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The Definitions

Matt Greene

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Similar in characterization + relationships

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

Characterization labels used: unnamed protagonist, blank slate, adult students, memory-wiped residents, intelligent narrator, gender-ambiguous narrator, adolescent-like adults, conformists, resistant characters, brainwashed residents

Relationships labels used: friendship, romantic tension, same-sex desire, peer dynamics, power imbalance, institutional authority, community formation, cliques, coercive dependence, careful intimacy, budding love

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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Night Surf

Stephen King

A small group of young survivors endures the aftermath of a deadly flu while one haunting night exposes how fragile their immunity may be.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young adults · college students · survivor group · unlikable characters · mean protagonist · apathetic protagonist · cynical characters · morally gray characters · emotionally damaged · nostalgic narrator

Relationships labels: group dynamics · romantic resentment · male-female tension · peer friction · survivor bond · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1433

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Trouble on Triton: An Ambiguous Heterotopia

Samuel R. Delany · 1996

In a future moon society of radical freedom, an alienated outsider’s identity crisis collides with war, sex, and gender.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: unlikable protagonist · misogynist protagonist · self-centered · self-delusional · psychologically dense · socially maladjusted · outsider · immigrant · sex worker · metalogician · artist

Relationships labels: romantic pursuit · unrequited desire · gendered power dynamics · friendship · lover conflict · social alienation · communal living · same-sex desire · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1485

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Feed

M.T. Anderson · 2004

A teen’s moon vacation turns into a close-up look at a brain-implanted media system, a collapsing world, and a fragile romance.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: immature teen · self-absorbed youth · alienated narrator · more aware girl · brainwashed peers · shallow characters · thoughtful outsider · unlikable protagonist · complicated characters · static character arc

Relationships labels: teen romance · star-crossed lovers · peer pressure · friend group · family strain · dependence · social conformity · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1507

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Taivas

Piia Leino · 2018

In a sealed future Helsinki, a numb researcher awakens through virtual reality and is pulled toward dangerous real-world feeling.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: apathetic protagonist · waking protagonist · researcher protagonist · strong female character · morally gray characters · insecure characters · possessive male character · passive male lead · ideological contrast · complex characters

Relationships labels: romantic connection · forbidden attraction · power imbalance · gendered dynamics · heteronormative pairing · paired protagonists · trust issues · social divide · dependency · family influence

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1522

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I Who Have Never Known Men

Jacqueline Harpman · 2022

Forty women are trapped underground with no answers; one nameless girl must make sense of freedom, loss, and survival.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: unnamed protagonist · young girl narrator · curious narrator · courageous narrator · outsider · female community · male guards · survivor identity

Relationships labels: female friendship · female intimacy · sisterhood · community bonds · power imbalance · captor captive · companionship · isolation

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1544

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Кубик

Саша Козлов · 2024

Six linked sci-fi stories in shifting realities slowly reveal a hidden pattern, forcing readers to solve the puzzle.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: ordinary people · functional characters · flat characters · NPC-like characters · relationship-centered · baffled protagonists · observer protagonists · brittle humanity

Relationships labels: romantic tension · friendship · dependency · human connection · community · partnership

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1558

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Shift

Hugh Howey · 2013 · Silo

A prequel unfolding the buried origins of the silo world through politics, memory loss, and interlocking timelines.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: bland protagonist · naive protagonist · workaholic · manipulated leader · rising politician · architect protagonist · revolutionary · isolated child · ambiguous villains · flat characters

Relationships labels: marriage · romantic triangle · best friends · mentor influence · power hierarchy · manipulation · community conflict · leader-subordinate

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1582

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Dragon Head, Volume 1

Minetarō Mochizuki · 2006 · ドラゴンヘッド [Dragon Head]

A school train trip turns into a nightmare when a tunnel collapse traps three teens underground with no clear way out.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen protagonists · school students · fragile sanity · protective lead · unhinged survivor · helpless victim · reactive character · survival instincts · psychological deterioration · flat characters

Relationships labels: classmates · peer conflict · group survival · protective bond · dependency · gendered power dynamics · friendship under stress · betrayal risk · rivalry

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1588

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The Compound

Aisling Rawle · 2025

A reality TV contestant enters a desert compound where luxury, survival, and desire are all on the line.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: vapid protagonist · unlikable characters · antiheroine · passive heroine · shallow cast · young adults · beautiful contestants · vain characters · materialistic · cutthroat

Relationships labels: romantic competition · forced coupling · group rivalry · jealousy · power dynamics · alliances · betrayal · intimacy under pressure · heterosexual pairing · cohabitation

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1598

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The Tatami Galaxy

Tomihiko Morimi · 2022 · 四畳半シリーズ

An unnamed Kyoto college student relives four possible campus lives, chasing the one he thinks he missed.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: unnamed protagonist · disaffected student · antihero · unlikable protagonist · self-deprecating narrator · aimless young adult · socially awkward · mischievous friend · obnoxious friend · eccentric supporting cast · frenemy · mischief-maker · self-pitying · morally messy

Relationships labels: friendship · rivalry · frenemy relationship · crush · romantic tension · campus community · male friendship · mentor figure · student clubs · love-hate friendship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1609

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Strażnik

Paulina Hendel · 2014 · Zapomniana księga

A memory-stricken young man wakes in a ruined world overrun by demons and must rebuild his past and future.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: amnesiac protagonist · irritating protagonist · narcissistic protagonist · reluctant hero · young adult protagonist · independent heroine · strong heroine · ensemble cast · everyday-life characters

Relationships labels: romantic tension · ship focus · village community · found family · male-female tension · social integration · group belonging

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1618

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宝石の国 3 [Houseki no Kuni 3]

Haruko Ichikawa, 市川春子 · 2014 · 宝石の国 [Hōseki no Kuni]

A winter mission forces a fragile gem warrior into a new partnership that changes identity, memory, and fate.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: clumsy protagonist · coming-of-age · self-doubt · depression · matured protagonist · traumatized protagonist · serious mentor · guard duty · stoic partner · genderless characters

Relationships labels: partnership · mentor-student · friendship · dependence · protective bond · nonsexual intimacy · idolization

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1619

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