LitQueuelitqueue

After

The Tin Drum

Günter Grass1963

5 of 6 directions open — nothing denser

More like it

1 more ↓

  • The Book of Evidence

    John Banville1989

    A cultured man in prison recounts the theft of a painting and the impulsive murder of a maid. He explains his actions through a cold, detached lens.

    Same sardonic register, still unreliable narrator

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

To recover

3 more ↓

  • This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection

    Carol Burnett2010

    The comedian shares anecdotes from her career in television and film. The book is a series of short chronological reflections.

    sardonic → warm

    pace0·prose-3·bleak-2

  • Redshirts

    John Scalzi2012

    Low-ranking crew members on a starship realize they are disposable characters in a sci-fi television show. They attempt to escape their fate.

    sardonic → playful

    pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2

  • 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-3·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

    Neil deGrasse Tyson2017

    A summary of the origin of the universe, the laws of physics, and the nature of space and time.

    sardonic → playful

    pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2

  • Steal Like an Artist

    Austin Kleon2012

    A series of short, illustrated principles for creative work. It focuses on remixing existing ideas and establishing productive daily habits.

    sardonic → playful

    pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2

  • Poke the Box

    Seth Godin2011

    A short manifesto encouraging readers to start projects and take initiative. It argues that the greatest risk is staying in place.

    sardonic → earnest

    pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Fugitive Pieces

    Anne Michaels1996

    A Jewish boy rescued from Nazi-occupied Poland is raised in Greece and Canada. The prose follows his life and the lives of those he touches.

    sardonic → elegiac, still literary fiction

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak0

  • Suttree

    Cormac McCarthy1979

    A man lives on a houseboat among the outcasts and criminals of 1950s Knoxville. The book tracks his daily survival and interactions in the slums.

    Same sardonic register, still picaresque

    pace-1·prose0·bleak0

  • 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, still literary fiction

    pace-1·prose0·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Animal Farm

    George Orwell1945

    Farm animals overthrow their human owner to run the farm themselves. The pigs gradually seize control and establish a new hierarchy.

    Same sardonic register

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak+1

  • The Diary of a Young Girl

    Anne Frank2001

    A Jewish teenager records her daily life and thoughts while hiding from the Nazis in a secret annex in Amsterdam.

    sardonic → earnest

    pace0·prose-2·bleak+1

  • A Child Called "It"

    Dave Pelzer1987

    A memoir of the author's childhood survival against severe physical and psychological abuse by his mother in California.

    sardonic → bleak

    pace+1·prose-3·bleak+1