Books like

Books like Atonement

12 books with a reading profile close to Atonement by Ian McEwan. Deep, inward-looking, contemplative and thought-provoking; a moderate read.

1

The Corrections

by Jonathan Franzen

Also deep and inward-looking · dense, narrative

The narrative centers on the Lambert family as they converge on their suburban Midwestern home for a final Christmas.
2

Freedom

by Jonathan Franzen

Also deep and inward-looking · dense, narrative

Walter and Patty Berglund represent the ideal of midwestern liberal gentrification in St.
3

The Bee Sting

by Paul Murray

Also deep and inward-looking · dense, narrative

The narrative follows the Barnes family in an Irish town as they face financial ruin following the 2008 economic crash.
4

We need to talk about Kevin

by Lionel Shriver

Also deep and inward-looking · dense, narrative

Eva Khatchadourian writes a series of letters to her estranged husband, Franklin, following a mass murder committed by their teenage son, Kevin, at his high school.
5

Sing, Unburied, Sing

by Jesmyn Ward

Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, psychology

Thirteen-year-old Jojo lives with his grandparents and toddler sister on the Mississippi Gulf Coast while his mother, Leonie, struggles with drug addiction and grief.
6

Middlesex

by Jeffrey Eugenides

Also deep and inward-looking · dense, narrative

Callie Stephanides grows up in mid-century Detroit as a girl, unaware that she carries a rare genetic mutation inherited from her Greek grandparents.
7

The Door

by Magda Szabó

Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, psychology

The narrative centers on the evolving relationship between a young Hungarian writer and her aging housekeeper, Emerence.
8

Life Before Man

by Margaret Atwood

Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, psychology

Set in Toronto during the late 1970s, the narrative centers on a stagnant love triangle between Elizabeth, her husband Nate, and his lover Lesje.
9

All the Lovers in the Night

by Mieko Kawakami

Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, psychology

Fuyuko Irie is a freelance proofreader in her mid-thirties who lives a solitary, ritualistic life in Tokyo.
10

Intermezzo

by Sally Rooney

Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, psychology

Peter and Ivan Koubek are brothers navigating personal crises following their father's death.
11

Fates and Furies

by Lauren Groff

Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, psychology

The novel documents the twenty-four-year marriage of Lotto and Mathilde Satterwhite, beginning with their impulsive college graduation wedding and following their ascent into the New York elite.
12

A Little Life

by Hanya Yanagihara

Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, psychology

Hanya Yanagihara’s novel follows four college classmates—Willem, JB, Malcolm, and Jude—as they navigate adulthood in New York City.

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