Books like

Books like We need to talk about Kevin

12 books with a reading profile close to We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver. Deep, inward-looking, contemplative, open-ended 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

Atonement

by Ian McEwan

Also deep and inward-looking · dense, narrative

On a sweltering English day in 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis observes a series of adult interactions she lacks the emotional maturity to interpret.
3

Freedom

by Jonathan Franzen

Also deep and inward-looking · dense, narrative

Walter and Patty Berglund represent the ideal of midwestern liberal gentrification in St.
4

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.
5

We Do Not Part

by Han Kang

Also deep and inward-looking · dense, narrative

The narrative follows Gyeong-ha, a novelist in Seoul struggling with the psychological aftermath of writing a book about a historical massacre.
6

The Sea

by John Banville

Also deep and inward-looking · dense, narrative

Max Morden, a retired art historian, returns to the Irish seaside town of Ballyless following the death of his wife, Anna.
7

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.
8

A Pale View of Hills

by Kazuo Ishiguro

Also deep and inward-looking · narrative, psychology

Etsuko, a Japanese widow living in England, reflects on a single summer in post-war Nagasaki following the suicide of her eldest daughter, Keiko.
9

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.
10

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.
11

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.
12

The Collected Poems

by Sylvia Plath

Also deep and inward-looking · dense, psychology

This chronological assembly spans Plath’s creative output from 1956 until her death in 1963.

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