Books like The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
12 books with a reading profile close to The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz. Deep, inward-looking and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
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1
The Nix
by Nathan Hill
Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, literary
Samuel Andresen-Anderson, a disappointed English professor who is addicted to an online video game, sees his mother Faye on the news after decades of absence: she has been arrested for throwing gravel at a right-wing pr…
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2
The Topeka School
by Ben Lerner
Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, literary
Adam Gordon, a poet who first appeared in Ben Lerner's Leaving the Atocha Station, is now married to a psychologist, Jane, and the father of two daughters.
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3
There There
by Tommy Orange
Also deep and thought-provoking · narrative, literary
Tommy Orange follows twelve characters from Native communities as they converge at the Big Oakland Powwow in California.
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4
Boy, Snow, Bird
Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, literary
In 1953, Boy Novak flees her abusive father in New York City and settles in Flax Hill, Massachusetts.
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5
A Visit from the Goon Squad
Also deep and thought-provoking · narrative, literary
The narrative centers on Bennie Salazar, a middle-aged record executive, and his assistant Sasha, tracing their lives across several decades.
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6
Bad Girls
Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, literary
In the city of Córdoba, Argentina, a group of trans women, travestis, work at night in a park and live together in a boarding house.
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7
Intimacies
Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, literary
An unnamed female interpreter moves from New York to The Hague to work at the International Criminal Court.
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8
Second Place
by Rachel Cusk
Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, literary
The story follows M, a woman living in a remote coastal marsh, who invites a renowned painter named L to stay in her guest cottage, which she calls the second place.
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9
The Promise
by Damon Galgut
Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, literary
The narrative follows the Swart family, white farmers living near Pretoria, across four funerals spanning four decades of South African history.
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10
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
by Elif Shafak
Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, literary
Tequila Leila, a sex worker in Istanbul, has been murdered and dumped in a trash bin.
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11
Bridge of Clay
by Markus Zusak
Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, literary
Matthew Dunbar, the eldest of five brothers, tells how the boys were raised alone in a Sydney house after their mother's death and their father's disappearance.
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12
The Discomfort of Evening
by Lucas Rijneveld, Michele Hutchison
Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, literary
On a strict Reformed dairy farm in the rural Netherlands, ten-year-old Jas navigates the disintegration of her family following the accidental drowning of her older brother.
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