Books like

Books like Life Before Man

12 books with a reading profile close to Life Before Man by Margaret Atwood. Deep, inward-looking, contemplative, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.

1

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.
2

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.
3

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.
4

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.
5

Hot Milk

by Deborah Levy

Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, psychology

Sofia Papastergiadis, a frustrated doctoral student, travels with her mother, Rose, to a private medical clinic in Almería, Spain.
6

The Friend

by Sigrid Nunez

Also inward-looking and contemplative · narrative, psychology

After her close friend and mentor, a writer, dies by suicide, the narrator, also a writer, inherits his enormous Great Dane, Apollo.
7

Breasts and Eggs

by Mieko Kawakami

Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, psychology

Natsu is a struggling writer living in Tokyo who receives a visit from her older sister, Makiko, and her niece, Midoriko.
8

Sally Rooney 3 Books Collection Set

by Sally Rooney

Also inward-looking and contemplative · narrative, psychology

This collection gathers Sally Rooney’s early prose, focusing on the intricate social dynamics and intimate exchanges between young adults in modern Ireland.
9

Crossroads

by Jonathan Franzen

Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, psychology

In suburban Chicago on a single day in 1971, the Hildebrandt family faces individual crises of faith and morality.
10

L'Avversario

by Emmanuel Carrère

Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, psychology

On January 9, 1993, Jean-Claude Romand killed his wife, his children, and his parents before attempting to take his own life.
11

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.
12

On Chesil Beach

by Ian McEwan

Also inward-looking and contemplative · narrative, psychology

Set in 1962, the novella follows Edward Mayhew and Florence Ponting on their wedding night at a hotel on the Dorset coast.

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