Exploring from

Concept M

Aafke Romeijn

Find similar books by

Combine common axes

Similar in characterization + relationships

These books are ranked using the characterization + relationships labels extracted for Concept M. Books rank higher when they are close on every selected axis.

Characterization labels used: chronically ill protagonist, radicalized protagonist, political activists, extremist group, activist mother, public figure, politician, morally ambiguous characters, nuanced villains

Relationships labels used: mother-daughter conflict, friend group, political alliance, family tension, group recruitment, community division, us-vs-them conflict

This does not mean the books share the same plot, setting, quality, or difficulty. It means their characterization + relationships embeddings are close.

Exclude same author

Max ratings No limit

When Through Deep Waters

Rachelle Dekker · 2018

After a devastating loss, a guilt-ridden woman retreats to Montana and begins questioning whether the voices she hears are madness or truth.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: grieving mother · guilt-ridden protagonist · unreliable perception · eccentric grandmother · supportive friend · controlling mother · complex antagonist · therapist character · psychiatrist character · emotionally isolated

Relationships labels: mother-daughter conflict · childhood friendship · supportive friendship · marital strain · family blame · caregiver support · motherly surrogate · authority conflict

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1450

Continue from here

Knife Edge

Malorie Blackman · 2005 · Noughts and Crosses

In a racist near-future society, a grieving young mother and a vengeful brother move toward a devastating reckoning.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: flawed protagonists · antihero · vengeful character · grieving mother · young mother · complex characters · emotionally damaged characters · politically aware characters

Relationships labels: mother-daughter · family conflict · parent-child · romantic relationship · rivalry · betrayal · revenge · power imbalance · community prejudice

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1465

Continue from here

Master Class

Christina Dalcher · 2020

In a near-future America, a mother must defy a ruthless test-based school system when it targets her own daughter.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teacher protagonist · mother protagonist · wife · government insider · complicit protagonist · anxious child · high-achieving child · villain husband · authoritarian administrator · activist mother · complex heroine

Relationships labels: mother daughter · marriage conflict · parent child · family split · power imbalance · betrayal · complicity · favoritism · domestic tension · love vs loyalty

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1652

Continue from here

°C – Celsius

Marc Elsberg · 2023

A near-future climate thriller about a secret bid to control Earth’s weather and the global crisis it sparks.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: scientist protagonist · journalist protagonist · politician figures · activist figures · military figures · milliardaire figure · stand-in characters · flat characters · bland characters · many characters · president figure

Relationships labels: family relationship · friendship · power struggle · state rivalry · North-South conflict · East-West conflict · global conflict · political alliance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1690

Continue from here

I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself

Marisa Crane · 2023

A grieving queer mother raises a child marked by a punitive shadow system in a surveilled near-future America.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: grieving mother · widow protagonist · single parent · queer parent · shamed outsider · marginalized protagonist · precocious child · difficult mother · flawed protagonist · inner turmoil

Relationships labels: mother-child bond · queer couple · widowhood · chosen family · parent-child tension · family grief · friend network · mother-in-law conflict

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1704

Continue from here

Sweet Virginia

Caroline Kepnes · 2020

A frustrated wife and new mother falls into a Hallmark-fueled escape fantasy that turns darkly surreal.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: unlikable protagonist · flawed mother · passive protagonist · anxious protagonist · frustrated wife · struggling mother · working woman · writer protagonist · unemployed protagonist · overbearing mother · controlling family · women under pressure

Relationships labels: marriage strain · mother-daughter conflict · parent-child distrust · family control · romantic dissatisfaction · domestic tension

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1722

Continue from here

The End of the Ocean

Maja Lunde · 2020 · Klimakvartetten

Two interwoven lives connect a past climate protest in Norway to a near-future Europe ravaged by drought and loss.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: environmental activist · climate refugee · father · daughter · older woman protagonist · angry protagonist · flawed characters · reluctant parent · idealistic activist · complex characters

Relationships labels: father-daughter relationship · family separation · romantic past · former lovers · parent-child bond · estranged family · marriage separation · community conflict · generational conflict

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1730

Continue from here

The Constant Rabbit

Jasper Fforde · 2020

In an alternate UK, a rabbit spotter must choose sides when a rabbit family moves in next door.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: moral wimp · reluctant accomplice · single father · likeable flawed protagonist · political caricatures · cunning antagonist · peaceful victims · right-wing extremists · bureaucrats · outsider neighbor · sympathetic minority

Relationships labels: neighbor conflict · old university friendship · father-daughter relationship · romantic tension · intergroup hostility · community pressure · power imbalance · betrayal · loyalty conflict · solidarity

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1746

Continue from here

The Genocides

Thomas M. Disch · 2000

Alien plants overrun Earth, and a small rural survivor community fights hunger, fear, and each other.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: unlikable characters · morally ambiguous · religious patriarch · survivalist · outsider · fanatic · flawed survivors · power-hungry · resentful · cynical humanity · patriarchal leader · revenge-driven

Relationships labels: family conflict · father-son conflict · power struggle · community tensions · rivalry · betrayal · dependency · hierarchy · patriarchal household

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1756

Continue from here

Zazen

Vanessa Veselka · 2011

A troubled waitress in a near-future city of bombs and activism is pulled toward choices between escape, resistance, and collapse.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: misanthropic protagonist · traumatized narrator · fragile mental state · cynical observer · highly intelligent narrator · academically overqualified · waitress protagonist · radical parents · activist coworker ensemble

Relationships labels: parent-child conflict · sibling relationship · romantic interest · coworker community · activist networks · commune collective · ideological rivalry · group tension · family legacy

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1759

Continue from here

Deadeye Dick

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. · 2010

A guilt-haunted man recounts the small-town life and catastrophic accident that shaped his strange, satirical fate.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: misfit protagonist · flawed protagonist · reclusive narrator · guilty conscience · spoiled family · eccentric parents · idle rich · antihero · sympathetic antihero · morally damaged

Relationships labels: family dynamics · parent-child conflict · father-son conflict · mother-son relationship · marriage strain · community reputation · social ostracism · familial guilt

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1769

Continue from here

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

Clay McLeod Chapman · 2025

A family road trip turns apocalyptic when media-driven possession spreads across the country, warping loved ones into violent monsters.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: estranged son · liberal protagonist · conservative parents · family ensemble · radicalized characters · brainwashed characters

Relationships labels: parent-child conflict · familial estrangement · brother family · marriage · uncle-nephew bond · family breakup · ideological divide · holiday dinner conflict

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1777

Continue from here