LitQueuelitqueue

After

Fugitive Pieces

Anne Michaels1996

5 of 6 directions open — nothing slower

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Gathering the Water

    Robert Edric2006

    In 1840s Yorkshire, a man oversees the flooding of a valley for a reservoir. He records the final days of a village and its remaining residents.

    Same elegiac register, still literary fiction

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

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

    elegiac → meditative

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

  • The Tin Drum

    Günter Grass1963

    A boy in 1920s Danzig decides to stop growing at age three. He observes the rise of Nazism and the war while screaming and playing a toy drum.

    elegiac → sardonic, still literary fiction

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak0

  • Doktor Faustus

    Thomas Mann1948

    A composer trades his soul for musical genius as his life and the rise of Nazi Germany are chronicled by a concerned friend.

    Same elegiac register, still historical fiction

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • The Score

    Elle Kennedy2016

    A college senior has a one-night stand with a hockey player to get over a breakup. They continue the arrangement as graduation approaches.

    elegiac → playful

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2

  • The Kaiju Preservation Society

    John Scalzi2022

    A food delivery driver joins a secret organization that travels to an alternate Earth to care for massive, dinosaur-like creatures.

    elegiac → playful, still found family

    pace+3·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Smokin' Seventeen

    Janet Evanovich2011

    A bounty hunter investigates bodies found in her boss's lot while choosing between three suitors. The story follows her daily mishaps in New Jersey.

    elegiac → playful

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

    Neil deGrasse Tyson2017

    A summary of the origin of the universe, the laws of physics, and the nature of space and time.

    elegiac → playful

    pace+3·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Steal Like an Artist

    Austin Kleon2012

    A series of short, illustrated principles for creative work. It focuses on remixing existing ideas and establishing productive daily habits.

    elegiac → playful

    pace+3·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Poke the Box

    Seth Godin2011

    A short manifesto encouraging readers to start projects and take initiative. It argues that the greatest risk is staying in place.

    elegiac → earnest

    pace+3·prose-2·bleak-2

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • The Painted Bird

    Jerzy Kosiński1965

    A young boy wanders through Eastern Europe during World War II, encountering extreme cruelty and superstition in rural villages.

    elegiac → bleak, still historical fiction

    pace+2·prose0·bleak+1

  • Mila 18

    Leon Uris1961

    Jewish resistance fighters in the Warsaw Ghetto organize an armed uprising against Nazi occupiers during World War II.

    elegiac → propulsive, still historical fiction

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak+1

  • This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen

    Tadeusz Borowski1967

    Short stories based on the author's time in Auschwitz. The narrator describes the daily logistics of the Holocaust with detached indifference.

    elegiac → cold, still historical fiction

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+1