Translated Fiction Is Having a Moment (Here’s Where to Start)
5 Books with International Intrigue! Expand your reading horizons!
Hi, my bookish friend!
What do Fredrik Backman’s well-known novels, Elena Ferrante’s beloved Neapolitan series, and Thomas Schlesser’s recent breakout hit Mona’s Eyes all have in common? They’re translated fiction!
Despite the above books landing on several bestseller lists, most translated fiction flies under the radar. However, yesterday, the International Booker Prize shone a spotlight on translated books by announcing its winner! (See here)
So, today, I’m helping you to expand your reading horizons with:
5 Approachable translated books to read now!
The most-read translated fiction of all time!
Tips for reading translated fiction
And, in Bookish News Updates, I share about the movies I watched this weekend and two more book club picks from Reese and Oprah!
Happy Reading!
Your friend,
Audry
Bookish Recs: 5 Approachable Translated Books to Read Now!
Through these translated stories, we step into cultures, histories, and perspectives far beyond our own lives. Recent releases include literary fiction, speculative fiction, family sagas, thrillers, surreal stories, cozy reads, and more.
The hardest part now is deciding where to start! So, I selected five books with the best reviews and highest star ratings:
Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa
(Translated from Japanese by Alison Watts)
The Premise:
A lonely man working at a small shop selling dorayaki (a pancake filled with a sweet bean paste) reluctantly hires an elderly woman with a mysterious past. Her homemade sweet bean paste slowly changes both the business and his outlook on life. (Amazon | Bookshop.org)
Why It’s Approachable:
This book is gentle, cozy, and emotionally accessible from the very first page. The short chapters and food-centered storytelling make it feel comforting.
Who Would Like This:
Fans of cozy Japanese fiction, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, and stories that feel warm, reflective, and quietly emotional.
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
(Translated from French by Ros Schwartz)
The Premise:
A young woman and a group of older women are imprisoned underground with no explanation, no memories of the outside world, and no understanding of why they’re being held captive. When an unexpected escape becomes possible, the narrator must confront what it truly means to be human in a world she barely understands. (Amazon | Bookshop.org)
Why It’s Approachable:
While the novel explores philosophical questions about freedom, identity, and loneliness, the eerie dystopian mystery and suspenseful survival-story premise keep the pages turning.
Who Would Like This:
Readers who love speculative fiction and books that leave you thinking for days afterward.
More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
(Translated from Japanese by Eric Ozawa)
The Premise:
This comforting sequel returns readers to the beloved Morisaki Bookshop in Tokyo, where books continue helping people heal, reconnect, and rediscover themselves. As familiar characters navigate love, grief, friendship, and new beginnings, the shop remains a quiet refuge for anyone searching for meaning. (Amazon | Bookshop.org)
Why It’s Approachable:
The cozy setting, short length, and heartfelt storytelling make this book perfect for readers craving low-stakes comfort reads.
Who Would Like This:
Bookstore fiction lovers, cozy readers, and anyone who wishes they could disappear into a tiny bookshop for an entire weekend.
Eating Ashes by Brenda Navarro
(Translated from Spanish by Sophie Hughes)
The Premise:
After the death of her brother, a woman wanders through Barcelona reflecting on family trauma, violence, grief, and the emotional scars left behind by both personal and societal expectations. The novel is told through fragmented memories and deeply intimate reflections. (Amazon | Bookshop.org)
Why It’s Approachable:
Although the themes are heavy, the short, sharp passages and raw honesty make the story deeply engaging and surprisingly readable.
Who Would Like This:
Readers who enjoy emotionally intense family dramas, reflective literary fiction, or books that explore grief and identity with brutal honesty.
Hooked: A Novel of Obsession by Asako Yuzuki
(Translated from Japanese by Polly Barton)
The Premise:
Eriko appears to have the perfect life: a prestigious job, polished appearance, and carefully controlled routine. But beneath her flawless exterior is a deep loneliness and an obsessive fascination with Shoko, a carefree lifestyle blogger whose messy, imperfect life. (Amazon | Bookshop.org)
Why It’s Approachable:
The psychological tension builds quickly. It reads like an addictive contemporary thriller.
Who Would Like This:
Fans of Yellowface, and books about obsession, female friendship, and messy modern womanhood.
View the booklist on Bookshop.org!
(Local independent bookstores benefit from your purchases!)
Why Everyone Is Talking About the International Booker Prize 2026
The 2026 International Booker Prize shortlist includes authors and translators from eight countries and four continents. Even cooler: five of the six authors and four of the six translators are women. Watch Dua Lipa here deliver the opening speech for the awards!
Here’s the shortlist (and the winner):
The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran — an Iranian family story about revolution, exile, and the never-ending hope for freedom
She Who Remains — a sharp, beautifully written story about a young woman in Albania and her journey to self-discovery
The Director — a darkly funny look at filmmaker G.W. Pabst and his choice to work with the Nazis
On Earth As It Is Beneath — a haunting novella set in a Brazilian penal colony, where justice and cruelty blur together
The Witch — a darkly comic novel where magic, reality, and motherhood collide
🏆 (The winner!) Taiwan Travelogue — a post-colonial novel about a Japanese writer touring 1930s Taiwan, with a romance-like feel.
View the booklist on Bookshop.org!
Fun Fact: The World’s Most Translated Books Are Surprisingly Familiar
Leaving out religious texts, the top five most translated books are all classics many of us discovered as kids:
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Andersen’s Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
These books have lasted for generations because of their universal themes of curiosity, adventure, loneliness, imagination, and hope. Even when a story comes from another country or language, you can still find yourself in it!
Bookish Reading Tip: Enjoying Translated Fiction
When you read translated fiction, think of it as a team effort. The translator matters just as much as the author. They essentially shape the reading experience.
However, “lost in translation” moments still may happen. For example, name pronunciations (audiobooks help with this!) or unfamiliar holidays or traditions can leave you stumped.
You could Google to learn more about your book’s background. Who doesn’t love a good trip down the rabbit hole? Or, keep reading, allowing some details and cultural references to remain a little mysterious.
Learn more tips for enjoying translated fiction, and discover book recs for South Korean literature in translation here in Kelly Mayfield’s fascinating post!
Bookish AF News Updates
Book Club Selections: Reese’s and Oprah’s Latest Selections
Reese’s Book Club’s May 2026 Pick
The Fine Art of Lying by Alexandra Andrews
After a chance reentry into Manhattan’s glamorous art world leads Clare Bast to a stolen masterpiece and a brutal murder, she finds herself caught in a dangerous web of secrets, scams, and suspicion where every clue seems to point back to her. (Amazon | Bookshop.org)
Read more from author Alexandra Andrews here on Reese’s Substack: Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club .
Oprah’s Book Club’s Book Club Pick #123
John of John by Douglas Stuart
When John-Calum Macleod returns home to the Isle of Harris after art school with little money and a lot of secrets, he finds his strict father, sharp-tongued grandmother, and their fragile community all on the edge of change in this moving novel about family, truth, and longing. (Amazon | Bookshop.org)
Bookish Entertainment News: What I Watched
This weekend, I enjoyed two great films. The first, The Devil Wears Prada 2, I saw in the theater with my mom and my daughter. It did not disappoint! I will say it’s more enjoyable if you’re already a fan of the first film and love the all-star cast (which we did!).
The second one, Remarkably Bright Creatures, I watched on my own on Netflix, which is good because it’s a tear-jerker even if it ends well. The book is one of my all-time favorites, and the movie really paid it justice. It kept to the book’s original story as much as a screenplay could, and Sally Field was perfect as Tova, the main character. Love her in just about anything, so no stretch there!
For fun, watch Sally read an excerpt from the book here! And then watch this bookish discussion here with her co-star Lewis Pullman! Finally, check out this list of new book adaptations coming to Netflix!
Bookish Quote of the Week
“When I hear stars whispering at night I feel part of the eternal flow of time.”
― Durian Sukegawa, Sweet Bean Paste
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I would add The Count of Monte Cristo! Definitely having a moment right now :) And if anyone is interested in weird girl Brazilian lit, The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector is fantastic.
I used to work at a translation company years ago (not as an actual translator, though), and the care and effort it takes to translate -- and localize -- anything is really fascinating. I recently finished My Friends, and all of that came back to me when I was thinking about Backman's unique tone.