After
Independent people
Halldór Laxness1946
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier
More like it
Same sardonic register, still historical fiction
- pace0prose0bleak-1
An Insular Possession
Timothy Mo1986
Two American journalists witness the First Opium War in 19th-century Canton. The story is told through letters, newspaper articles, and reports.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose-1bleak0
Not so quiet
Helen Zenna Smith1930
A woman drives an ambulance on the French front during WWI. She documents the physical gore and her resentment toward the patriotic civilians at home.
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The Blind Assassin
Margaret Atwood2000
An elderly woman reflects on her sister's suicide in 1945. The book contains a novel-within-a-novel that mirrors their family history.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The Flamethrowers
Rachel Kushner2013
A woman moves to the 1970s New York art scene before traveling to Italy during a period of radical political unrest. She navigates love and speed.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Earthly Powers
Anthony Burgess1980
An elderly writer recounts his life through the 20th century, crossing paths with famous figures and his priest brother-in-law.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
Denser prose
- 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.
sardonic → propulsive, still historical fiction
pace+1·prose+1·bleak0
- 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.
sardonic → elegiac, still historical fiction
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- 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.
Same sardonic register, still historical fiction
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
- 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.
sardonic → 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.
sardonic → dreamlike
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
To recover
sardonic → playful
- pace+2prose-2bleak-3
To the nines
Janet Evanovich2003
A bounty hunter travels to Las Vegas to track down a missing person while being targeted by a serial killer. The tone is comedic.
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
Minx
Julia Quinn1996
A woman who manages a country estate in breeches clashes with the distant cousin who inherits the property and her guardianship.
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
Arrogant Devil
R.S. Grey2018
A woman fleeing her husband takes a job as a housekeeper on a Texas ranch. She must work for the owner's abrasive, wealthy brother.
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
Real Vampires Have Curves
Gerry Bartlett2007
A vampire business owner in Austin is targeted by a hunter. She tries to master her own supernatural powers while managing a complicated romance.
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door
Lucy Score
A reluctant psychic teams up with a private investigator to solve a murder in her apartment building. It is a comedic mystery with a romance.
pace+1·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.
sardonic → 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.
sardonic → tense
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.
Same sardonic register
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.
sardonic → 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.
sardonic → wry
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-3
Slower
sardonic → elegiac, still historical fiction
- 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.
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.
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- 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.
sardonic → playful
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2
- 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.
sardonic → 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.
sardonic → bleak
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
