After
American Psycho
Bret Easton Ellis1991
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
4 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier, nothing denser
More like it
- pace0prose-1bleak0
The Shards
Bret Easton Ellis
A fictionalized version of the author recalls his senior year of high school in 1981 as a serial killer begins operating in Los Angeles.
Same cold register, still psychological horror
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
- pace0prose-1bleak0
The Collector
John Fowles1963
A lonely clerk kidnaps a student and locks her in his cellar. The narrative shifts between his perspective and hers as he waits for her love.
Same cold register, still psychological horror
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Nouvelles histoires extraordinaires (Berenice / Black Cat / Cask of Amontillado / Colloquy of Monos and Una / Conversation of Eiros and Charmi / Devil in the Belfry / Fall of the House of Usher / Four Beasts in One / Hop-Frog / Imp of the Perverse / Island of the Fay / King Pest / Lionizing / Man of the Crowd / Masque of the Red Death / Oval Portrait / Pit and the Pendulum / Power of Words / Shadow / Silence / Some Words with a Mummy / Tell-Tale Heart / William Wilson)
Edgar Allan Poe1857
A collection of gothic tales focusing on obsession, guilt, and the macabre. Many stories feature unreliable narrators and doppelgängers.
cold → dreamlike, still psychological horror
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
The Museum of Dr. Moses
Joyce Carol Oates2007
A collection of dark short stories focusing on domestic violence, mental instability, and the macabre secrets of small-town residents.
Same cold register, still unreliable narrator
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner
James Hogg1824
A religious fanatic becomes convinced he is predestined for salvation and commits crimes at the behest of a mysterious stranger.
Same cold register, still psychological horror
pace0·prose0·bleak0
To recover
cold → playful, still satire
- pace+1prose-3bleak-3
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.
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-3bleak-3
Year zero
Reid, Robert2012
Aliens discover that Earth's music is the best in the galaxy and they owe humanity trillions in copyright fines.
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-3bleak-3
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Sophie Kinsella2001
A financial journalist hides her mounting debt while continuing to shop compulsively. She eventually writes a career-defining expose.
cold → playful
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-3bleak-3
The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek
Rhett McLaughlin2019
Two friends investigate a reform school in 1990s North Carolina after a classmate disappears. It is a mystery involving local conspiracies.
cold → playful
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-3bleak-3
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.
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
Faster
- pace+2prose-3bleak-3
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.
cold → propulsive
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
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.
cold → propulsive, still unreliable narrator
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
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.
cold → propulsive
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
Kiss the Girls
James Patterson1995
Detective Alex Cross tracks two serial killers operating on opposite coasts who are communicating and competing with one another.
cold → tense
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
Verity
Colleen Hoover2018
A ghostwriter moves into a secluded estate to finish a series for an injured author and finds a hidden, disturbing autobiography.
cold → tense, still unreliable narrator
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
Slower
- pace-1prose0bleak-2
Blood on the dining-room floor
Gertrude Stein1948
A repetitive, circular narrative about a death in a country house. It uses experimental prose to obscure the facts of a traditional mystery.
cold → playful
pace-1·prose0·bleak-2
- pace-1prose-2bleak-3
The miracle at Speedy Motors
Alexander McCall Smith2008
Mma Ramotswe helps a woman find her long-lost family in Botswana. The story follows small domestic complications and slow-paced investigations.
cold → warm
pace-1·prose-2·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose0bleak-1
Dhalgren
Samuel R. Delany1975
An amnesiac wanderer enters Bellona, a city cut off from the world where time and geography shift. He joins a gang and writes poetry.
cold → dreamlike, still unreliable narrator
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
- pace-1prose0bleak-3
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.
cold → playful
pace-1·prose0·bleak-3
- pace-1prose0bleak-2
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.
cold → playful
pace-1·prose0·bleak-2
