After
The Housemaid
Freida McFadden2022
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing faster
More like it
Same propulsive register, still psychological thriller
- pace0prose0bleak0
Never Lie
Freida McFadden2022
A couple trapped in a blizzard at a missing psychiatrist's estate find hidden tapes of her sessions. The story alternates between past and present.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Jack & Jill
James Patterson
Detective Alex Cross hunts a duo killing high-profile politicians while simultaneously investigating the murder of a young girl.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
Something in the Water
Catherine Steadman2018
A couple finds a bag of cash and a GoPro while scuba diving on their honeymoon. They decide to keep it and hide the evidence.
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose+1bleak0
Don't Turn Around
Jessica Barry2020
Two strangers drive through the New Mexico desert at night while a truck driver hunts them. The story alternates between the chase and their pasts.
pace0·prose+1·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak+1
Verity
Colleen Hoover2018
A ghostwriter moves into a secluded estate to finish a series for an injured author and finds a hidden, disturbing autobiography.
propulsive → tense, still psychological thriller
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
Denser prose
- pace-2prose+3bleak+1
My Name Is Red
Orhan Pamuk
In 1591 Istanbul, miniaturists investigate a colleague's murder. Objects and colors narrate chapters alongside the human characters.
propulsive → meditative, still unreliable narrator
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+3bleak+1
Amberes
Roberto Bolaño2002
A fragmented series of fifty-six short sections follows a police officer, a redhead, and a hunchback through a series of loosely linked crimes.
propulsive → cold
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-3prose+3bleak0
Blood on the dining-room floor
Gertrude Stein1948
A repetitive, circular narrative about a death in a country house. It uses experimental prose to obscure the facts of a traditional mystery.
propulsive → playful
pace-3·prose+3·bleak0
- pace-2prose+3bleak+1
The Doves Necklace
Raja Alem2014
A detective investigates an unidentified woman's body found in a Mecca alleyway. The city itself narrates parts of the story.
propulsive → dreamlike, still unreliable narrator
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+3bleak+2
American Psycho
Bret Easton Ellis1991
A wealthy investment banker details his daily routines, consumer habits, and graphic murders. The narrative is cold and repetitive.
propulsive → cold, still unreliable narrator
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+2
To recover
- pace0prose+1bleak-1
First Lie Wins
Ashley Elston2024
A professional con artist takes an assignment to infiltrate a man's life in a small town. She must balance her job with her growing feelings.
Same propulsive register, still psychological thriller
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
The Colour of Magic
Terry Pratchett1983
A failed wizard and a naive tourist travel across a flat world carried by a turtle. The story parodies fantasy tropes and clichés.
propulsive → playful
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+1bleak-1
The Rowan
Anne McCaffrey1990
A powerful telepath living in isolation connects with a distant mind to defend against an alien invasion. It follows their psychic courtship.
propulsive → earnest
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The Kaiju Preservation Society
John Scalzi2022
A food delivery driver joins a secret organization that travels to an alternate Earth to care for massive, dinosaur-like creatures.
propulsive → playful
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose+1bleak-1
Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir2021
A man wakes up on a spaceship with amnesia and two dead crewmates. He must use scientific experiments to remember his mission and save the sun.
Same propulsive register
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
Slower
- pace-3prose+3bleak0
Blood on the dining-room floor
Gertrude Stein1948
A repetitive, circular narrative about a death in a country house. It uses experimental prose to obscure the facts of a traditional mystery.
propulsive → playful
pace-3·prose+3·bleak0
- pace-3prose+3bleak+1
Dhalgren
Samuel R. Delany1975
An amnesiac wanderer enters Bellona, a city cut off from the world where time and geography shift. He joins a gang and writes poetry.
propulsive → dreamlike, still unreliable narrator
pace-3·prose+3·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-3prose+3bleak-1
Gödel, Escher, Bach
Douglas R. Hofstadter1979
An exploration of how cognition emerges from hidden neurological patterns. It uses math, art, and music to explain self-referential systems.
propulsive → playful
pace-3·prose+3·bleak-1
- pace-3prose+3bleak0
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.
propulsive → playful
pace-3·prose+3·bleak0
- pace-3prose+3bleak+1
A maça no escuro
Clarice Lispector1961
A man flees into the Brazilian interior believing he killed his wife. He works on a remote farm while navigating his own internal monologue.
propulsive → meditative
pace-3·prose+3·bleak+1
Heavier
propulsive → tense, still psychological thriller
- pace-1prose+1bleak+2
The Push
Ashley Audrain2021
A mother suspects her daughter is a sociopath while her husband dismisses her. The story follows her descent into isolation and maternal dread.
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2
- pace-1prose+1bleak+2
Sharp Objects
Gillian Flynn2006
A reporter returns to her hometown to cover the murders of two girls while grappling with her own history of self-harm.
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak+2
The Wasp Factory
Iain Banks1984
A teenager living on a remote island performs violent rituals while waiting for his brother to return from an asylum.
propulsive → cold, still psychological thriller
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+2
- pace-1prose+1bleak+2
Birdman
Mo Hayder1999
Detective Jack Caffery hunts a serial killer in London who performs surgical procedures on his victims while they are alive.
propulsive → bleak, still psychological thriller
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2
