Genre, so my Oxford English Dictionary defines it, is “a style or category of art or literature.” Genre novels are classified as romance, mystery, science fiction, suspense, crime, political, and so on.

A number of acclaimed authors write novels not easily categorized as to genre, like Jodi Picoult.  In an article in Writer’s Digest, Picoult said her genre is the very lack of one. She writes on diverse subjects. Often the subjects have to do with social or moral problems.

Piccoult is tagged by some as a “commercial” writer, by others as a “literary” writer. Supposedly, commercial writing is more dependent on plot and easily fits into a genre category, while literary writing is more dependent on character.

Some authors now write novels that classify in more than one genre: romance/mystery or political/suspense. Some go even further, mixing genre and literary, like a novel I saw tagged as a “literary mystery.” The phrase “upmarket fiction” has been coined to describe character-driven fiction that appeals to a large audience.

What about “Christian” fiction? Obviously, it isn’t itself a genre since it includes many genres: romance, science fiction, mystery, crime and others. What qualifies a book as Christian? Is it a story in which one or more of the protagonists self-designates himself or herself as a Christian? Does it, then, include classics like The Brothers Karamazov?

While the whole publishing industry is roiled by ebooks and digital formats, the genre category also is up for grabs.