Normal People is shelved in literary fiction but it's basically a romance. Beach Read is shelved in romance but it's more self-aware and literary than a lot of what gets called literary fiction. Are the categories still useful?
The categories are marketing, not literary criticism. Normal People is a romance. Beach Read is literary. The shelf placement is about who they're selling to.
The distinction matters for expectations. If I pick up literary fiction and get a happily ever after I feel cheated. If I pick up romance and don't get one I feel cheated differently.
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