After
The Keepers of Truth
Michael Collins2000
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Due to a Death
Mary Theresa Coolican Kelly1962
A woman in a bleak coastal village recalls the events leading up to a local girl's death while fearing her husband's involvement.
bleak → elegiac, still noir
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Mars Room
Rachel Kushner2018
A mother begins two life sentences in a California women's prison. The book depicts the daily violence and institutional absurdity of incarceration.
Same bleak register, still unreliable narrator
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Confessions of Nat Turner
William Styron1967
A fictionalized confession of the leader of an 1831 slave revolt while he awaits execution in a Virginia jail cell.
Same bleak register, still unreliable narrator
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Lighthouse
Alison Moore2012
A recently separated man takes a walking tour of Germany while reflecting on his childhood abandonment and his failing marriage.
Same bleak register, still unreliable narrator
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
No Country for Young Men
Julia O'Faolain1980
A family in 1970s Ireland deals with the fallout of a visit from an American relative. The story uncovers secrets from the 1920s Civil War.
Same bleak register, still unreliable narrator
pace0·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace0prose+1bleak0
The Sound and the Fury
William Faulkner1929
The decline of a Southern family told through four perspectives, including a non-linear stream of consciousness from a man with a disability.
bleak → elegiac, still unreliable narrator
pace0·prose+1·bleak0
- pace0prose+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.
bleak → sardonic, still unreliable narrator
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose+1bleak0
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.
bleak → propulsive
pace+1·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-1prose+1bleak-2
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.
bleak → playful
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace0prose+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.
bleak → dreamlike, still unreliable narrator
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
To recover
bleak → propulsive, still mystery
- pace+2prose-2bleak-3
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.
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
Dream Park
Steven Barnes1981
A security chief investigates a real death during a high-stakes holographic role-playing game. The story tracks the game mechanics and the murder.
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
Hot mahogany
Stuart Woods2008
A lawyer guards a former spy with amnesia who restores antique furniture. They uncover a conspiracy linked to the man's service in Vietnam.
bleak → wry, still mystery
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+2prose-2bleak-3
Artemis
Andy Weir2017
A porter and smuggler on a lunar colony takes a high-stakes sabotage job to pay off a debt. She uses technical knowledge to solve problems.
bleak → propulsive
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
Two for the dough
Janet Evanovich1996
An inexperienced bounty hunter tracks a man who jumped bail for shooting his friend. She competes with a vice cop to find him first.
bleak → playful, still mystery
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
Faster
- pace+2prose-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.
bleak → tense, still noir
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-2bleak-3
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.
bleak → playful
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-2bleak-2
Angels & Demons
Dan Brown2000
A symbologist and a scientist race through Rome to stop an ancient secret society from destroying the Vatican. It takes place over 24 hours.
bleak → propulsive, still mystery
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-1bleak-2
The Demolished Man
Alfred Bester1953
In a future where telepathic police make premeditated crime impossible, a businessman plans a murder. He uses a catchy song to block his thoughts.
bleak → propulsive, still noir
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-2bleak-2
Tell No One
Harlan Coben2000
A widower receives an email from his wife eight years after her murder. He flees the FBI to discover if she is still alive.
bleak → propulsive, still mystery
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2
Slower
- pace-1prose+1bleak-2
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.
bleak → playful
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
Absalom, Absalom!
William Faulkner1936
The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.
bleak → elegiac, still unreliable narrator
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
Umbrella
Will Self2013
A psychiatrist in 1971 treats a woman who has been catatonic for decades. The prose shifts between eras and consciousnesses without paragraph breaks.
bleak → clinical
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
Translated Accounts
James Kelman2001
Anonymous witnesses describe life under a military regime. The prose uses broken, bureaucratic syntax to mimic a literal translation.
Same bleak register
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak-1
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.
bleak → elegiac
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
