Following a period when the decline of the novel was widely discussed, fiction has emerged as a vibrant and innovative genre, exploring the diversity of the contemporary world and, frequently, experimenting with form and language. Contemporary Fiction introduces students to the major and recurrent preoccupations of the post-1990 novel; it identifies some of the chief characteristics of the genre, and offers ways in which contemporary writing can be analysed and discussed. Texts are placed in their cultural contexts and are often discussed in the light of related works.