After
Elmet
Fiona Mozley2017
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier
More like it
Same tense register
- pace0prose0bleak0
Schopenhauer's Telescope
Gerard Donovan2003
Two men stand over a grave in a war-torn village, debating history and philosophy. One is the prisoner digging; the other is his executioner.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Trust Exercise
Susan Choi2019
Students at a performing arts high school navigate a manipulative acting teacher. The narrative shifts perspective to reframe the first half.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Real Life
Brandon Taylor2020
A Black queer biochemistry student navigates a tense weekend of social and romantic friction at a Midwestern university.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak-1
In the Country of Men
Hisham Matar2006
A nine-year-old boy in 1979 Libya watches his mother's health decline while his father participates in dangerous anti-regime activities.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The Correspondent
Virginia Evans2025
An aging lawyer writes letters to friends, celebrities, and a secret recipient to process her life. Her routine is disrupted by a family crisis.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
Denser prose
tense → sardonic
- pace0prose+1bleak-1
As I Lay Dying
William Faulkner1915
The Bundren family travels by wagon to bury their matriarch. Fifteen different narrators describe the journey as the corpse decomposes.
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
- 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.
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.
tense → 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.
tense → 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.
tense → dreamlike
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
To recover
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
When I'm Gone
Abbi Glines2015
A Texas rancher visits Rosemary Beach and becomes involved with a local woman while navigating his family's rock star legacy.
tense → tender
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
Her Russian Billionaire: 50 Loving States, Texas
Theodora Taylor
A woman reunites with a wealthy Russian man she once knew, leading to the revelation of a child he did not know existed.
tense → playful
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
An Offer From a Gentleman
Julia Quinn2001
The illegitimate daughter of an earl works as a servant for her stepmother. She sneaks into a masquerade ball and meets Benedict Bridgerton.
tense → playful
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
Rich People Problems
Kevin Kwan2017
An extended family gathers in Singapore as their matriarch lies dying. They scheme against one another to inherit a massive estate.
tense → playful
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace0prose-2bleak-3
Royal Dad
Leanne Banks2001
An American tutor travels to a foreign kingdom to teach a young prince and enters a romantic relationship with his widowed father.
tense → warm
pace0·prose-2·bleak-3
Faster
- 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.
tense → playful
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-3
- 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.
Same tense register
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-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.
tense → sardonic
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-2
- 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.
tense → propulsive
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+2prose-2bleak-3
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
tense → wry
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-3
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.
tense → 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.
tense → elegiac
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.
tense → 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.
tense → bleak
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.
tense → elegiac
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
