LitQueuelitqueue

After

Sophie’s Choice

William Styron1979

5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Stones from the River

    Ursula Hegi1994

    A woman with dwarfism living in a small German town observes the rise of Nazism. She collects the town's secrets and hides Jews in her cellar.

    Same elegiac register, still historical fiction

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • 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

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

  • 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 unreliable narrator

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

  • No Archive Will Restore You

    Julietta Singh2018

    The author examines the history of her own body through the lens of race, desire, and pain. It is a collection of fragments and academic theory.

    elegiac → meditative

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2

To recover

3 more ↓

  • On Dublin Street

    Samantha Young2012

    An American woman in Scotland enters a sex-only arrangement with her roommate's brother to avoid emotional intimacy. It is a contemporary romance.

    elegiac → warm

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3

  • Night Pleasures

    Sherrilyn Kenyon2002

    An immortal warrior and a skeptical accountant are handcuffed together while being hunted by supernatural predators.

    elegiac → playful

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3

  • Honeysuckle Summer

    Sherryl Woods2010

    A woman with severe anxiety and agoraphobia after an abusive marriage finds support from a local deputy. He helps her re-enter the world.

    elegiac → warm

    pace0·prose-2·bleak-3

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+2·prose-2·bleak-3

  • 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+2·prose-2·bleak-3

  • 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+2·prose-2·bleak-3

Slower

3 more ↓

  • A river runs through it

    Norman Maclean1976

    A man recalls his youth in 1920s Montana. He and his brother bond with their father through the technical details of fly fishing.

    Same elegiac register, still historical fiction

    pace-1·prose0·bleak-1

  • Fugitive Pieces

    Anne Michaels1996

    A Jewish boy rescued from Nazi-occupied Poland is raised in Greece and Canada. The prose follows his life and the lives of those he touches.

    Same elegiac register, still historical fiction

    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.

    elegiac → meditative

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2