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Cover of The Cipher by Kathe Koja
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The Cipher

Kathe Koja

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Similar in characterization + relationships

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

Characterization labels used: failed poet, video store clerk, bartender, artist, slacker, underachiever, addict, co-dependent, passive narrator, self-destructive, obsessive, unlikable characters, moral rot, art poseur, emotional abuser

Relationships labels used: toxic romance, co-dependent relationship, obsessive love, on-again off-again relationship, sexual obsession, friend group, power imbalance, dependency

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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Cover of Bolero by Wyatt Kennedy

Bolero

Wyatt Kennedy · 2022 · Bolero

A heartbroken queer woman gets a key to multiple universes and chases a reset, but each jump forces deeper self-confrontation.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: heartbroken protagonist · messy characters · flawed characters · unlikable protagonist · self-destructive · self-sabotaging · addictive personality · recovering addict · relatable mess · toxic adults · aimless dropout · struggling millennial · college dropout · aspiring artist · aimless young adult · emotionally damaged

Relationships labels: breakup · ex relationship · WLW relationship · toxic relationship · cheating · marriage pressure · friendship · family conflict · parent-child conflict · romantic obsession · supportive friendship · relationship drama · queer romance · intimate betrayal

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1728

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Cover of I Can Fix Her by Rae Wilde

I Can Fix Her

Rae Wilde · 2025

A queer horror novella where a reunion with an ex turns into a week of obsession, shifting reality, and self-destruction.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: obsessive protagonist · toxic exes · flawed characters · unreliable protagonist · desperate narrator · possessive behavior · mutually destructive pair · messy characters

Relationships labels: toxic relationship · sapphic relationship · queer exes · codependency · obsession · ghosting · emotional abuse · domestic abuse · power imbalance · jealousy · mutual destruction · unrequited love · stalking

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1765

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Cover of Zoo City by Lauren Beukes

Zoo City

Lauren Beukes · 2010

A sloth-burdened scammer in Johannesburg is pulled into a missing-person case that exposes crime, magic, and hidden guilt.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: flawed heroine · antiheroine · cynical protagonist · resourceful protagonist · recovering addict · con artist · former journalist · socially ostracized · morally ambiguous

Relationships labels: complicated romance · boyfriend · family guilt · social outcast community · power imbalance · transactional relationships

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1835

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Cover of Sweet Harmony by Claire North

Sweet Harmony

Claire North · 2020

In a near future of subscription-based body upgrades, one woman’s quest for perfection spirals into debt and collapse.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: relatable protagonist · unsympathetic protagonist · vain protagonist · self-destructive · addicted · ambitious · broken character · morally compromised · unlikable characters · believable characters

Relationships labels: mother-daughter relationship · toxic relationship · abusive relationship · controlling boyfriend · domestic abuse · dependency · social pressure · romantic coercion

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1846

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Cover of Veniss Underground by Jeff Vandermeer

Veniss Underground

Jeff Vandermeer · 2005

A failed artist’s search for a missing loved one leads into a decadent future city’s bioengineered underground nightmare.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: failed artist · living artist · bioengineer · inventor · programmer · lover · twin · sister · protagonist trio · failed seeker · mysterious antagonist · mad creator · grotesque creations · obsessive characters · emotionally driven

Relationships labels: siblings · twin bond · romantic love · former lovers · friendship · rescue relationship · obsession · dependency · unrequited love · triangular relationship · protective bond

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1852

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Cover of Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang

Immaculate Conception

Ling Ling Huang · 2025

A jealous art student uses mind-linking technology to stay close to her gifted friend in a near-future class-divided world.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: unlikable protagonist · obsessive narrator · tortured artist · art prodigy · ambitious striver · morally ambiguous · ruthless · insecure · envious · codependent · compelling narrator

Relationships labels: female friendship · toxic friendship · codependency · obsession · enmeshment · rivalry · mentor student · marriage · power imbalance · possession · friendship vs rivalry

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1865

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Cover of Walking on Glass by Iain Banks

Walking on Glass

Iain Banks · 2012

Three apparently separate lives in London and a surreal castle edge toward a strange, unsettling convergence.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young artist · art student · paranoid man · delusional outsider · road worker · labourer · warrior · prisoner · female prisoner · enigmatic woman · aloof love interest · eccentric friend · impulsive · passive · obsessive · weak-willed · paranoid · mentally ill · bitter · irascible · naive · unreliable perception · morally ambiguous

Relationships labels: unrequited love · man-woman relationship · romantic obsession · infatuation · friendship · eccentric friendship · power imbalance · captivity bond · adversarial pair · quasi-lovers · manipulation · betrayal · dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1865

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Cover of The Teleportation Accident by Ned Beauman

The Teleportation Accident

Ned Beauman · 2012

A self-absorbed Berlin set designer chases sex, art, and a teleportation mystery across 1930s Europe and America.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: self-absorbed protagonist · unlikable protagonist · antihero · hedonist · misogynist · obsessive · dissatisfied young man · eccentric cast · drunken characters · deplorable characters · comic grotesques · socially oblivious

Relationships labels: obsessive pursuit · romantic obsession · failed romance · sexual chasing · friend betrayal · rivalry · community of artists · power imbalance · love-lust confusion · casual acquaintances

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1874

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Cover of The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon

The Archive Undying

Emma Mieko Candon · 2023 · The Downworld Sequence

A traumatized, unkillable relic is dragged back into a ruined world of AI gods, mechs, devotion, and dangerous secrets.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: traumatized protagonist · queer disaster · self-destructive · immortal · reluctant hero · pathetic man · messy characters · secretive characters · flawed protagonist · self-loathing · stubborn protagonist

Relationships labels: toxic codependency · complicated relationship · forbidden hookup · one-night stand · romantic tension · found family · power imbalance · devotion bond · betrayal · protective relationship · parental figure conflict · merging consciousness

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1880

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Cover of Tokyo Ghost: Complete Edition by Rick Remender

Tokyo Ghost: Complete Edition

Rick Remender · 2017 · Tokyo Ghost

In a tech-addicted 2089 Los Angeles, a constable couple is sent to a last tech-free refuge where love and survival collide.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: tech addict · tech-phobe · recovering addict · codependent · idealistic heroine · tragic antihero · constable · corporate enforcer · tyrant · mad villain · violent enforcer · redemption arc · inferiority · rage · tormented souls · shallow characters · memorable villain

Relationships labels: love story · codependency · romantic partners · lifelong friends · toxic relationship · shared trauma · protective love · dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1882

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Cover of Fiend by Peter Stenson

Fiend

Peter Stenson · 2013

A meth-addicted antihero navigates a zombie apocalypse where staying high may be the only way to stay alive.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: antihero · meth addict · junkie ensemble · unlikable characters · self-destructive · morally compromised

Relationships labels: lost love · ex-girlfriend · friendship · best friends · drug dependency · romantic obsession · family estrangement

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1884

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Cover of She's Always Hungry by Eliza Clark

She's Always Hungry

Eliza Clark · 2024

A short-story collection where hunger becomes body horror, satire, and speculative dread across wildly different lives.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: unpleasant people · teenagers · young women · young men · scientist · cannibal · immortal character · lonely character · obsessive character · traumatized character · body-conscious character

Relationships labels: toxic relationship · romantic obsession · friendship · family tension · power imbalance · gendered power · trauma response · dependency · community pressure · survivor dynamics · coercive relationships

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1885

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