The Interestings

What's Bred in the Bone

Robertson Davies1985

A recording angel and a personal daemon narrate the life of Francis Cornish, from his strange childhood to art forgery and espionage.

Same wry register, still bildungsroman

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Frankie & Stankie

Barbara Trapido2003

A girl grows up in a liberal white family in South Africa during the rise of Apartheid. The story follows her from childhood to university.

Same wry register, still bildungsroman

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Reading in the Dark

Seamus Deane1996

A boy in 1940s Derry uncovers a secret about his uncle's disappearance. The narrative follows his family's silence during the Troubles.

wry → elegiac, still bildungsroman

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The Romantic

Barbara Gowdy2003

Louise Kirk spends decades obsessed with Abel, the boy next door. The story follows her from childhood through an adulthood defined by longing.

wry → elegiac, still bildungsroman

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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.

wry → sardonic

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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.

wry → propulsive

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Ten Big Ones

Janet Evanovich2004

Stephanie Plum witnesses a gang hit and becomes a target herself. She balances the threat with her ongoing romantic indecision.

pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1

Another fine myth

Robert Asprin1978

A magician's apprentice accidentally summons a demon from another dimension. The two form a partnership to navigate a series of mishaps.

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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.

wry → playful

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Child 44

Tom Rob Smith2008

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

wry → tense

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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.

wry → playful

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Absalom, Absalom!

William Faulkner1936

The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.

wry → elegiac

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My Absolute Darling

Gabriel Tallent2017

A fourteen-year-old girl living in isolation with her abusive father prepares for a physical struggle to escape him. It is a survival story.

wry → tense, still bildungsroman

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Bastard Out of Carolina

Dorothy Allison1995

A young girl grows up in poverty in 1950s South Carolina. She endures physical and sexual abuse from her stepfather while her mother looks away.

wry → bleak, still bildungsroman

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