Fiction for adults can be separated into two distinct worlds: literary and popular.

Literary fiction explores characters in depth. It’s not unusual for literary authors to write pages of character description, both physical and psychological. Literary fiction is often complex and multi-layered. While these books have a plot, the emphasis is on character more than story.

Popular fiction, on the other hand, is all about story. Ask a reader to describe popular—also known as “commercial”—work and he or she will have no trouble summarizing basic premises. Characters are important in these books, but not as important as what happens to them.

As someone who frequents area book clubs, I regularly see people give up on literary novels. Readers get halfway through the book, and when “nothing happens,” they put the book down. Popular fiction is, well, more popular.

I have no issue with popular fiction. In fact, most of the books I recommend in this column fall into that category. I do, however, keep my eyes open for entertaining literary fiction, books I believe will hold the attention of readers who normally prefer commercial works.

Ali Smith’s “Where but for the” is one such literary novel. Smith’s characters exist within a unique, interesting storyline. The central character, Miles Garth, attends a dinner party in a London suburb. He is a stranger to his hosts and to all but one person at the party—and the person who does know Miles only recently met him. Imagine everyone’s surprise, then, when Miles locks himself in a spare bedroom, and refuses to come out. He’s there for months.

The first character Smith delves into is Anna Hardie. She knew Miles only as a teenager. They each won spots 30 years ago on a European holiday for high schoolers from around the country. Despite their loose ties, Miles inexplicably has her email address in his wallet. He didn’t take his wallet into the spare room, and the homeowners find Anna’s address in it and contact her. Intrigued, Anna comes to their aid.

In addition to Anna, readers meet several other characters who have loose affiliations with Miles. As each character appears, readers learn about them in depth. The tension in the story—the question of whether Miles will ever leave—keeps the character analysis interesting. I wondered which character would draw Miles out. And that made this literary work popular with me.

Miller welcomes book suggestions. Read her blog at www.anitalaydonmiller.blogspot.com or e-mail anita.l.miller@att.net.