Exit West

I was surprised to discover (since I read it as an e-book) that this was novella-length, rather than a novel, but, like Passing Strange, it was just perfectly told in that brief length. This is listed as genre fiction, with only a single magical element - doorways that transport travelers across the world quickly (not instanteously, and not comfortably) from one location to another. The main theme of the story, though, is the desire for connection: not just the intimacy of a marriage or love affair, but that of shared experience, ethnic background, religion, personal philosophy. A lot to mull over from such an innocuous package.