After
The Underground Railroad
Colson Whitehead2016
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Storm We Made
Vanessa Chan2024
A Malayan mother becomes a spy for the Japanese during WWII, leading to the occupation. Her children deal with the consequences years later.
Same bleak register, still historical fiction
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
Thomas Keneally1972
An Indigenous man in 1900s Australia is pushed to a breaking point by racist employers. He begins a violent rampage against white settlers.
Same bleak register, still historical fiction
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak0
Ironweed
William Kennedy1983
A homeless alcoholic returns to Albany in 1938. He encounters the ghosts of his past while trying to find a day of work and reconciliation.
bleak → elegiac, still historical fiction
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak0
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 historical fiction
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose0bleak0
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 historical fiction
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
Beloved
Toni Morrison1987
A mother in post-Civil War Ohio is haunted by the ghost of the daughter she killed to spare from slavery. The prose is dense and non-linear.
bleak → elegiac, still historical fiction
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace0prose+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, still historical fiction
pace0·prose+1·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+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 historical fiction
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-1prose+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 historical fiction
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+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-2·prose+1·bleak0
To recover
bleak → playful
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
The Kaiju Preservation Society
John Scalzi2022
A food delivery driver joins a secret organization that travels to an alternate Earth to care for massive, dinosaur-like creatures.
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace0prose-2bleak-3
Smokin' Seventeen
Janet Evanovich2011
A bounty hunter investigates bodies found in her boss's lot while choosing between three suitors. The story follows her daily mishaps in New Jersey.
pace0·prose-2·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
bleak → wry
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace-1prose-2bleak-3
The Comfort Book
Matt Haig2021
A collection of short reflections, lists, and anecdotes intended to provide mental support. It is a non-linear book of philosophy and memoir.
bleak → warm
pace-1·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
Odessa Sea
Clive Cussler2016
Dirk Pitt investigates a ghost ship in the Black Sea and discovers a conspiracy involving a lost Romanov secret. It is a high-speed adventure.
bleak → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
Faster
- pace+1prose-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+1·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-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
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
Candide
Voltaire
A naive young man travels the world while his tutor insists that everything is for the best. He encounters a series of global catastrophes.
bleak → sardonic
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-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.
bleak → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
bleak → wry
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
Slower
bleak → elegiac, still historical fiction
- pace-2prose+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.
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-2prose0bleak-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.
pace-2·prose0·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+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-2·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-2prose+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-2·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+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-2·prose+1·bleak0