Illinois, especially Chicago, offers such a rich background for stories. You can find tales set against the backdrop of its bustling city streets, quiet suburbs, or small rural towns. Authors use these settings to explore all sorts of human experiences.
Here are some novels that really capture a sense of place within Illinois, each telling a distinct story rooted in the state.
Alaa Al Aswany’s novel Chicago welcomes readers into the lives of Egyptian expatriates who are connected to the University of Illinois. The book shows their personal and political struggles.
These characters face cultural differences, keep secrets, and chase ambitions while they build lives far from their homeland. Their conflicts create a complex picture of human emotion.
Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle introduces Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant who comes to Chicago with dreams of a better life. He finds work in the stockyards. There, the grim truths of exploitation, poverty, and corruption become clear.
The story reveals the brutal work conditions and unsanitary practices within the meatpacking industry, providing a stark look at life in the city’s industrial core.
Richard Wright’s Native Son centers on Bigger Thomas, a young Black man in 1930s Chicago. He accepts a job with a wealthy white family, only to be caught up in a crime that quickly escalates.
The narrative highlights the systemic oppression and fear that define Bigger’s existence, prompting readers to consider the impact of racial and class divisions.
Edna Ferber’s So Big tells of Selina Peake DeJong, a schoolteacher who marries a farmer near Chicago and confronts the difficulties of rural life.
The story follows her efforts to support her son, Dirk, nicknamed “So Big,” as she holds onto her ideals and creativity through hardship. Her resolve influences not only her own fate, but also her son’s future choices.
Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine evokes the summer of 1928 through the eyes of twelve-year-old Douglas Spaulding in the fictional Green Town, Illinois.
The novel gathers moments of simple joys—like the thrill of new sneakers or running barefoot in the grass—along with encounters with change and loss, blending nostalgia with the bittersweet nature of growing up.
Ordinary People examines the Jarrett family’s life in suburban Illinois.
Centered on Conrad, a teenager dealing with guilt and depression following his brother’s accidental death, the novel offers an intimate look at a family struggling to reconnect and heal amidst suppressed emotions and fractured relationships.
Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes follows two young boys, Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway, in small-town Illinois as they encounter a mysterious traveling carnival.
Led by the sinister Mr. Dark, the carnival appears to offer people their deepest wishes at a terrible price, challenging the boys to confront threats that imperil both their town and themselves.
Saul Bellow’s The Adventures of Augie March traces the journey of Augie, a young man from a working-class Jewish family in Chicago.
As he navigates various odd jobs and relationships, Augie encounters a host of unusual characters while seeking his place in the world amid the vibrant energy of the city.
Curse: Cubs Win! Cubs Win! or Do They? blends baseball action with mystery.
The novel imagines a scenario where the Chicago Cubs break their long-standing curse and win the World Series, only to have their celebrations interrupted by strange occurrences that cast doubt on the victory.
In Divergent, Veronica Roth creates a future Chicago where society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to a specific virtue.
The story follows Tris Prior, a teenager who learns she is “Divergent” and doesn’t fit neatly into one group, placing her in grave danger as she confronts hidden truths about her city’s foundations.
Nelson Algren’s The Man with the Golden Arm portrays Frankie Machine, a World War II veteran and card dealer battling morphine addiction in post-war Chicago.
Set against the gritty backdrop of Division Street, the novel delves into Frankie’s struggles with marriage, past traumas, and the inescapable lure of addiction.
Sam Greenlee’s The Spook Who Sat by the Door tells the story of Dan Freeman, the first Black man recruited by the CIA.
After mastering covert operations and guerrilla tactics, he leaves the agency to use his training in Chicago to organize young Black men into freedom fighters against systemic oppression.
Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife chronicles the unconventional romance between Henry DeTamble, who involuntarily travels through time, and Clare Abshire, who remains steadfast in her love despite the disruptions in their lives.
Set mainly in Chicago, their poignant journey navigates the challenges of time, memory, and connection.
Michael Hornburg’s Downers Grove depicts teenage life in a suburban Illinois town through the eyes of Chrissie, a high school senior haunted by a legendary curse that has claimed the lives of graduates.
The novel weaves typical adolescent challenges with a foreboding atmosphere that hints at small-town secrets.
Scott Turow’s legal thriller Presumed Innocent follows Rusty Sabich, a chief deputy prosecutor in fictional Kindle County, Illinois, as he becomes entangled in a murder investigation involving his colleague and former lover.
As revelations from his personal and professional life emerge, the story builds into a tense courtroom battle filled with hidden agendas.
William Keepers Maxwell, Jr.'s So Long, See You Tomorrow captures the quiet sorrow of early 1920s rural Illinois.
Told through reflective narration, the novel follows a boyhood friendship shattered by a tragic murder, exploring themes of memory, loss, and the enduring influence of the past on personal identity.
Sara Paretsky’s Blacklist features private investigator V.I. Warshawski as she delves into the suspicious death of a young journalist in a gated community near Chicago.
Her investigation uncovers a web of political corruption and dark secrets dating back to the McCarthy era, weaving a tale of tension and intrigue.
In Blood Shot, Sara Paretsky brings V.I. Warshawski back to her old South Side neighborhood.
What starts as a personal favor to help a childhood friend trace her missing father quickly escalates into a dangerous investigation revealing corporate corruption and environmental crimes linked to a polluting chemical company.
Blue Balliett’s Chasing Vermeer is a mystery aimed at younger readers.
The novel follows two observant sixth-graders, Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay, as they unravel clues hidden in art, mathematics, and secret codes in their quest to recover a stolen painting by Johannes Vermeer, with Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood setting the stage.
Rebecca Makkai’s The Great Believers centers on the devastating impact of the AIDS epidemic in 1980s Chicago.
Following Yale Tishman as he navigates loss in the art world, and shifting to 2015 with Fiona’s search for family and meaning in Paris, the novel captures enduring human connections amid tragedy.
Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street tells the story of Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl growing up in a poor Chicago neighborhood.
Through a series of vignettes, she reflects on her family, her dreams, and the challenges of finding her identity and escaping the cycle of poverty.
Joshua Ferris’s Then We Came to the End offers a humorous yet incisive look at life inside a struggling Chicago advertising agency.
The novel chronicles the mundane routines, office politics, and personal anxieties of its employees during an era of economic uncertainty and looming layoffs.
In 33 Snowfish, Adam Rapp follows three troubled teenagers—Custis, Boobie, and Curl—as they flee their pasts.
Haunted by heavy secrets and guilt, their desperate journey through bleak Midwestern landscapes, including parts of Illinois, underscores their search for hope and redemption in a harsh world.
Scott Turow’s The Burden of Proof follows defense attorney Alejandro “Sandy” Stern through a dual investigation: one into his late wife’s secret life following her suicide, and the other into a complex federal financial crime involving his brother-in-law.
Set in fictional Kindle County, Illinois, the novel blends legal suspense with personal grief.
David Foster Wallace’s unfinished The Pale King is set at an IRS Regional Examination Center in Peoria, Illinois, during the mid-1980s.
It follows a diverse group of IRS employees as they cope with the tedious grind of tax processing while seeking meaning and escape from the monotony of bureaucracy.
Dan Simmons’ Summer of Night is a chilling horror story set in the small town of Elm Haven, Illinois, during the summer of 1960.
As a group of young boys begins to encounter inexplicable and terrifying events at their old school, they must confront an ancient evil lurking in the shadows of their community.
In Allegiant, Veronica Roth returns to a dystopian Chicago where society remains divided by faction-based virtues.
Tris Prior and Tobias Eaton uncover shocking truths about the origins of their divided world and are forced to make difficult choices as the hidden agendas behind the system come to light.
Saul Bellow’s Dangling Man follows Joseph, a man living in Chicago during World War II while he waits to be drafted.
As his wait stretches on, he becomes increasingly introspective and isolated, grappling with questions of personal freedom, responsibility, and the nature of existence amid the uncertainty of wartime.
Jacquelyn Mitchard’s The Deep End of the Ocean tells the heartrending story of Beth Cappadora, whose three-year-old son vanishes from a crowded Chicago hotel lobby during her high school reunion.
Nine years later, a boy resembling their lost son appears, forcing the family to confront their agonizing past and grapple with the complexities of identity and loss.
Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files is an urban fantasy series featuring Harry Dresden, Chicago’s sole professional wizard working as a private investigator.
Confronting supernatural threats—from werewolves and vampires to rogue sorcerers—Dresden navigates a world where modern Chicago collides with ancient magic and dark mysteries.
In The Outsider, Richard Wright introduces Cross Damon, an African American man employed at the Chicago post office who feels trapped by societal constraints.
After being mistakenly reported dead following a tragic subway accident, Cross embarks on a journey of reinvention, prompting deep reflections on identity, morality, and the search for meaning.
Theodore Dreiser’s classic Sister Carrie chronicles the journey of Caroline “Carrie” Meeber, a young woman who leaves rural Wisconsin in 1889 to seek fortune in Chicago.
As she faces poverty, complex relationships, and the harsh realities of urban life, Carrie’s pursuit of success and upward mobility reflects the social dynamics of her era.
Willa Cather’s The Song of the Lark follows the journey of Thea Kronborg, a young woman from the small town of Moonstone who discovers her extraordinary musical talent.
As parts of her artistic training and early development unfold in Chicago, Thea’s determined pursuit of success and self-expression highlights both personal sacrifice and the transformative power of art.