swap_horiz The Lacuna Alternatives

1

Herzog

Herzog, a 20th-century American novel by Saul Bellow, presents a profound exploration of identity and disillusionment. T...

Classic American 20TH Century Literary

8.9 Great

2

Lincoln in the Bardo

Lincoln in the Bardo is a 21st-century novel employing an epistolary format. It presents a unique interpretation of Abra...

American 21ST Century Historical Literary

8.8 Great

3

The Blind Assassin

The Blind Assassin is a complex Canadian novel structured as interwoven narratives. It tells the story of Leda Bainbridg...

Canadian 21ST Century Historical Literary

8.7 Great

4

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Sherman Alexie's 2007 novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian uses journal entries and drawings to depict...

American 21ST Century Native American Diary

8.7 Great

5

A Visit from the Goon Squad

*A Visit from the Goon Squad* is a 2010 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Jennifer Egan, notable for its linked format and...

Music American 21ST Century Literary

8.7 Great

6

March

March presents a poignant account of the American Civil War through a series of letters. The novel details the experienc...

American Historical 2000S Civil War

8.5 Great

7

Fair and Tender Ladies

Lee Smith’s *Fair and Tender Ladies* presents a poignant story through a collection of letters. The novel explores the e...

American Appalachian 20TH Century Literary

8.2 Great

8

Dear Mr. Henshaw

Beverly Cleary's 1983 children's novel explores a young boy's emotional growth following his parents' divorce through hi...

American 20TH Century Children Ya

7.6 Good

9

The Historian

Elizabeth Kostova's 2005 historical thriller follows a multi-generational quest to find Vlad the Impaler's tomb, framed...

21ST Century Historical Vampire Thriller

7.6 Good

10

Night Film

*Night Film* is a 2013 mystery thriller by American author Marisha Pessl that follows an investigative journalist, utili...

American Mystery 21ST Century Thriller

7.4 Good

11

The Elegance of the Hedgehog

*The Elegance of the Hedgehog* is a 2006 French novel by Muriel Barbery structured around the alternating philosophical...

French Philosophical 21ST Century Literary

7.3 Good

12

Beautiful World, Where Are You

Sally Rooney's 2021 novel Beautiful World, Where Are You intertwines the romantic lives of two friends through their ema...

21ST Century Literary Friendship Irish

7.2 Good

13

Thirteen Reasons Why

Jay Asher's 2007 young adult novel presents dual narratives as a teenager listens to cassette tapes left by a classmate...

American 21ST Century Suicide Ya

7.1 Good

14

Attachments

Rainbow Rowell's 2011 romantic novel alternates between a security analyst's journal and the illicit company emails of t...

American 21ST Century Romance Workplace

7.1 Good

15

My Most Excellent Year

Steve Kluger's 2008 young adult novel My Most Excellent Year explores teenage relationships and family through a series...

American 21ST Century Comedy Ya

7.1 Good

16

Love, Aubrey

Suzanne LaFleur's 2009 children's novel Love, Aubrey tells the story of a grieving girl processing her father's death th...

American 21ST Century Grief Children

7.1 Good

17

Popularity Papers

*Popularity Papers* is a 2010 children's novel by Amy Ignatow, structured as a shared scrapbook where two best friends d...

American Notebook 21ST Century Friendship

5.9 Mediocre

18

Dork Diaries

Rachel Renée Russell launched her popular children's book series Dork Diaries in 2009, using a diary format to chronicle...

American 21ST Century Comedy Children

5.8 Mediocre

19

I Funny

*I Funny* is a 2012 middle-grade novel by James Patterson, written as the first-person manuscript of a wheelchair-bound...

American 21ST Century Comedy Children

5.2 Mediocre

20

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life

*Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life* is a 2011 illustrated novel by James Patterson, presented as the diary and s...

American 21ST Century Comedy Children

5.1 Mediocre