LitQueuelitqueue

After

Good Behaviour

Molly Keane1981

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

Same sardonic register, still satire

1 more ↓

  • The Testament of Mary

    Colm Tóibín2012

    Mary lives in exile years after her son's crucifixion. She recounts the events leading to his death while refusing to validate the Gospel accounts.

    sardonic → elegiac, still historical fiction

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

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.

    sardonic → elegiac, still historical fiction

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • This Other Eden

    Paul Harding2023

    A multiracial community on a small island off the coast of Maine faces forced displacement by state officials in the early 20th century.

    sardonic → elegiac, still historical fiction

    pace0·prose+1·bleak0

  • 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.

    sardonic → playful

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Her Russian Billionaire: 50 Loving States, Texas

    Theodora Taylor

    A woman reunites with a wealthy Russian man she once knew, leading to the revelation of a child he did not know existed.

    sardonic → playful

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

  • An Offer From a Gentleman

    Julia Quinn2001

    The illegitimate daughter of an earl works as a servant for her stepmother. She sneaks into a masquerade ball and meets Benedict Bridgerton.

    sardonic → playful

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Royal Dad

    Leanne Banks2001

    An American tutor travels to a foreign kingdom to teach a young prince and enters a romantic relationship with his widowed father.

    sardonic → warm

    pace0·prose-2·bleak-2

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.

    Same sardonic register, still satire

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1

  • Child 44

    Tom Rob Smith2008

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

    sardonic → tense

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak0

  • 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.

    sardonic → propulsive

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2

Slower

sardonic → elegiac, still historical fiction

3 more ↓

  • The English Patient

    Michael Ondaatje1992

    Four people shelter in a ruined Italian villa at the end of WWII. They care for a burned, anonymous man who recounts his past in the desert.

    pace-1·prose0·bleak0

  • 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.

    sardonic → playful

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

  • Lila

    Marilynne Robinson2014

    A woman with a traumatic, nomadic past settles in a small Iowa town and marries a minister. She struggles to reconcile her history with his faith.

    sardonic → tender, still historical fiction

    pace-1·prose0·bleak-1

Heavier

sardonic → bleak, still historical fiction

3 more ↓

  • The Known World

    Edward P. Jones2003

    A black man who was once a slave becomes a slave owner in antebellum Virginia. The story follows the fallout on the plantation after his death.

    sardonic → meditative, still historical fiction

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • A Long Long Way

    Sebastian Barry2005

    A young Irishman joins the British Army to fight in the trenches of World War I while his home country moves toward rebellion.

    sardonic → elegiac, still historical fiction

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • Brotherless Night

    V. V. Ganeshananthan2023

    A young woman in Sri Lanka tries to study medicine while her brothers join militant groups during the civil war. It covers a decade of conflict.

    sardonic → elegiac, still historical fiction

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1