After
Othello
William Shakespeare
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
4 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier, nothing denser
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
Prophet Song
Paul Lynch2023
A mother struggles to keep her family together in Dublin as Ireland descends into a totalitarian police state. The prose uses no paragraph breaks.
Same tense register
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Macbeth
William Shakespeare
A Scottish general kills his king to take the throne after hearing a prophecy. His guilt and paranoia lead to a series of additional murders.
Same tense register, still tragedy
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose-1bleak0
The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
Thomas Keneally1972
An Indigenous man in 1900s Australia is pushed to a breaking point by racist employers. He begins a violent rampage against white settlers.
tense → bleak, still tragedy
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
- pace0prose-2bleak-1
The Crucible
Arthur Miller1953
A play set during the Salem witch trials. A village turns on itself as accusations of witchcraft lead to public trials and executions.
Same tense register, still tragedy
pace0·prose-2·bleak-1
1 more ↓ ↑
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Home Fire
Kamila Shamsie2017
Three British Muslim siblings deal with the fallout of their father's jihadi legacy. One sister tries to save her brother from a similar path.
Same tense register
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
To recover
- pace0prose-3bleak-3
Fifty Shades Freed
E.L. James2011
The final entry in a trilogy following a newly married couple as they navigate their erotic life and a threat from the past.
tense → earnest
pace0·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace0prose-3bleak-3
Frigid
J. Lynn2013
Two college best friends get snowed in at a ski resort. They must confront their attraction while sharing a single bed.
tense → playful
pace0·prose-3·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
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RoomHate
Penelope Ward2016
A woman returns to her childhood home and must share it with her former best friend. They navigate past betrayals and current attraction.
tense → warm
pace0·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace0prose-3bleak-3
Reckless
S.C. Stephens2013
A woman navigates her committed relationship with a rock star as his band's fame and the pressures of touring intensify.
tense → earnest
pace0·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace0prose-3bleak-3
Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell
M.C. Beaton
Agatha Raisin is the prime suspect when her husband vanishes after a public fight. She investigates his disappearance to clear her name.
tense → wry
pace0·prose-3·bleak-3
Faster
- pace+1prose-3bleak-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+1·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-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.
Same tense register
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-2bleak-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+1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-3bleak-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+1·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-3bleak-3
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
tense → wry
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
Slower
- pace-2prose0bleak-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-2·prose0·bleak-2
- pace-2prose0bleak0
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-2·prose0·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose0bleak-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-2·prose0·bleak-1
- pace-2prose0bleak0
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-2·prose0·bleak0
- pace-2prose-1bleak-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-2·prose-1·bleak-1
