Books like Unless
12 books with a reading profile close to Unless by Carol Shields. Deep, inward-looking, contemplative and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
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1
Did You Ever Have a Family
by Bill Clegg
Also inward-looking and thought-provoking · narrative, psychology
On the night before her daughter Lolly's wedding, June Reid's house burns down, killing her daughter, Lolly's fiancé Will, her ex-husband Luke and her boyfriend Adam.
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2
The Death of Vivek Oji
Also inward-looking and thought-provoking · narrative, psychology
The novel begins with the discovery of Vivek’s lifeless body on his mother’s doorstep in southeastern Nigeria.
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3
Crossroads
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.
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4
Conversations With Friends
by Sally Rooney
Also inward-looking and thought-provoking · narrative, psychology
Frances is a university student and aspiring poet in Dublin who performs spoken word pieces with her former girlfriend and best friend, Bobbi.
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5
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki And His Years Of Pilgrimage
Also inward-looking and contemplative · narrative, psychology
Tsukuru Tazaki is a railway engineer in Tokyo whose life is defined by a sudden, unexplained rejection from his tight-knit group of high school friends.
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6
Transcendent Kingdom
by Yaa Gyasi
Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, psychology
Gifty is a PhD candidate in neuroscience at the Stanford University School of Medicine, where she studies reward-seeking behavior in mice to understand the neural pathways of addiction and depression.
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7
Cat’s Eye
Also inward-looking and contemplative · narrative, psychology
Elaine Risley, a middle-aged painter, returns to Toronto for a retrospective of her art.
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8
Ufak Yangınlar
by Celeste Ng
Also inward-looking and thought-provoking · narrative, psychology
Set in the planned community of Shaker Heights, Ohio, the story follows the intersection of the Richardsons, a wealthy family rooted in local tradition, and Mia Warren, an enigmatic artist who moves into town with her d…
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9
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.
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10
Shuggie Bain
Also inward-looking and contemplative · narrative, psychology
Set in 1980s Glasgow, the narrative follows young Shuggie Bain as he grows up in public housing schemes shaped by deindustrialization and poverty.
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11
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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12
Real Life
Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, psychology
Wallace, a Black queer doctoral student from Alabama, navigates a tense weekend at a predominantly white Midwestern university.
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