After
A sport and a pastime
James Salter1967
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing denser
More like it
- pace0prose-1bleak0
The Overstory
Richard Powers2018
Nine strangers are connected by their unique relationships with trees. The narrative spans decades as they converge to protect a forest.
dreamlike → elegiac, still literary
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
- pace0prose-1bleak0
The Spinning Heart
Donal Ryan2001
Twenty-one different narrators describe the aftermath of the Irish financial crash in a small town. The story centers on a local construction boss.
dreamlike → elegiac, still literary
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
- pace0prose-1bleak0
Monkey grip
Helen Garner1977
A single mother in 1970s Melbourne navigates a series of communal living arrangements and a cycle of unrequited love.
dreamlike → meditative, still literary
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak0
The Blackwater Lightship
Colm Tóibín1999
Three generations of Irish women reunite in a coastal house to care for a man dying of AIDS. They confront years of estrangement and silence.
dreamlike → tender, still literary
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
To recover
dreamlike → playful
- pace+1prose-3bleak-2
Seducing Cinderella
Gina L. Maxwell2012
An orthopedic surgeon asks her brother's best friend, an MMA fighter, to help her become more confident. They enter a physical arrangement.
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-3bleak-2
Beautiful Bastard
Christina Lauren2013
An MBA intern and her demanding media executive boss engage in a series of sexual encounters while competing at work. It is an erotic romance.
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-3bleak-2
Rock Me
Cherrie Lynn2010
Candace visits her cousin's ex-boyfriend for a tattoo and begins a sexual relationship with him. The story focuses on their physical chemistry.
dreamlike → tender
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-3bleak-2
The One Night Stand Before Christmas
Jana Aston
A woman has a one-night stand with a man she later discovers is her new boss during the holiday season.
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-3bleak-2
Here Be Sexist Vampires
Suzanne Wright2013
A female vampire enters a male-dominated pack and challenges their hierarchy while being pursued by their leader.
dreamlike → sardonic
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2
Faster
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
Dial A for Aunties
Jesse Q. Sutanto2021
A photographer accidentally kills her blind date. Her mother and aunties help hide the body during a massive luxury wedding.
dreamlike → playful
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-2bleak0
Child 44
Tom Rob Smith2008
A Soviet security officer investigates a serial killer in a state that officially claims murder does not exist.
dreamlike → tense
pace+2·prose-2·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-2bleak-1
Candide
Voltaire
A naive young man travels the world while his tutor insists that everything is for the best. He encounters a series of global catastrophes.
dreamlike → sardonic
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown2003
A symbologist and a cryptologist flee the police while solving puzzles hidden in art. They search for a secret regarding the Holy Grail.
dreamlike → propulsive
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
dreamlike → wry
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
Slower
- pace-1prose-1bleak0
A Passage North
Anuk Arudpragasam2021
Krishan travels by train from Colombo to a funeral in northern Sri Lanka. He spends the journey reflecting on a past love and the civil war.
dreamlike → meditative, still literary
pace-1·prose-1·bleak0
- pace-1prose-1bleak-1
My Brilliant Friend
Chiara Lagani2023
A graphic novel adaptation of Elena Ferrante's story about two girls growing up in a poor neighborhood in 1950s Naples.
dreamlike → elegiac, still literary
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose-1bleak-2
- pace-1prose0bleak-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.
dreamlike → playful
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
Absalom, Absalom!
William Faulkner1936
The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.
dreamlike → elegiac
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
Heavier
- pace0prose-1bleak+1
Bewilderment
Richard Powers2021
An astrobiologist uses experimental neurofeedback to treat his son's emotional outbursts while they mourn the boy's mother.
dreamlike → elegiac, still literary
pace0·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace0prose0bleak+1
The Road
Cormac McCarthy2006
A father and son walk through a landscape of ash and scavengers toward the coast. They carry only what fits in a shopping cart.
dreamlike → bleak, still literary
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak+1
The Association of Small Bombs
Karan Mahajan2016
The narrative follows the victims, survivors, and perpetrators of a terrorist bombing in Delhi. It examines the long-term psychological fallout.
dreamlike → bleak, still literary
pace0·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace+1prose-1bleak+1
Because They Never Do
Patrick Erin Monaghan2002
dreamlike → tense, still literary
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace+1prose-1bleak+1
The Underground Railroad
Colson Whitehead2016
Two slaves escape a Georgia plantation via a literal underground train system while being pursued by a slave catcher.
dreamlike → bleak
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1
