After
In Search of Lost Time
Marcel Proust2001
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
4 of 6 directions open — nothing denser, nothing slower
More like it
Same meditative register, still philosophical fiction
- pace0prose0bleak+1
A Fable
William Faulkner1954
During WWI, a French corporal leads a mutiny that halts the fighting. The narrative mirrors the events of the Passion of Christ.
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose0bleak+1
The Magic Mountain
Thomas Mann2019
A man visits a Swiss sanatorium for three weeks and stays for seven years. The narrative focuses on philosophical debates among the patients.
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose-1bleak+1
Elizabeth Costello
J. M. Coetzee2003
An elderly novelist travels the world giving academic lectures on animals, realism, and evil. The book is structured as a series of formal speeches.
pace0·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace0prose-1bleak+1
Nausea
Jean-Paul. Satre1969
A historian living in a French port town becomes overwhelmed by the physical realization of his own existence and the world's indifference.
pace0·prose-1·bleak+1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
Tinkers
Paul Harding2009
An elderly clock repairman lies dying while his thoughts drift through his father's life as a peddler. The prose focuses on nature and mechanics.
Same meditative register
pace0·prose0·bleak0
To recover
- pace+3prose-3bleak-1
Steal Like an Artist
Austin Kleon2012
A series of short, illustrated principles for creative work. It focuses on remixing existing ideas and establishing productive daily habits.
meditative → playful
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
Big Magic
Elizabeth Gilbert2015
The author shares her philosophy on the creative process through personal anecdotes. It focuses on overcoming fear and pursuing curiosity.
meditative → warm
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
The time keeper
Mitch Albom2011
The inventor of the first clock is released from a cave to help two people in the modern world. He teaches them the value of their remaining time.
meditative → earnest
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
The Last Question
Isaac Asimov2007
A short story told in seven vignettes spanning billions of years. Humanity asks a supercomputer if the heat death of the universe can be avoided.
Same meditative register
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
Year zero
Reid, Robert2012
Aliens discover that Earth's music is the best in the galaxy and they owe humanity trillions in copyright fines.
meditative → playful
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
Faster
- pace+3prose-2bleak0
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.
meditative → sardonic, still philosophical fiction
pace+3·prose-2·bleak0
- pace+3prose-3bleak-1
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.
meditative → playful
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+3prose-2bleak+1
Child 44
Tom Rob Smith2008
A Soviet security officer investigates a serial killer in a state that officially claims murder does not exist.
meditative → tense
pace+3·prose-2·bleak+1
- pace+3prose-3bleak-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.
meditative → propulsive
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+3prose-3bleak-1
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
meditative → wry
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-1
Heavier
- pace+1prose-1bleak+2
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.
meditative → tense, still philosophical fiction
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+2
- pace+1prose0bleak+2
The Road
Cormac McCarthy2006
A father and son walk through a landscape of ash and scavengers toward the coast. They carry only what fits in a shopping cart.
meditative → bleak
pace+1·prose0·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-1bleak+2
The Underground Railroad
Colson Whitehead2016
Two slaves escape a Georgia plantation via a literal underground train system while being pursued by a slave catcher.
meditative → bleak
pace+2·prose-1·bleak+2
- pace+2prose-1bleak+2
Oryx and Crake
Margaret Atwood2003
A man survives a genetic apocalypse in a world of engineered creatures. He remembers his past with a scientist and the woman they both loved.
meditative → sardonic
pace+2·prose-1·bleak+2
- pace+1prose-1bleak+2
A Little Life
Hanya Yanagihara2015
Four friends in New York over thirty years. One of them is being destroyed, and the book does not look away.
meditative → bleak
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+2
