NYC Neighborhoods, Biblio File
The Best New York City Novels by Neighborhood
New York City has an awful lot going for it. Three of its most remarkable features are its amazing landmarks and cultural institutions, the diversity of its neighborhoods, and, of course, the flourishing literary communities in these neighborhoods that pull it all together. Famously, New York is one of those rare places where you can walk a single mile and experience several unique, rare, and special places one after the other. What's more, the people you'll meet along the way are equally as unique, rare, and special (also: weird) as the spaces they inhabit. It's no wonder that New York is one of the most written-about places on the planet! Whether you're into the grit and grime of the seedy underbelly of New York, or the romantic adventures offered up by its most beautiful places, there's a novel out there waiting to give you a glimpse of what NYC has going on.
For the reader who just can't get enough of those busy city streets, or is just dying to know where exactly in the five boroughs their favorite characters are inhabiting, here is a list of famous New York City-based novels according to the neighborhood in which they take place—complete with an interactive map of nearby landmarks and attractions!
Manhattan
Financial District
- American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
- Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos
Nearby: Battery Park, Wall Street
World Trade Center
- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Nearby: 9/11 Memorial Plaza, City Hall, Brooklyn Bridge
Chinatown
- Shoplifting from American Apparel by Tao Lin
- Chinatown Beat by Henry Chang
Nearby: Columbus Park, Canal Street
The Bowery
- Up in the Old Hotel by Joseph Mitchell
Nearby: The Tenement Museum
Five Points
- The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsey Faye
Lower East Side
- Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
- Lush Life by Richard Price
Nearby: The Williamsburg Bridge, Katz's Delicatessen
SoHo
- The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner
- A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Nearby: Art Galleries, Luxury Boutiques
Alphabet City
- Call It Sleep by Henry Roth
Nearby: Tompkins Square Park, Union Square
Greenwich Village
- Great Jones Street by Don Delillo
- Washington Square by Henry James
Nearby: Washington Square Park, New York University, Cooper Union, St. Mark' s Place, The Public Theater
Flatiron District
- Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
Nearby: The Flatiron Building, Madison Square Park, Empire State Building
Gramercy
- Time and Again by Jack Finney
Chelsea
- Netherland by Joseph O'Neill
Nearby: The Chelsea Hotel, The Highline
Midtown
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Nearby: Grand Central Station, Bryant Park, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, The Crysler Building, The United Nations
Times Square
- A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Nearby: Theater District, Restaurant Row, Port Authority
Fifth Avenue
- Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
Nearby: Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall
Central Park
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Nearby: The Central Park Zoo, The Central Park Carousel, Strawberry Fields, Belvedere Castle, The Boathouse
Upper East Side
- The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
- The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Nearby: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Guggenheim, Gracie Mansion
Upper West Side
- Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
- Open City by Teju Cole
Nearby: The American Museum of Natural History, The Dakota
Morningside Heights
- The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
- Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos
Nearby: Columbia University
Harlem
- Push by Sapphire
- Jazz by Toni Morrison
- Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
- Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
Nearby: The Apollo Theater, The Cloisters, Highbridge Park
Brooklyn
Greenpoint
- The Astral by Kate Christensen
Williamsburg
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
- Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller
- The Chosen by Chaim Potok
Nearby: The Williamsburg Waterfront, McCarren Park, Weylin B. Seymour's
Bedford-Stuyvesant
- Brown Girl, Brownstones by Paule Marshall
Nearby: Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn Museum, Pratt Institute
Downtown Brooklyn
- Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
Nearby: BAM, Barclay's Center, Brooklyn Navy Yard
Brooklyn Heights
- 10:04 by Ben Lerner
Nearby: Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Heights Promenade
Boerum Hill
- The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem
Nearby: New York City Transit Museum, Prospect Park
Park Slope
- The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster
- Snow in August by Pete Hamill
Flatbush/Ditmas Park
- The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
- Sophie's Choice by William Styron
Nearby: Brooklyn College
Sunset Park/Bay Ridge
- Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr.
Nearby: Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park, Dyker Beach Golf Course
Brighton Beach
- The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman
Queens
Astoria
- The Ask by Sam Lipsyte
Sunnyside
-
Dissident Gardens by Jonathan Lethem
Flushing
- Native Speaker by Chang Rae Lee
- Preparation for the Next Life by Atticus Lish
Nearby: Flushing Meadows Corona Park, World's Fair Playground, Citi Field
Woodside
- We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas
Nearby: Museum of the Moving Image, Queensboro Bridge
Rockaway Beach
- Rockaway by Tara Ison
Bronx
South Bronx
- Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
Nearby: Yankee Stadium
University Heights
- Billy Bathgate by E.L. Doctorow
West Bronx/Fordham
- The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
Nearby: Fordham University, Bronx Zoo
Staten Island
Port Richmond
- Small Mercies by Eddie Joyce
- The Swing Voter of Staten Island by Arthur Neresian
Nearby: Statue of Liberty, Staten Island Ferry, Snug Harbor, Verrazano Bridge
Is this map missing something? Let us know in the comments section!
Read E-Books with SimplyE
With your library card, it's easier than ever to choose from more than 300,000 e-books on SimplyE, The New York Public Library's free e-reader app. Gain access to digital resources for all ages, including e-books, audiobooks, databases, and more.
If you don’t have an NYPL library card, New York State residents can apply for a digital card online or through SimplyE (available on the App Store or Google Play).
Need more help? Read our guide to using SimplyE.
Comments
What about
Submitted by Jenny Baum (not verified) on August 13, 2015 - 3:44pm
What about
Submitted by Jenny Baum (not verified) on August 13, 2015 - 3:47pm
I recently read Lena Finkle's
Submitted by Lauren Lampasone on August 13, 2015 - 3:50pm
Lower East Side's section
Submitted by person (not verified) on August 14, 2015 - 9:27pm
Two Augusts In a Row In a Row
Submitted by Shelley Marlow (not verified) on August 14, 2015 - 10:30pm
NYC neighborhood books
Submitted by Marcia Bikales (not verified) on August 14, 2015 - 10:54pm
OMISSION
Submitted by MM (not verified) on August 14, 2015 - 11:02pm
The Museum of Extraordinary
Submitted by Francesca Teodori (not verified) on August 14, 2015 - 11:27pm
Hell's Kitchen
Submitted by Joe Nunand (not verified) on August 15, 2015 - 3:23am
84 CHARING CROSS ROAD is set
Submitted by Kerri Spennicichia (not verified) on August 15, 2015 - 7:04am
84 Charing Cross Road
Submitted by Mark Robbins (not verified) on August 21, 2015 - 9:47am
You forgot!
Submitted by Doreen (not verified) on August 15, 2015 - 7:31am
What about
Submitted by Heidi (not verified) on August 15, 2015 - 9:58am
What about
Submitted by Diane Molleson (not verified) on August 15, 2015 - 1:28pm
Washington Heights -
Submitted by Hope Kaye (not verified) on August 15, 2015 - 7:57pm
Paul auster's ny trilogy and
Submitted by Tanya (not verified) on August 15, 2015 - 10:55pm
Nicholasa Mohr
Submitted by Amy (not verified) on August 15, 2015 - 11:52pm
Tribeca
Submitted by Jim Fusilli (not verified) on August 16, 2015 - 9:57am
Gramercy Park - Jack Finney's
Submitted by Guest (not verified) on August 16, 2015 - 5:27pm
Another book set in NYC and Brooklyn
Submitted by Erin Banks (not verified) on August 16, 2015 - 5:33pm
Doctorow's NYC novels
Submitted by Maraneo (not verified) on August 17, 2015 - 9:35am
Park Slope
Submitted by Billy Parrott on August 17, 2015 - 10:30am
Manhattan-Yep all of it!
Submitted by Carol (not verified) on August 17, 2015 - 10:50am
Forever
Submitted by Kathy Phillips (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 1:13pm
In Paul Auster's "City of
Submitted by A. Traub (not verified) on August 17, 2015 - 11:38am
What about...
Submitted by hgeng63 (not verified) on August 17, 2015 - 5:34pm
Greenpoint & Williamsburg
Submitted by David (not verified) on August 18, 2015 - 9:21am
THE SEA BEACH LINE
Submitted by Fig Tree Books (not verified) on August 18, 2015 - 10:19am
Where is Washington Heights
Submitted by Dawn (not verified) on August 18, 2015 - 6:51pm
Washington Heights...
Submitted by Zandria (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 3:11pm
The Brief and Wonderous Life
Submitted by Pat (not verified) on September 4, 2017 - 10:23pm
Irish Ice, W Brian Perry
Submitted by Ned Visser (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 6:55am
Lush Life, Richard Price,
Submitted by Guest (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 8:18am
A Little Life on Lispenard
Submitted by Marcore (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 11:20am
Queens
Submitted by Rachel (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 11:25am
Florence Gordon by Brian
Submitted by willow (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 11:29am
Killing Williamsburg
Submitted by Ronit Schlam (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 11:39am
I suppose you could debate
Submitted by Greg Peace (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 12:02pm
A Meaningful Life
Submitted by Austin (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 12:07pm
Age of innocence
Submitted by Julie (not verified) on August 21, 2015 - 7:44am
Another Wall Street work
Submitted by Herbert Stencil (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 12:13pm
Among the missing
Submitted by Yolanda Rodriguez (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 12:18pm
More Brooklyn?
Submitted by melissafaye (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 12:30pm
Dreaming in Cuban
Submitted by Lewis (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 12:35pm
Paul Auster's sunset park
Submitted by Anon (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 12:46pm
"Motherless Brooklyn" makes
Submitted by G (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 12:58pm
UES and the Met
Submitted by Nancy (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 1:48pm
The Pigman - Staten Island
Submitted by Annie K (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 2:05pm
Gravesend
Submitted by Charlie Rahway (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 2:33pm
Queens and the Bronx
Submitted by Joe (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 3:06pm
Alice McDermott
Submitted by Jane Furth (not verified) on August 23, 2015 - 8:28pm
World's Fair by E.L. Doctorow
Submitted by Pruitt Igoe (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 3:21pm
Hells Kitchen
Submitted by Gillian Axtens (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 3:44pm
Park Slope
Submitted by Jonathan Blumberg (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 3:59pm
Fractured Facade, by Elena De rosa
Submitted by stephen cipolla (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 5:59pm
"Sister Carrie" by Theodore Dreiser
Submitted by T. Kevin Sayama (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 6:15pm
The Extra Man
Submitted by Randy Aveille (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 6:42pm
Fantastic Project!
Submitted by Rob Laurich (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 7:22pm
Kill The Balloons
Submitted by Peter S (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 7:24pm
No Colum McCann? THIS SIDE
Submitted by rgold90 (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 7:39pm
Jackson Heights novel
Submitted by Mel B (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 8:07pm
Sunnyside, Queens: Dissident
Submitted by jeff (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 8:39pm
Lots and lots...
Submitted by Marie (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 8:47pm
more nyc
Submitted by jeff (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 8:57pm
What About
Submitted by JCS (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 9:15pm
Bright Lights, Big City
Submitted by Shane Judith (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 12:17am
Rockaway
Submitted by Guest (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 12:30am
Rockaway
Submitted by Guest (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 12:30am
While we're at it
Submitted by John Lawhead (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 12:49am
Some Suggestions:
Submitted by Torsten Adair (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 2:07am
Agreed re: kids/YA - Add From
Submitted by Rhi (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 1:28pm
you might be interested in
Submitted by Lauren Lampasone on August 20, 2015 - 1:43pm
I would also like the lists
Submitted by Judy (not verified) on December 12, 2016 - 5:49pm
Rage is Back: A Novel
Submitted by Jeanne S (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 3:03am
Co-op City, The Bronx - Dark Tower Series
Submitted by Karen (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 3:07am
Stuart Little!
Submitted by Roxanne S. (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 6:55am
park slope/ebbet's field/. Morningside heights
Submitted by Sk Crichton (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 7:24am
you forgot
Submitted by Jennifer (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 7:24am
Coney Island
Submitted by Joe (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 7:52am
Kevin Baker x1000!
Submitted by Rosie (not verified) on August 21, 2015 - 5:30pm
Best nyc novels by neighborhood
Submitted by L waltzer (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 8:13am
Dreamland by Kevin Baker
Submitted by Carmen (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 8:36am
Central Park
Submitted by Marc Kagan (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 9:11am
Coney Island
Submitted by BKreader (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 9:15am
Greenwich Village
Submitted by Will Dale (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 9:17am
Billy Bathgate by EL Doctorow
Submitted by CHReader (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 9:20am
best NYC novels
Submitted by Daryl N. (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 10:17am
Where are the golems?
Submitted by lifelong new yorker (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 10:17am
astoria-related book!
Submitted by Astoria Reader (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 10:45am
The Best New York City Novels by Neighborhood
Submitted by Susanne Braham (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 11:15am
I'm sure someone has
Submitted by Rei (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 11:17am
Not neighborhood based, but definitely very New York novels...
Submitted by Heather (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 11:27am
S.J. Rozan
Submitted by Kathy Phillips (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 1:17pm
More books
Submitted by Richard Grayson (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 5:25pm
Park Slope: Reconstructing
Submitted by MzGSquared (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 7:53pm
Great Project!
Submitted by Kathleen (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 9:09pm
Books about NYC
Submitted by Naomi Siebenber... (not verified) on August 20, 2015 - 10:25pm
Harold Robbins
Submitted by Mark Robbins (not verified) on August 21, 2015 - 10:13am
Omissions and Adjustments
Submitted by AMB (not verified) on August 21, 2015 - 11:31am
another novel set in Greenwich Village
Submitted by Michael Marissen (not verified) on August 21, 2015 - 2:13pm
From Rockaway by Jill Eisenstadt
Submitted by Michael Drinkard (not verified) on August 22, 2015 - 10:57am
From Rockaway by Jill Eisenstadt
Submitted by Michael Drinkard (not verified) on August 22, 2015 - 10:57am
Old New York City omission
Submitted by Michele (not verified) on August 22, 2015 - 1:40pm
Thomas Pynchon
Submitted by Kevin Egan (not verified) on August 23, 2015 - 7:52am
Falling Man
Submitted by August Matzdorf (not verified) on August 23, 2015 - 2:49pm
Falling Man
Submitted by August Matzdorf (not verified) on August 23, 2015 - 10:32pm
Falling Man
Submitted by August Matzdorf (not verified) on August 23, 2015 - 10:41pm
Ernesto Quinones
Submitted by Tamar (not verified) on August 24, 2015 - 2:39pm
NYC novel
Submitted by Nan (not verified) on August 24, 2015 - 2:57pm
NY Novels
Submitted by Michael Keever (not verified) on August 27, 2015 - 4:33pm
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler
Submitted by Robin (not verified) on August 28, 2015 - 12:18pm
Two more Brooklyn additions
Submitted by Elizabeth Fisher (not verified) on August 28, 2015 - 12:58pm
Brooklyn
Submitted by ophelia (not verified) on August 28, 2015 - 7:18pm
More books
Submitted by Diane (not verified) on August 29, 2015 - 8:23pm
http://www.dnainfo.com/new
Submitted by Hope Kaye (not verified) on September 4, 2015 - 5:05pm
More Washington Heights
Submitted by Hope Kaye (not verified) on September 4, 2015 - 5:08pm
Fort Greene
Submitted by Rose (not verified) on September 9, 2015 - 8:12pm
The Best New York City
Submitted by Norma J. Boyd (not verified) on September 17, 2015 - 2:53pm
Inwood
Submitted by Sheila (not verified) on October 6, 2015 - 4:40pm
The Map is Missing
Submitted by Michael A (not verified) on December 10, 2015 - 7:37pm
Shulman's Amboy Dukes
Submitted by Bob Littlefield (not verified) on June 8, 2016 - 3:08pm
Harlem
Submitted by David Cercena (not verified) on May 8, 2017 - 9:36am
The Fortunate Pilgrim
Submitted by John Barone (not verified) on July 29, 2017 - 6:57pm
Jackson Heights
Submitted by Will Sweeney (not verified) on August 10, 2017 - 5:26pm
Add to NYC (general)
Submitted by Kate Wilson (not verified) on August 12, 2017 - 11:15pm
"Staten Island in Fiction
Submitted by Shaolin Librarian (not verified) on November 15, 2017 - 4:07pm
Morningside Heights
Submitted by Agnes (not verified) on January 5, 2018 - 9:25pm
Best NYC Novels
Submitted by Judith Plum (not verified) on March 26, 2018 - 4:22pm
NYCbook
Submitted by Linda Fox (not verified) on March 26, 2018 - 4:32pm
Add Louis Auchincloss novels to NYC books
Submitted by Isabella Saxon (not verified) on March 27, 2018 - 8:32am
Bronx cheer!
Submitted by Holly (not verified) on March 27, 2018 - 9:06am
Manhattan Tropics
Submitted by Beatriz (not verified) on August 19, 2021 - 4:12pm