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After

The Horse Whisperer

Nicholas Evans1995

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • The Law of Moses

    Amy Harmon2014

    A man who sees the spirits of the dead returns to his hometown. He reconnects with a woman from his past while investigating a series of murders.

    Same elegiac register, still contemporary romance

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Madame Bovary

    Gustave Flaubert1856

    A doctor's wife in provincial France seeks escape from her mundane life through expensive tastes and extramarital affairs.

    elegiac → tense

    pace+1·prose+2·bleak0

  • Paradise Logic

    Sophie Kemp2025

    A young woman follows advice from a magazine to become a perfect partner. Her quest involves surreal jobs and messages from the beyond.

    elegiac → epic

    pace+1·prose+2·bleak0

  • Mad Mabel

    Sally Hepworth2025

    An eighty-one-year-old woman with a history of killing people tries to hide her past when a curious young girl moves into the neighborhood.

    elegiac → dark

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

To recover

elegiac → warm, still contemporary romance

3 more ↓

  • Wanted

    Kelly Elliott2012

    A woman returns to her small hometown and reconnects with a childhood friend. They navigate their past while developing a new relationship.

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • When You're Ready

    J.L. Berg

    A widow moving back to her hometown with her daughter encounters a man from her past. They navigate grief while rekindling a relationship.

    elegiac → tender, still contemporary romance

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

  • The Bodyguard

    Katherine Center2022

    A female bodyguard is hired to protect a famous actor from a stalker, leading to a fake relationship at his family's ranch.

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Victory at Prescott High

    C.M. Stunich

    A high school girl seeks revenge against the boys who bullied her while navigating a complex relationship with all of them at once.

    elegiac → propulsive, still contemporary romance

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Quantum Radio

    A.G. Riddle2023

    A scientist at CERN discovers a signal from a parallel universe. He must flee a conspiracy while exploring the implications of the data.

    elegiac → propulsive

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Savage Prince

    Meghan March2018

    A powerful man in the New Orleans underworld becomes obsessed with a woman and pursues her despite the danger of his lifestyle.

    elegiac → propulsive

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    elegiac → playful

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

  • Absalom, Absalom!

    William Faulkner1936

    The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.

    Same elegiac register

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

    A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

    elegiac → meditative

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • The Last Letter

    Rebecca Yarros2019

    A soldier returns from war to help his deceased friend's sister raise her twins in Colorado. The story is told through letters and prose.

    Same elegiac register, still contemporary romance

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+1

  • Wuthering Heights

    Emily Brontë1846

    Two families on the Yorkshire moors deal with the arrival and subsequent revenge of an adopted orphan. The story is told through nested narrators.

    elegiac → bleak

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

  • A Farewell to Arms

    Ernest Hemingway1929

    An American ambulance driver and a British nurse conduct a love affair during the Italian campaign of World War I.

    Same elegiac register

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1