If you had an ardent avoider of fiction willing to read ONE novel, which would it be.

I have a friend who avidly reads but only sees "value" in nonfiction works. As someone with a literature degree, I just can't allow it to continue.

And so, we've agreed to one novel.

But which novel. What novel encapsulates what fiction can mean to a reader?

Would you go with the beauty of prose in Steinbeck or Marquez?

Or the wild imaginings of someone like Stephen King or Chuck Palahniuk, who are accessible but still capable of making us squirm?

Or cultural commentary of Tom Wolfe or Douglas Copeland?

My beloved classics?

Gah. This person is smart, enjoys razor sharp wit, is American and knows his history, and has had a humbling year. What would you put in their hands to show them what is possible....??