Books like

Books like The Topeka School

12 books with a reading profile close to The Topeka School by Ben Lerner. Deep, inward-looking and thought-provoking; a moderate read.

  1. 1 Second Place

    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.

  2. 2 The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

    The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

    by Junot Díaz

    Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, literary

    Oscar de León is an overweight Dominican nerd living in New Jersey who obsesses over science fiction, fantasy novels, and falling in love.

  3. 3 The Nix

    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…

  4. 4 Boy, Snow, Bird

    Boy, Snow, Bird

    by Helen Oyeyemi

    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.

  5. 5 Rejection

    Rejection

    by Tony Tulathimutte

    Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, literary

    Tony Tulathimutte’s story collection centers on the psychological mechanics of social and sexual exclusion in the internet age.

  6. 6 Asymmetry

    Asymmetry

    by Lisa Halliday

    Also deep and thought-provoking · narrative, literary

    Lisa Halliday's debut novel is in two parts that seem unrelated.

  7. 7 There There

    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.

  8. 8 A Visit from the Goon Squad

    A Visit from the Goon Squad

    by Jennifer Egan

    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.

  9. 9 The Discomfort of Evening

    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.

  10. 10 Intimacies

    Intimacies

    by Katie Kitamura

    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.

  11. 11 Bridge of Clay

    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.

  12. 12 No One Is Talking About This

    No One Is Talking About This

    by Patricia Lockwood

    Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, literary

    The first half of the narrative follows a woman who has achieved minor celebrity status within a digital landscape called the portal.

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