After
The Wake
Paul Kingsnorth2014
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
4 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier, nothing denser
More like it
- pace0prose-1bleak0
The Confessions of Nat Turner
William Styron1967
A fictionalized confession of the leader of an 1831 slave revolt while he awaits execution in a Virginia jail cell.
Same bleak register, still historical fiction
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
- pace0prose-1bleak0
No Country for Young Men
Julia O'Faolain1980
A family in 1970s Ireland deals with the fallout of a visit from an American relative. The story uncovers secrets from the 1920s Civil War.
Same bleak register, still historical fiction
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
The Testament of Mary
Colm Tóibín2012
Mary lives in exile years after her son's crucifixion. She recounts the events leading to his death while refusing to validate the Gospel accounts.
bleak → elegiac, still historical fiction
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
Remains of the Day
Kazuo Ishiguro2000
An elderly butler takes a motoring trip through 1950s England. He reflects on his years of service and his loyalty to a disgraced lord.
bleak → elegiac, still historical fiction
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
The Man Who Saw Everything
Deborah Levy2019
A historian travels to 1988 East Berlin while his memories of a car accident and his girlfriend begin to blur and repeat.
bleak → meditative, still historical fiction
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
To recover
bleak → propulsive
- pace+2prose-3bleak-3
The Lost Symbol
Dan Brown2009
Symbologist Robert Langdon follows a trail of Masonic puzzles through Washington D.C. monuments to save his kidnapped mentor.
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-3bleak-3
Walking Disaster
Jamie McGuire2013
This novel retells the events of 'Beautiful Disaster' from the perspective of Travis Maddox. It follows his college years and obsession with Abby.
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-3bleak-3
This Man
Jodi Ellen Malpas2013
An interior designer begins an affair with a wealthy client who demands total control over her life and schedule.
bleak → tense
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+2prose-3bleak-3
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline2008
A teenager in a dystopian future hunts for a digital easter egg inside a massive simulation. The quest relies on 1980s pop culture trivia.
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-3bleak-3
Real Murders
Charlaine Harris1990
A librarian in a small Georgia town belongs to a club that studies famous crimes. A real murder occurs that mimics a historical case.
bleak → wry
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
Faster
- pace+2prose-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.
bleak → playful
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+2prose-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.
bleak → tense
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-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.
bleak → sardonic
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-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.
bleak → propulsive
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+2prose-3bleak-3
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
bleak → wry
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-3
Slower
bleak → elegiac, still historical fiction
- pace-1prose-2bleak-2
A Month in the Country
J. L. Carr1980
A WWI veteran spends a summer in a quiet village restoring a medieval mural in a church. He reflects on his trauma while observing local life.
pace-1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace-1prose0bleak0
Absalom, Absalom!
William Faulkner1936
The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose-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.
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose-1bleak-2
Lila
Marilynne Robinson2014
A woman with a traumatic, nomadic past settles in a small Iowa town and marries a minister. She struggles to reconcile her history with his faith.
bleak → tender, still historical fiction
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace-1prose-1bleak-1
Rhine Journey
Ann Schlee1981
A middle-aged woman travels by steamer down the Rhine in 1851. She observes her family and internalizes a chance encounter with a man from her past.
bleak → meditative, still historical fiction
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1
