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Big Time

Ben H. Winters

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Similar in characterization + relationships

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

Characterization labels used: middle-aged bureaucrat, single mother, everywoman protagonist, kidnap victim, female assassin, hired killer, relentless investigator, nonbinary teen, aging parent caretaker, teen parent

Relationships labels used: mother-child relationship, parent-teen relationship, caregiving, kidnapping, pursuer pursued, workplace hierarchy, family pressure, protective bond

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

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The Crooked Staircase

Dean Koontz · 2018 · Jane Hawk

A fugitive ex-FBI agent races to expose a mind-control conspiracy while protecting her son and surviving a relentless manhunt.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: female protagonist · strong heroine · resourceful protagonist · smart protagonist · fugitive ex-FBI agent · single mother · vigilante · ruthless adversaries · evil villains · professional killers · mastermind villain · corrupt officials · child character · protective parent

Relationships labels: mother son · parental protection · found family · pursuer pursued · rivalry · betrayal · power imbalance · romance manipulation · friend network · allies in hiding

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1817

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The Rule of Three

Eric Walters · 2014 · The Rule of Three

When a global blackout kills modern technology, a teen and his neighborhood must improvise to survive.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen protagonist · young leader · resourceful neighbor · mysterious mentor · police chief mother · retired spy · mature for age · bland protagonist · naive adults · mysterious past · mildly geeky teen · competent survivor

Relationships labels: mother-son · father-son · best friends · crush · romantic tension · neighborhood alliance · mentor-protege · community bonds · family separation · trust and dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1823

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Look Both Ways

Linwood Barclay · 2022

On an isolated island, a self-driving car launch goes terrifyingly wrong when the networked fleet turns on its riders.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: widowed mother · single mother · PR executive · PR professional · teen protagonists · resourceful child · clever child · reclusive neighbor · police chief · rival CEO · villainous executive · narcissistic CEO · crafty old man hero · disgruntled hacker · morally ruthless antagonist

Relationships labels: mother-child bond · siblings · neighbors · community under siege · rivalry · corporate betrayal · betrayed competitor · family in danger · friendship · power struggle

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1867

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This Fragile Earth

Susannah Wise · 2021

In near-future London, a mother and son flee as a tech-dependent society suddenly shuts down.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young mother · protective parent · precocious child · clever child · anxious protagonist · resourceful woman · frustrated parent · difficult protagonist · unlikeable protagonist · weak partner · single parent · unreliable protagonist · survival-minded

Relationships labels: mother son bond · strained marriage · co-parenting · family loyalty · parent child protection · relationship under pressure · survival partnership · protective caregiving · romantic fracture

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1878

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The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Mary E. Pearson · 2008 · Jenna Fox Chronicles

A teen wakes from a coma with missing memories and uncovers a shocking secret about her body, family, and humanity.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen protagonist · introspective heroine · curious protagonist · sympathetic characters · controlling parents · grandmother figure · shady characters · morally conflicted adults · illicit existence

Relationships labels: mother-daughter relationship · parent-child bond · family secrecy · family control · romance subplot · friendship · grandmother-granddaughter relationship · protective parents · parental sacrifice

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1879

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Infinity

Rachel Ward · 2011 · Num8ers

A hunted teen who sees death dates must protect his family when a child’s altered power draws ruthless people in.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen protagonist · young parent · pregnant heroine · gifted child · villainous antagonist · government target · protective father · fugitive · matured characters · flawed characters · character growth · strong mother

Relationships labels: young couple · romantic partnership · family unit · parent-child bond · found family · sibling group · pregnancy · kidnapping · betrayal · dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1882

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The Memoirs of a Survivor

Doris Lessing · 1995

In a collapsing city, an unnamed woman shelters a girl and survives by watching both the streets and a strange world beyond her walls.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: middle aged woman · unnamed protagonist · teenage girl · feral children · street gangs · surrogate mother · observer narrator · psychologically ambiguous · resourceful child · morally compromised adult

Relationships labels: caretaker ward · surrogate motherhood · maternal bond · adult child dynamic · power imbalance · mentor ward · found family · romantic rivalry · parent child tension

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1887

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The Mother Fault

Kate Mildenhall · 2020

In a near-future Australia, a mother defies a surveillance state to find her missing husband and save her children.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: mother protagonist · flawed heroine · protective parent · ordinary woman · strong female protagonist · young children · missing husband · working mother · maternal guilt · resilient heroine

Relationships labels: mother-child bond · marriage · family separation · parent-child conflict · sibling relationship · former lovers · romantic subplot · state vs citizen · family threat · dependence on friends

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1911

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Scary Monsters

Michelle de Kretser · 2022

A reversible two-part novel follows two Asian migrants in past France and near-future Australia as racism and conformity tighten.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: immigrant protagonists · female protagonist · male protagonist · young woman · middle-aged man · bureaucrat · teacher · bureaucrat protagonist · ambitious wife · elderly mother · creepy neighbor · underconfident

Relationships labels: mother-son · husband-wife · friendship · romantic tension · landlord-tenant · colleague friendship · power imbalance · family dependency · peer influence

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1912

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Prophet Song

Paul Lynch · 2023

In a collapsing Ireland, a mother fights to hold her family together as authoritarian rule closes in.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: mother protagonist · scientist protagonist · trade unionist · family caretaker · decent ordinary people · dementia-affected parent · teenage child · passive protagonist · fearful protagonist · protective mother · everywoman figure · working mother · middle-class family

Relationships labels: mother-child bond · marriage under pressure · family separation · parental duty · husband wife · siblings · intergenerational care · community breakdown · state versus citizen

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1924

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Someone Like Me

M.R. Carey · 2018

A battered single mother and a traumatized teen uncover a frightening link between their lives and identities.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: single mother · abusive ex-husband · teen girl · traumatized survivor · protective father · imaginary friend · complex characters · sympathetic characters · unreliable narrators · strong female leads · good mother · violent alter ego · outcast teen · morally split self · supportive son · caregiver

Relationships labels: mother-child bond · father-daughter bond · friendship · school friendship · abusive marriage · custody conflict · family violence · trauma bond · community ties · protective companion

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1931

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Not Alone

Sarah K. Jackson · 2023

After a microplastic catastrophe, a mother and son leave isolation to search for survival—and a possible lost future.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: protective mother · young child · traumatized protagonist · survivor · resourceful forager · whiny child · isolated caregiver · cautious protagonist · fierce maternal figure

Relationships labels: mother son · fiancée relationship · parent child bond · romantic loss · survival dependency · caretaking · trust issues · protective love · community encounter

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1936

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