LitQueuelitqueue

After

Door of Bruises

Sierra Simone2020

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty

    Akwaeke Emezi2022

    A widow five years into her grief begins a new romance, only to develop feelings for her partner's father.

    tense → tender, still contemporary romance

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

Denser prose

2 more ↓

  • Madame Bovary

    Gustave Flaubert1856

    A doctor's wife in provincial France seeks escape from her mundane life through expensive tastes and extramarital affairs.

    Same tense register

    pace0·prose+1·bleak0

  • Paradise Logic

    Sophie Kemp2025

    A young woman follows advice from a magazine to become a perfect partner. Her quest involves surreal jobs and messages from the beyond.

    tense → epic

    pace0·prose+1·bleak0

To recover

Same tense register, still erotic romance

3 more ↓

  • Fever

    Maya Banks2013

    A man who usually shares sexual partners with his best friend becomes obsessively possessive over a new woman, straining their bond.

    tense → earnest, still erotic romance

    pace0·prose-2·bleak-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.

    tense → playful, still erotic romance

    pace0·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Backstage Pass

    Olivia Cunning2010

    A psychologist joins a heavy metal band's tour to help their guitarist find his inspiration. Their relationship is primarily sexual.

    tense → playful, still erotic romance

    pace0·prose-2·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Victory at Prescott High

    C.M. Stunich

    A high school girl seeks revenge against the boys who bullied her while navigating a complex relationship with all of them at once.

    tense → propulsive, still contemporary romance

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1

  • Quantum Radio

    A.G. Riddle2023

    A scientist at CERN discovers a signal from a parallel universe. He must flee a conspiracy while exploring the implications of the data.

    tense → propulsive

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1

  • Savage Prince

    Meghan March2018

    A powerful man in the New Orleans underworld becomes obsessed with a woman and pursues her despite the danger of his lifestyle.

    tense → propulsive

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    tense → playful

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak-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.

    tense → elegiac

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

    A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

    tense → meditative

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • The Last Letter

    Rebecca Yarros2019

    A soldier returns from war to help his deceased friend's sister raise her twins in Colorado. The story is told through letters and prose.

    tense → elegiac, still contemporary romance

    pace0·prose-1·bleak+1

  • Wuthering Heights

    Emily Brontë1846

    Two families on the Yorkshire moors deal with the arrival and subsequent revenge of an adopted orphan. The story is told through nested narrators.

    tense → bleak

    pace-1·prose0·bleak+1

  • A Farewell to Arms

    Ernest Hemingway1929

    An American ambulance driver and a British nurse conduct a love affair during the Italian campaign of World War I.

    tense → elegiac

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak+1