My favorite TV show of all time is Barry, and I'm hoping some of you kind people can suggest me books with the same vibe! Barry is an absurdist comedy about a top-notch hit man who hates his life, and so he joins an amateur theater group. Here's what I love about Barry:
Unpredictability – The plot twists and turns. I would appreciate a book suggestion that isn't predictable.
Social commentary – Barry seems at the beginning to be a shallow, but likeable show about a hit man. As it continues, it has so much to say about gender, beauty standards, the entertainment industry, religion, morality, human nature, why we like violent media, and so much more. If a book has deep social commentary, I'll forgive almost anything else wrong with it.
Dark comedic absurdism – This is my favorite type of comedy, and I rarely see it in books. I also love lighter comically absurd movies like Airplane, Walk Hard, and UHF. The closest to dark absurdist comedy I've read is Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon.
Fantastic characters – Barry has unforgettable characters, and similarly, so do some of my favorite books, even if they aren't like Barry in any other way.
What I'm not looking for: superficial similarities to Barry. I don't want to read random books about hit men or unlikely people joining amateur theater. Books with a similar feel to Barry may have radically different storyline and settings. I'm looking for unpredictability, social commentary, dark comic absurdism, and great characters.
Thanks in advance for your ideas!
by kittensociety75