally published in Senegalese.
This moving and lyrical story is one of 72 men who arrive in the middle of the Sicilian countryside as immigrants or refugees (it depends on who you're asking). The Santa Marta Association takes responsibility for the men as they wait for their future to be determined. As they wait, the discover a whole host of people who are working for—and against—them. The Silence of the Choir is deeply moving, melodic, and driven.
Fever DreamSchwebl
Originally published in Spanish.
Imagine, if you will, a woman dying in a hospital and a young man attending her bedside. They're not related. One of them might not even be real. Fever Dream is part ghost story, part love story, and part warning to those that dare to read it. Prepare to be unsettled while reading this slim yet powerful book that comes in at under 200 pages.
The Story of a GoatOnly available from eLibrary resources
Originally published in Indian/Tamil.
The Story of a Goat is the story of the farming communities of rural India. Told sometimes through human narrators, and sometimes from the goat's point of view, this book reminds the rest of the world that rural India is full of dangers and deception for human and animal alike. When the powers that be are the powers that destroy, how's a goat to survive?
A Horse Walks Into a BarGrossma
Originally published in Hebrew.
If A Horse Walks Into a Bar sounds like the start of a joke, that's because this is a book about a stand-up comedian. In one fateful night, comedian Dovaleh launches into a career-defining—and maybe ending—set about his past and the choices he made that continue to haunt him. When the audience doesn't know how to respond, the reader is also left to wonder what they're supposed to feel.
Strange HousesMYS Uketsu
Originally published in Japanese.
When is a house more than a house? What secrets does it hold? When is design more sinister than helpful? This dark and twisted book follows a writer and an architect as they discover houses with a little something extra—space in walls that shouldn't be there—and from there, the walls (figuratively) start falling down as they descend into a potentially sinister plot. Written by mystery-horror sensation Uketsu, readers are invited to try and finish the puzzle first...if they dare.
The InvincibleSF Lem
Originally published in Polish.
First published in 1964, The Invincible looks to a future where humans and robots must find a way to live—or die—together. This books asks hard questions like, "What course of action can humanity take once it has reached the limits of its knowledge?" In turns hopeful and terrifying, this book is a classic work of science fiction by a master storyteller.
Things We Lost in the Fire: StoriesEnrique
Originally published in Spanish.
A collection of short stories, this book is energizing and depressing as you read through each episode of life in Argentina. Throughout this book, you'll find everything from abandoned houses to black magic, along with friendship, love, humor, redemption, and new beginnings. Deeply challenging and moving, Enriquez holds nothing back as she explores what it means to be a citizen of a town, a country, and the world.
KitchenOnly available from eLibrary resources
Originally published in Japanese.
Kitchen tells two stories about motherhood, love, tragedy, and the importance of the kitchen in Japanese culture. Mikage is an orphan raised by her grandmother, who has passed away. Grieving, Mikage is taken in by her friend Yoichi and his mother. As the three of them form an improvised family that soon weathers its own tragic losses, Yoshimoto spins a lovely, evocative tale with the kitchen and the comforts of home at its heart.
Time ShelterSF Gospodi
Originally published in Bulgarian.
Welcome to the clinic for the past, a place where those suffering from Alzheimer's can explore a past decade in minute detail, allowing patients to unlock what's left of their memories. What starts as a place for the sick soon becomes a hot spot for the healthy in Time Shelter. As people try to escape their dull present, the past comes alive—but that might be the collapse of everything.
The Master and MargaritaBulgako
Originally published in Russian.
In The Master and Margarita, the devil comes to town, Pontius Pilate is trying to be redeemed, a writer tries to destroy the thing he loves the most, cats talk, and so much more. Famous and famously surreal, this is a must-read for lovers of fiction that is a little bit further out there and speculative. With mysteries abound, you'll be thinking about this one for years to come.
The VegetarianHan
Originally published in Korean.
The Vegetarian is more than just a work in translation—it's the work of 2024, claiming both the Booker and the Nobel Prize. This is the story of a woman whose dark and terrifying dreams make her decide to give up eating meat altogether, a choice that sets in motion a macabre and grotesque chain of events readers will have to experience to believe. The Vegetarian is regarded as Kafka-esque, a tale of power, obsession, and violence as a woman tries to break free.
My Brilliant FriendFerrant
Originally published in Italian.
My Brilliant Friend begins in the 1950s on the outskirts of Naples, Italy, where Lila and Elena's friendship changes, grows, and is challenged for over 60 years and three additional novels. Lila and Elena become friends in primary school and find that the key to their enduring relationship is no shortage of heartache and homecoming. This is a work of literary fiction that will stay with the reader for decades to come as both Lila and Elena become friends to the reader as well.
The Winter QueenMYS Akunin
Originally published in Russian.
This mystery set in Moscow in the late 1800s asks why a young, talented student would kill himself in front of a crowd. When the pieces of the crime don't match up, Eras Fandorin, a local detective, is on the case. What starts out as a suicide soon turns to a murderer on the loose among the crowded streets of Russia.