Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some book recommendations and I think you can help me. I’ve been exploring novels that are thought-provoking, often existential or philosophical, sometimes dystopian, and ideally with a prose style that really pulls you in rather than feeling dry or academic.
To give you an idea of what I’ve enjoyed:
- I loved Orwell (1984, Animal Farm) and Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451).
- Huxley’s Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited were interesting, though a bit less engaging.
- I’ve read Palahniuk (Fight Club, Invisible Monsters), Wilde (The Picture of Dorian Gray), and Moore (V for Vendetta, Watchmen) — I enjoyed the dark and critical edge in those.
- Among the Russians, Dostoevsky (Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, Notes from Underground) and Tolstoy (Anna Karenina, The Death of Ivan Ilyich) left a strong impression.
- Kafka (The Trial, The Metamorphosis) and Camus (The Stranger) didn’t fully click with me — I found them less compelling on a narrative level, even though I appreciate their ideas. Same goes for Saramago (Blindness) and Zamyatin (We).
- I’ve also read Kundera, Sartre, Hesse, Shelley, and others in this vein.
What I’m after now is something in the same broad area:
a novel that makes me think, has philosophical or existential depth, but also keeps me engaged with its storytelling. Ideally a book that makes me want to turn the pages while reflecting on it long after.
I know it's not an easy suggestion, I've read a lot of similar books and finding something which really captivates me is a struggle.
What would you suggest? Surprise me.
by razek98