LitQueuelitqueue

After

Purity

Jonathan Franzen2015

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • The Siege of Krishnapur

    J. G. Farrell1973

    British residents in a 19th-century Indian outpost face a violent uprising. The story tracks the physical and social decay of the community.

    Same sardonic register, still satire

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • The Canterbury Tales

    Geoffrey Chaucer

    A group of pilgrims travel to Canterbury and hold a storytelling contest. The stories range from courtly romances to crude comedies.

    sardonic → playful, still satire

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-2

  • 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

    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.

    sardonic → playful

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

To recover

sardonic → playful, still satire

3 more ↓

  • Tangled Up In You

    Rachel Gibson2007

    A woman returns to her hometown to investigate a family scandal. She falls for the son of the man who caused her family's ruin.

    sardonic → playful

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

  • The McCaffertys

    Lisa Jackson2000

    An investigator is hired to protect a woman and her secret child. He attempts to uncover her past while guarding her from unknown threats.

    sardonic → propulsive

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Secrets

    Fern Michaels2022

    Siblings who restore antiques find a locked diary and a carnival flyer in a mysterious steamer chest. They work to find the owner.

    sardonic → warm

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Get Jiro!

    Anthony Bourdain2012

    In a future Los Angeles, master chefs rule as warlords. A sushi chef who kills rude customers is caught between two warring food factions.

    Same sardonic register, still satire

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-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·bleak0

  • Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits

    David Wong2015

    A young woman inherits her estranged father's criminal empire in a lawless future city. She must survive assassins using high-tech gadgets.

    Same sardonic register, still satire

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+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·bleak0

  • 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·bleak+1

Heavier

Same sardonic register, still satire

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    sardonic → bleak

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

  • The Underground Railroad

    Colson Whitehead2016

    Two slaves escape a Georgia plantation via a literal underground train system while being pursued by a slave catcher.

    sardonic → bleak

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+1

  • 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.

    Same sardonic register

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+1