wcag head
Justin Cartwright (OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY) created an excellent list of ten novels that he believes best encapsulate the state of affairs of their respective societies. His list, published in the Guardian, includes socially poignant literature from Charles Dickens, John Updike, Salman Rushdie (a personal favorite), as well as Tom Wolfe's THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES, Marilynne Robinson's HOME, and Jonathan Franzen's FREEDOM.
Justin says, "When nations are undergoing some form of stress, be it financial or ethical or even military, state of the nation novels tend to be more numerous; they come in many guises, but they have one thing in particular, that they provide a commentary or a judgment on the times."