LitQueuelitqueue

After

A light comedy

Eduardo Mendoza2001

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

Same wry register, still historical mystery

1 more ↓

  • Murder on the Eiffel Tower

    Claude Izner2007

    A Parisian bookseller investigates a woman's death at the 1889 World's Fair to determine if it was a bee sting or murder.

    pace0·prose-1·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • American Psycho

    Bret Easton Ellis1991

    A wealthy investment banker details his daily routines, consumer habits, and graphic murders. The narrative is cold and repetitive.

    wry → cold, still satire

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2

  • Confidence-Man

    Herman Melville1949

    A series of masquerading figures board a Mississippi steamboat on April Fool's Day to test the faith and finances of their fellow passengers.

    wry → sardonic, still satire

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Amberes

    Roberto Bolaño2002

    A fragmented series of fifty-six short sections follows a police officer, a redhead, and a hunchback through a series of loosely linked crimes.

    wry → cold

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Rich People Problems

    Kevin Kwan2017

    An extended family gathers in Singapore as their matriarch lies dying. They scheme against one another to inherit a massive estate.

    wry → playful, still satire

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1

  • Pirate King

    Laurie R. King2011

    Mary Russell goes undercover on a silent film set in Morocco to investigate a series of crimes. Real pirates soon seize the production.

    Same wry register, still historical mystery

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Redshirts

    John Scalzi2012

    Low-ranking crew members on a starship realize they are disposable characters in a sci-fi television show. They attempt to escape their fate.

    wry → playful, still satire

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • The Housemaid's Secret

    Freida McFadden2023

    A housemaid with a criminal record takes a job for a wealthy couple. She becomes obsessed with the wife she is forbidden from seeing.

    wry → propulsive

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak0

  • Behind Closed Doors

    B.A. Paris2016

    A woman is held captive by her husband in a high-security home. She must find a way to escape before her sister moves in with them.

    wry → propulsive

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak0

  • Kiss the Girls

    James Patterson1995

    Detective Alex Cross tracks two serial killers operating on opposite coasts who are communicating and competing with one another.

    wry → tense

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak+1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Gödel, Escher, Bach

    Douglas R. Hofstadter1979

    An exploration of how cognition emerges from hidden neurological patterns. It uses math, art, and music to explain self-referential systems.

    wry → playful

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

  • Ulysses

    James Joyce1914

    Three characters wander through Dublin on a single day in 1904. Each chapter uses a different literary style to mimic thoughts and sensations.

    wry → playful

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

  • A maça no escuro

    Clarice Lispector1961

    A man flees into the Brazilian interior believing he killed his wife. He works on a remote farm while navigating his own internal monologue.

    wry → meditative

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Not Forever, But For Now

    Chuck Palahniuk2023

    Two brothers from a wealthy family of professional assassins spend their time watching nature documentaries and killing people.

    wry → sardonic, still satire

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+2

  • High-Rise

    J.G. Ballard

    Residents of a luxury apartment building descend into tribalism and violence. The social structure collapses floor by floor.

    wry → clinical, still satire

    pace0·prose0·bleak+2

  • Tokyo year zero

    David Peace2007

    In 1946 Tokyo, a detective hunts a serial killer while struggling with his own actions during the war. The prose is repetitive and rhythmic.

    wry → bleak, still historical mystery

    pace0·prose0·bleak+2