I’m not a literary scholar so I’m not sure if I’ve phrased this well, but what I’m looking for are books that aren’t what you’d generally think of as “literary fiction” or classical literature at a glance, but have a surprising amount of depth and literary merit if you look below the surface.
Basically, looking for books that:
– have really strong themes and symbolism. The author has something to say about the nature of the world or humanity and everything that happens in the book serves this.
– have characters with a clear motivation. Possibly who have fatal flaws and are doomed by the narrative and maybe have other characters who are foils or parallels to them
– make you *hurt* even though the tragedy was foreshadowed
– just generally feel like the author has a really good grasp of literature but has chosen to apply this mastery to an unconventional genre or a story that’s generally weirder in some way than your typical “literary fiction”
Honestly just looking for something that’ll hurt me and make me think about it for weeks after I finish. The type of book you can write several essays about but is more accessible or “fun” than other literary fiction.
I’m just kind of tired of starting highly rated books only to find out they’re mostly vibes and fluff :/
Thanks in advance!
by IReadBooksSometimes