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After

The Woods

Harlan Coben1849

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • The Good Daughter

    Karin Slaughter2017

    Two sisters who survived a home invasion as children are reunited by a new shooting in their hometown. One is now a defense attorney.

    propulsive → tense, still legal thriller

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Blood on the dining-room floor

    Gertrude Stein1948

    A repetitive, circular narrative about a death in a country house. It uses experimental prose to obscure the facts of a traditional mystery.

    propulsive → playful

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

  • The Doves Necklace

    Raja Alem2014

    A detective investigates an unidentified woman's body found in a Mecca alleyway. The city itself narrates parts of the story.

    propulsive → dreamlike

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+1

  • American Psycho

    Bret Easton Ellis1991

    A wealthy investment banker details his daily routines, consumer habits, and graphic murders. The narrative is cold and repetitive.

    propulsive → cold

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Bloom

    Kelle Hampton2012

    A mother recounts the first year of her daughter's life following a Down syndrome diagnosis. The book includes personal essays and photography.

    propulsive → tender

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

  • To Sir Phillip, With Love

    Julia Quinn2003

    Eloise Bridgerton travels to meet a widowed baronet she has only known through letters. They consider a marriage of convenience.

    propulsive → warm

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

  • Everything Beautiful in Its Time

    Jenna Bush Hager2020

    The author reflects on the lives and deaths of her grandparents, including a former President and First Lady. It is a series of personal essays.

    propulsive → warm

    pace-1·prose0·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • The Firm

    John Grisham1991

    A young lawyer joins a high-paying law firm only to discover it is a front for the mob and the FBI wants him to inform on them.

    Same propulsive register, still legal thriller

    pace+1·prose0·bleak0

  • Behind Closed Doors

    B.A. Paris2016

    A woman is held captive by her husband in a high-security home. She must find a way to escape before her sister moves in with them.

    Same propulsive register, still psychological thriller

    pace+1·prose0·bleak0

  • You

    Caroline Kepnes2014

    A bookstore manager becomes obsessed with a customer and uses social media to orchestrate a relationship. He removes obstacles through murder.

    propulsive → sardonic, still psychological thriller

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Gödel, Escher, Bach

    Douglas R. Hofstadter1979

    An exploration of how cognition emerges from hidden neurological patterns. It uses math, art, and music to explain self-referential systems.

    propulsive → playful

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak-1

  • 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.

    propulsive → playful

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

  • A maça no escuro

    Clarice Lispector1961

    A man flees into the Brazilian interior believing he killed his wife. He works on a remote farm while navigating his own internal monologue.

    propulsive → meditative

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1

Heavier

propulsive → tense, still psychological thriller

3 more ↓

  • Shutter Island

    Dennis Lehane2003

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+2

  • The Wasp Factory

    Iain Banks1984

    A teenager living on a remote island performs violent rituals while waiting for his brother to return from an asylum.

    propulsive → cold, still psychological thriller

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

  • Birdman

    Mo Hayder1999

    Detective Jack Caffery hunts a serial killer in London who performs surgical procedures on his victims while they are alive.

    propulsive → bleak, still psychological thriller

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2