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After

Colored Television

Danzy Senna2024

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • The Autograph Man

    Molle Kanmert Sjölander2002

    Alex-Li Tandem is a London autograph dealer obsessed with celebrity. He travels to New York to find a reclusive 1950s film star.

    satirical → sardonic, still satire

    pace0·prose+1·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • The Canterbury Tales

    Geoffrey Chaucer

    A group of pilgrims travel to Canterbury and hold a storytelling contest. The stories range from courtly romances to crude comedies.

    satirical → playful, still satire

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

  • A Brief History of Seven Killings

    Marlon James2014

    A large cast of characters recounts the 1976 attempt on Bob Marley's life. The narrative spans decades and moves from Jamaica to New York.

    satirical → propulsive

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+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.

    satirical → playful

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

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.

    satirical → playful, still satire

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Party of Two

    Jasmine Guillory2020

    A lawyer starts a new firm in LA and begins a secret affair with a high-profile politician. They deal with public scrutiny and racial dynamics.

    satirical → warm

    pace0·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.

    satirical → playful, still satire

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Get Jiro!

    Anthony Bourdain2012

    In a future Los Angeles, master chefs rule as warlords. A sushi chef who kills rude customers is caught between two warring food factions.

    satirical → sardonic, still satire

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

  • Child 44

    Tom Rob Smith2008

    A Soviet security officer investigates a serial killer in a state that officially claims murder does not exist.

    satirical → tense

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+1

  • Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits

    David Wong2015

    A young woman inherits her estranged father's criminal empire in a lawless future city. She must survive assassins using high-tech gadgets.

    satirical → sardonic, still satire

    pace+1·prose0·bleak0

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Absalom, Absalom!

    William Faulkner1936

    The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.

    satirical → elegiac

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+2

  • Umbrella

    Will Self2013

    A psychiatrist in 1971 treats a woman who has been catatonic for decades. The prose shifts between eras and consciousnesses without paragraph breaks.

    satirical → clinical

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

  • Translated Accounts

    James Kelman2001

    Anonymous witnesses describe life under a military regime. The prose uses broken, bureaucratic syntax to mimic a literal translation.

    satirical → bleak

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+2

Heavier

satirical → sardonic, still satire

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    satirical → bleak

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

  • The Underground Railroad

    Colson Whitehead2016

    Two slaves escape a Georgia plantation via a literal underground train system while being pursued by a slave catcher.

    satirical → bleak

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2

  • Oryx and Crake

    Margaret Atwood2003

    A man survives a genetic apocalypse in a world of engineered creatures. He remembers his past with a scientist and the woman they both loved.

    satirical → sardonic

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2