After
Gilead
Marilynne Robinson2004
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing slower
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak+1
From A to X
John Berger2008
A woman writes letters to her lover, a political prisoner in an unnamed country. She describes her daily life while he writes notes in the margins.
Same meditative register, still epistolary
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace+1prose0bleak0
To The Bright Edge of the World
Eowyn Ivey2016
An 1885 Alaskan expedition is documented through journals and letters. The narrative alternates between the wilderness and the home front.
Same meditative register, still epistolary
pace+1·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Orbital
Samantha Harvey2024
Six astronauts orbit Earth over twenty-four hours. The narrative focuses on their routine tasks and observations of the planet below.
Same meditative register
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace+1prose0bleak+1
The Underground Man
Mick Jackson1997
The eccentric Duke of Portland spends his wealth building a massive network of tunnels. He records his physical decline and isolation.
Same meditative register, still epistolary
pace+1·prose0·bleak+1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Walden
Henry David Thoreau1854
A man lives in a small cabin by a pond for two years. He records his daily expenses, the local wildlife, and his thoughts on solitude.
Same meditative register
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
Denser prose
meditative → sardonic
- pace+1prose+1bleak+1
As I Lay Dying
William Faulkner1915
The Bundren family travels by wagon to bury their matriarch. Fifteen different narrators describe the journey as the corpse decomposes.
pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace+1prose+1bleak+1
Gravity's Rainbow
Thomas Pynchon1973
During the end of WWII, an American lieutenant's sexual encounters seem to predict where German V-2 rockets will fall. The narrative is fragmented.
pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose+1bleak+2
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.
meditative → propulsive
pace+2·prose+1·bleak+2
- pace0prose+1bleak0
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.
meditative → playful
pace0·prose+1·bleak0
- pace+1prose+1bleak+1
Briefing for a Descent into Hell
Doris Lessing1971
A man is found wandering London and placed in a psychiatric ward. The narrative shifts between the hospital and his internal cosmic hallucinations.
meditative → dreamlike
pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1
To recover
- pace+3prose-2bleak-1
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.
meditative → propulsive
pace+3·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-2bleak-1
You Can Heal Your Life
Louise L. Hay1984
The author argues that physical illness is caused by mental patterns and provides affirmations to change one's internal dialogue.
meditative → warm
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-2bleak-1
Hot on her heels
Susan Mallery2009
A female deputy protects her friends from a man seeking revenge on their father. The two antagonists find themselves physically attracted.
meditative → warm
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-2bleak-1
Simply Irresistible
Rachel Gibson1998
A runaway bride escapes her wedding with a professional hockey player. They spend a night together that leads to a surprise pregnancy.
meditative → playful
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-2bleak-1
On a Pale Horse
Piers Anthony1983
After accidentally killing the personification of Death, a man must take over the office. He navigates the bureaucracy of the afterlife.
meditative → playful
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1
Faster
- pace+3prose-2bleak-1
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.
meditative → playful
pace+3·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+3prose-1bleak+1
Child 44
Tom Rob Smith2008
A Soviet security officer investigates a serial killer in a state that officially claims murder does not exist.
meditative → tense
pace+3·prose-1·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+3prose-1bleak0
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.
meditative → sardonic
pace+3·prose-1·bleak0
- pace+3prose-2bleak-1
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.
meditative → propulsive
pace+3·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+3prose-2bleak-1
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
meditative → wry
pace+3·prose-2·bleak-1
Heavier
- pace+1prose0bleak+2
We need to talk about Kevin
Lionel Shriver2003
A mother writes letters to her husband after their teenage son commits a school shooting. She examines her own coldness and their family history.
meditative → cold, still epistolary
pace+1·prose0·bleak+2
- pace+1prose+1bleak+2
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.
meditative → bleak
pace+1·prose+1·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose0bleak+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.
meditative → bleak
pace+2·prose0·bleak+2
- pace+2prose0bleak+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.
meditative → sardonic
pace+2·prose0·bleak+2
- pace+1prose0bleak+2
A Little Life
Hanya Yanagihara2015
Four friends in New York over thirty years. One of them is being destroyed, and the book does not look away.
meditative → bleak
pace+1·prose0·bleak+2
