Paradiso 17
Paradiso 17 caught our eye for its shape: a man named Sufien tells his life from his deathbed, starting at the end and working back to the beginning. That beginning is Safad, Palestine, on the edge of the 1948 Nakba. From there his life runs through Kuwait, a small Italian university town, New York, and finally the Arizona desert. If you love novels about exile and the long search for home, told in a lyrical, time-bending way, this one belongs near the top of your pile. Assadi was a 5 Under 35 honoree, and this is a Fiction finalist.
Publisher’s description at Penguin Random House. Finalist status from the National Book Foundation.
Assadi is a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree, and Paradiso 17 was also longlisted for the Women’s Prize. It is a 2026 National Book Award finalist for Fiction. Winners are announced November 18.
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