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After

Ligeia

Edgar Allan Poe2004

5 of 6 directions open — nothing denser

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Rouge

    Mona Awad2023

    A woman obsessed with skincare returns home after her mother's death and enters a surreal, cult-like spa. The narrative is dreamlike and gothic.

    Same dreamlike register, still gothic

    pace0·prose-1·bleak0

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.

    dreamlike → playful

    pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2

  • Walking Disaster

    Jamie McGuire2013

    This novel retells the events of 'Beautiful Disaster' from the perspective of Travis Maddox. It follows his college years and obsession with Abby.

    dreamlike → propulsive

    pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2

  • This Man

    Jodi Ellen Malpas2013

    An interior designer begins an affair with a wealthy client who demands total control over her life and schedule.

    dreamlike → tense

    pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • The Rising

    Brian Keene2003

    A father travels across an apocalypse where the dead are possessed by malevolent, intelligent demons. The world is ending permanently.

    dreamlike → bleak

    pace+2·prose-3·bleak+1

  • Shattered

    Dean Koontz1973

    A man and his future stepson drive across America while being stalked by the woman's vengeful ex-husband.

    dreamlike → tense

    pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1

  • The Executioner

    Chris Carter2010

    A Los Angeles detective hunts a serial killer who murders victims using their specific phobias. Each crime scene features a blood-scrawled number.

    dreamlike → tense

    pace+2·prose-3·bleak0

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.

    dreamlike → playful

    pace-1·prose0·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.

    dreamlike → elegiac, still unreliable narrator

    pace-1·prose0·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.

    dreamlike → meditative

    pace-1·prose0·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Zombie

    Joyce Carol Oates1995

    A serial killer keeps a diary of his attempts to create a lobotomized slave. The prose mimics his fractured, clinical thought process.

    dreamlike → clinical, still psychological horror

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1

  • A Head Full of Ghosts

    Paul G. Tremblay2015

    A camera crew films a family whose daughter exhibits signs of possession. The story is told through the sister's memory and the footage.

    dreamlike → tense, still psychological horror

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak+1

  • Silent Children

    Ramsey Campbell2000

    A man discovers his father may have been a child killer, leading him into a confrontation with the past and a current threat.

    dreamlike → bleak, still psychological horror

    pace0·prose-1·bleak+1