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After

Waterland

Graham Swift1983

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • Spies

    Michael Frayn2002

    An elderly man recalls a summer in WWII London when he and a friend spied on a mother they suspected of being a German agent.

    Same elegiac register, still unreliable narrator

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    elegiac → propulsive

    pace+1·prose+1·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.

    elegiac → playful

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

  • 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.

    Same elegiac register, still unreliable narrator

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection

    Carol Burnett2010

    The comedian shares anecdotes from her career in television and film. The book is a series of short chronological reflections.

    elegiac → warm

    pace0·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Redshirts

    John Scalzi2012

    Low-ranking crew members on a starship realize they are disposable characters in a sci-fi television show. They attempt to escape their fate.

    elegiac → playful

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Fifty Shades of Grey

    E.L. James2000

    A college student enters a sexual contract with a wealthy businessman. The story focuses on their power dynamics and BDSM encounters.

    elegiac → earnest

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    elegiac → sardonic

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

  • 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.

    elegiac → propulsive

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2

  • The Martian

    Andy Weir2011

    A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.

    elegiac → wry

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Foster

    Claire Keegan1900

    A young girl from a crowded home is sent to live with a childless couple on an Irish farm. She experiences a different style of parenting.

    elegiac → tender, still domestic fiction

    pace-1·prose0·bleak-1

  • Absalom, Absalom!

    William Faulkner1936

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

    Same elegiac register, still unreliable narrator

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Holiday

    Stanley Middleton1974

    A schoolteacher stays at a seaside resort to evaluate his failing marriage through quiet observation and memory.

    elegiac → meditative, still domestic fiction

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Wide Sargasso Sea

    Jean Rhys1966

    A Creole heiress in 1830s Jamaica is married off to an Englishman. Her mental health declines as he isolates her in a strange land.

    elegiac → dreamlike, still gothic

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • Ethan Frome

    Edith Wharton1910

    A farmer trapped in a loveless marriage falls for his wife's cousin in a frozen New England town. A visiting engineer observes the aftermath.

    elegiac → bleak, still domestic fiction

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • I'll Go to Bed at Noon

    Gerard Woodward2004

    The Jones family spends a decade succumbing to alcoholism. The book tracks their physical and social disintegration in 1970s Britain.

    elegiac → bleak, still domestic fiction

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1