Popular books set in every country

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Popular books set in every country

Some novels are inextricably linked to their settings. In many cases, the location feels like a character in itself, a living and breathing protagonist whose interests are intertwined with its human counterparts and whose presence is felt on every page. NetCredit compiled a list of the most popular books set in every country in the world to really highlight which works of literature let their settings shine. NetCredit created an algorithm to give each book a score according to its Goodreads rating (about 13,000 books total) then made a series of virtual bookshelves and maps to showcase the top-scoring book set in each country.

All graphics are courtesy of NetCredit

North and Central America

The Help by Kathryn Stockett is the most popular book set in North America, taking place in Jackon, Mississippi, in the 1960s and told by three women — a Black maid, her best friend, and a young white woman. Jurassic Park also scored highly, even though its setting is the fictional Isla Nublar, which is supposed to be an island of Costa Rica.

Canada: “Anne of Green Gables” by L.M Montgomery
USA: “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett
Mexico: “Like Water for Chocolate” by Laura Esquivel
Guatemala: “Grave Secrets” by Kathy Reichs
Belize: “Beka Lamb” by Zee Edgell
El Salvador: “One Day of Life” by Manlio Argueta
Honduras: “The Mosquito Coast” by Paul Theroux
Nicaragua: “The stars at Noon” by Denis Johnson
Costa Rica: “Jurassic Park” by Michael Crichton
Panama: “Avengers” by Frederick Forsyth
Cuba: “Skeleton Key” by Anthony Horowitz
Haiti: “Island Beneath the Sea” by Isabel Allende
Dominican Republic: “The Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao” by Junot Díaz
Jamaica: “White Teeth” by Sadie Smith
Antigua and Barbuda: “Lucy” by Jamaica Kincaid
Dominica: “Wide Sargasso Sea” by Jean Rhys
Trinidad and Tobago: “Golden Child” by Claire Adam

South America

South America can lay claim to Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits, a saga set in Chile that touches on the lives of three generations of the Trueba family. Kurt Vonnegut’s Galapagos also makes the list, telling the story of the reverse evolution of mankind set in Ecuador.

Venezuela: “Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe
Ecuador: “Galapagos” by Kurt Vonnegut JR.
Colombia: “Clear and Present Danger” by Tom Clancy
Peru: “The Celestine Prophecy” by James Redfield
Bolivia: “The Lost World” by Arthur Conan Doyle
Brazil: “State of Wonder” by Ann Pratchett
Paraguay: “Zana” by Antonio di Benedetto
Chile: “The House of Spirits” by Isabel Allende
Argentina: “The Aleph and Other Stories” by Jorge Luis Borges
Uruguay: “The City of your Final Destination” by Peter Cameron

Europe

John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars is the most popular book set in Europe, partially taking place in the Netherlands. It tells the story of a 16-year-old cancer patient who travels to Amsterdam to meet the author of a mysterious book about a cancer patient.

Iceland: “Red Storm Rising” by Tom Clancy
Ireland: “Angela’s Ashes” by Frank McCourt
Northern Ireland: “Milkman” by Anna Burns
Wales: “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” by Ransom Riggs
England: “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
Scotland: “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling
Norway: “Sophie’s World” by Jostein Gaarder
Sweden: “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Steig Larsson
Finland: “Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage” by Haruki Murakami
Lithuania: “Between Shades of Gray” by Ruta Sepetys
Latvia: “Holes” by Louis Sachar
The Netherlands: “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green
Belgium: “The Day of the Jackal” by Frederick Forsyth
Denmark: “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” by William Shakespeare
Germany: “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak
Poland: “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” by John Boyne
Portugal: “The Night in Lisbon” by Erick Maria Remarque
Spain: “The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruis Zafón
Andorra: “Mr. S and the Secrets of Andorra’s Box” by Ross O’Carroll-Kelly and Paul Howard
France: “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah
Monaco: “Loser Takes All” by Graham Green
Lichtenstein: “H.R.H” by Danielle Steel
Switzerland: “Frankenstein” by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Italy: “The Mark of Athena” by Mark Riordan
Malta: “The Man on Fire” by A.J. Quinnell
Vatican City: “The Agony and the Ecstasy” by Irving Stone
Austria: “The Hotel New Hampshire” by John irving
Croatia: “The House of Hades” by Mark Riordan
Hungary: “The Paul Street Boys” by Ferenc Molnár
Bosnia and Herzegovina: “Line of Sight” by Mike Maden
Albania: “Broken April” by Ismail Kadare
Czech Republic: “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” by Michael Chabon
Kosovo: “My Cat Yugoslavia” by Pajtim Statovsci
Slovakia: “Rivers of Babylon” by Peter Pišťanek
Montenegro: “Over my Dead Body” by Rex Stout
Cyprus: “Exodus” by Leon Uris
Serbia: “Garden Ashes” by Danilo Kiš
Greece: “Twenty Thousands Leagues Under the Sea” by Jules Verne
Romania: “Dracula” by Bral Stoker
Azerbaijan: “Ali and Nino” by Kurban Said
Bulgaria: “Under the Yoke” by Ivan Vazov
Armenia: “The Fool” by Raffi
Ukraine: “Everything is Illuminated” by Jonathan Safran Foer
Russia: “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoyevski

Middle East and Central Asia

Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is the most popular novel set in the Middle East and Central Asia, telling the story of the relationship between a wealthy boy and the son and grandson of his father’s servant, set in Afghanistan. Another novel, My Heart A Jewish Girl, also ranked highly. Written by Khawla Hamdi, the book is about an orphaned Muslim girl living with a Jewish family in Lebanon.

Kazakhstan: “The War in 2020” by Ralph Peters
Turkey: “My Name is Red” by Orhan Pamuk
Syria: “Sea Prayer” by Khaled Hosseini
Iraq: “The President’s Gardens” by Mushin Al-Ramli
Iran: “My Uncle Napoleon” by Iraj Pezeshkzad
Afghanistan: “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
Lebanon: “A Jewish Girl Lies Within My Heart” by Khawla Hamdi
Palestine: “Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal” by Christopher Moore
Saudi Arabia: “Goat Days” by Benyamin
Israel: “The Source” by James A. Michener
Jordan: “Appointment With Death” by Agatha Christie
Yemen: “Icon” by Frederick Forsyth
Oman: “The Icarus Agenda” by Robert Ludlum

Asia and Oceania

The Memoirs of a Geisha, written by Arthur Golden, is the first-person story of a geisha working in Kyoto, Japan, and the most popular book set in Asia. The story was also made into a film in 2005.

Mongolia: “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” by Lisa See
China: “Cinder” by Marissa Meyer
Pakistan: “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” by Moshin Hamid
North Korea: “The Orphan Master’s Son” by Adam Johnson
South Korea: “Kim Ji-Young: Born 1982” by Cho Nam-Joo
India: “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel
Nepal: “Sold” by Patricia McCormick
Macau: “Peking & The Tulip Affair” by Nick Carter
Hong Kong: “Around the World in 80 Days” by Jules Verne
Bangladesh: “A Golden Age” by Tahmima Anam
Myanmar: “Burmese Days” by George Orwell
Laos: “The Coroner’s Lunch” by Colin Cotterill
Taiwan: “Threat Victor” by Tom Clancy, Mark Greaney
Sri Lanka: “The Fountains of Paradise” by Arthur C. Clarke
Thailand: “The Beach” by Alex Garland
Cambodia: “Impact” by Douglas Preston
Vietnam: “Edge of Eternity” by Ken Follett
Malaysia: “A Town Like Alice” by Nevil Shute
Singapore: “Crazy Rich Asians” by Kevin Kwan
Philippines: “The Naked and the Dead” by Norman Mailer
Indonesia: “In Too Deep” by Jude Watson
Australia: “The Thorn Birds” by Colleen McCullough
New Zealand: “Cloud Atlas” by David Mitchell

Africa

The Alchemist by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho is the most popular book set in Africa. Taking place partially in Morocco, the book is an allegorical story of a young Spanish shepherd who travels in search of treasure. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie also topped the list, in part set in Nigeria. The book tells the story of a young woman departing military-ruled Nigeria for the US, leaving family, friends, lover, and culture behind.

Morocco: “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho
Algeria: “The Stranger” by Albert Camus
Tunisia: “The Tremor of Forgery” by Patricia Highsmith
Libya: “In the Country of Men” by Hisham Matar
Egypt: “The Throne of Fire” by Rick Riordan
Cape Verde: “The Last Will & Testament of Senhor da Silva Araújo” by Germano Almeida
The Gambia: “Roots: The Saga of an American Family” by Alex Haley
Guinea-Bissau: “The Cobra” by Frederick Forsyth
Mali: “Lieutenant de Kouta” y Massa Makan Diabaté
Sudan: “What is the What” by Dave Eggers
Senegal: “So Long a Letter” by Mariama Ba
Sierra Leone: “The Heart of the Matter” by Graham Greene
Ivory Coast: “Monnew” by Ahmadou Kourouma
Ghana: “All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes” by Maya Angelou
Togo: “Cola Cola Jazz” by Kangni Alem
Benin: “The Viceroy of Ouidah” by Bruce Chatwin
Nigeria: “Americanah” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Liberia: “Murder in the Cassava Patch” by Bai T. Moore
Uganda: “The Last King of Scotland” by Giles Foden
Ethiopia: “Cutting for Stone” by Abraham Verghese
Rwanda: “Small Country” by Gaël Faye
Kenya: “Crocodile Tears” by Anthony Horowitz
Democratic Republic of the Congo: “The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver
Tanzania: “The African Queen” by C.S. Forester
Angola: “Long Lost” by Harlan Coben
Namibia: “The Sound of Thunder: A Courtney Novel 2” by Wilbur Smith
Botswana: “The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” by Alexander McCall Smith
Zimbabwe: “The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm” by Nancy Farmer
Lesotho: “Chaka” by Thomas Mofolo
Mozambique: “The Drifters” by James A. Michener
South Africa: “The Power of One” by Bryce Courtenay
Madagascar: “Flashman’s Lady” by George MacDonald Fraser
Mauritius: “The Mauritius Command” by Patrick O’Brian