Looking for books which are realist like Safdie brothers’ movies are, or what I’ve seen the Safdie brothers movies described as: Neo-Realist, and documentarian. What I am not necessarily looking for is the edge-of-your-seat intensity that some of their movies produce. I don’t mind the intensity, and I love a good gritty crime novel, but I do not think the genre is what makes their movies so good. The line between reality and fiction is blurred in their movies.
For example, the movie *Daddy Longlegs* by the Safdie brothers does not have the hold-your-breath intensity a movie like *Uncut Gems* does, but nonetheless it attempts to portray all characters in a realistic way (which is necessarily empathetic), and in portraying said characters and their interactions they inevitably display social issues which are inherent to the character’s experience in a realistic way.
**TL;DR: Books similar to the Safdie brothers’ films in terms of realism, realistic characters, and the goal of said realistic/natural portrayal. Grit, crime, and thrills not required.**
by FieldmouseLullaby