Patchett is the editor of the 2006 volume of the anthology series "The Best American Short Stories". In 2011, she published "State of Wonder", a novel set in the Amazon jungle, which was shortlisted for the Orange Prize. In 2016 she published her novel "Commonwealth" to widespread critical acclaim. Patchett called the book her "autobiographical first novel," explaining, “The wonderful thing about publishing this book at 52 is that I know that I am capable of working from a place of deep imagination.”