Like, I want the book report to be able to write itself. There can certainly still be a story, but I don't care what happens.
The Waves is a portrait of aging.
Invisible Man is an explanation of institutionalized racism.
Les Miserables has a heavy plot, but gets interrupted to explore France at length with a hefty serving of morality.
Moby Dick documents whaling.
Geisha, a Life records the culture of those women.
Continental Drift is about class and immigration.
Contrast those to The Sea Wolf, or Dracula, or Dune or TOTR which obviously all have their thematic elements, but are much more focused on plot.
by kalechipsaregood
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No plot, just vibes?
If you’re looking for contemporary fiction, a lot of Bookstagram books focus more on character studies than plot. Sally Rooney, Ottessa Moshfegh, Coco Mellors.
A lot of fiction novels from the mid-20th century are less plot and more stream of consciousness-style. JD Salinger, Sylvia Plath, James Baldwin. Haruki Murakami comes a bit later but he’s certainly a no-plot sort of man. Donna Tartt also, especially The Secret History, is also of this vein.
Have you tried diaries or journals? Anais Nin (albeit slightly racy) has a few good diary publications that’s written novelistically but slightly loose from the general plot structure.