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What's a good book that unfolds over a short time in-story? No spoilers, thanks.

Everything takes place over a few hours, or entirely set during the immediate aftermath of an automobile crash, for example?

I’d like to avoid “and it was all a dream”, time travel, or similar plot devices if possible.

I’m curious what a novel of any length purposely confined to a strict time window in-story reads like.

Maybe I should be reading more plays.

Thanks.

NycterVyvver ,

The Children’s Story by James Clavell.

IIRC, the book takes about 20 minutes to read and the events that take place occur in real time.

Varyk OP ,

Okay, cool thanks.

I read shogun a couple years ago, I wouldn’t mind reading something by him that only takes 20 minutes.

hybridhavoc ,
@hybridhavoc@darkfriend.social avatar

@Varyk How short a time are we talking?

This one might be a bit of a cheat, but: The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. Technically everything happens within a day.

Varyk OP ,

A day is good, and I love that title.

I didn’t have a hard and fast timeline going in deliberately, i’m more interested in all of your recommendations.

I’ll definitely be looking into that, thanks.

underscore_ ,

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World — Elif Shafak.

Varyk OP ,

Seems on point, thanks

frankPodmore ,
@frankPodmore@slrpnk.net avatar

Other people have already said Ulysses and Mrs Dalloway, both modernist classics that take place in a single day. There are a couple of other examples of similar novels, but the only one that springs to mind right now is a deeply annoying experimental ‘novel’ called Fidget by Oliver Goldsmith, which I don’t recommend at all. He wore a tape recorder and spoke out loud describing everything he did that day, then transcribed it all and that’s the book. If you do decide to read it, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I don’t know if this will count for you, but there’s a hypertext novel called 253 by Geoff Ryman which IIRC takes place over just a couple of minutes, with very short chapters describing the thoughts of each of the 253 passengers on board a train. He did later also publish a print version.

Varyk OP ,

Thanks, fidget does sound deeply annoying

AbouBenAdhem , (edited )

Try the classical Greek tragedies—one of the requirements of the genre is that the action is supposed to take place in less than a day (Aristotle’s “unity of time”).

Varyk OP ,

I’ll look into the unity of time, thanks

frefi , (edited )
@frefi@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Ulysses by James Joyce takes place in a day… 🫠

Also, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens takes place in one night

Oops, I forgot you said: I’d like to avoid “and it was all a dream”, time travel, or similar plot devices if possible

Wow, it’s really hard to think of books that only take place in a few hours. The only ones I can think of take place over the course of a day. Yeah, I guess reading plays would be your best bet

leraje ,
@leraje@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

Oops, I forgot you said: I’d like to avoid “and it was all a dream”

But it wasn’t! Even if it did inspire the immortal line: " There’s more of gravy than of grave about you"

Varyk OP ,

Plenty of good plays I need to catch up on anyhow

guillem ,
@guillem@aussie.zone avatar

Plays tend to be very definite in timeframe.

For example God of carnage happens during a dinner iirc? And Death and the maiden during a night or so (except preface and conclusion).

Varyk OP , (edited )

That’s kind of what gave rise to this question. Plays are so succinct and plotted accurate and characterization I was wondering what sort of novels also had that kind of accuracy.

But I haven’t read many plays, regardless of the fact that I usually enjoy them for exactly the reason I’m asking.

So yeah, I’ll definitely read some more plays, but I’m definitely going to check out some of these novels people are suggesting as well

GreyShuck ,
@GreyShuck@feddit.uk avatar

Nicholson Baker’s The Mezzanine - basically takes place over the course of a lunch break - with a few footnotes and digressions.

OK, a LOT of footnotes and digressions. But, still, a lunch break.

Varyk OP ,

Great, thanks

AbouBenAdhem ,

I haven’t read it yet, but Martin Riker’s novel The Guest Lecture apparently takes place in the mind of a professor lying awake in bed the night before she’s supposed to deliver a lecture.

Varyk OP ,

Thanks, definitely worth looking into

garrbear ,

The heroes by Joe Abercrombie is about a 3 day long battle.

Varyk OP ,

Should I read the first four books to catch up to those events?

garrbear ,

It can definitely be read standalone and was written to be standalone, but the other books are also fantastic and absolutely worth reading.

Varyk OP ,

Okay, awesome. Thank you, I’m definitely interested

SnokenKeekaGuard ,
@SnokenKeekaGuard@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. Can’t believe I forgot that

Varyk OP ,

Cool, thanks, that’s the second dalloway rec, it’s definitely on the list

SnokenKeekaGuard ,
@SnokenKeekaGuard@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Dan Brown novels tend to be fast paced with time constraints. Not as confined as you’d like tho.

Grimy ,

He said good tho

Varyk OP ,

I read his famous series. At least a few of them. They did read easy

SnokenKeekaGuard , (edited )
@SnokenKeekaGuard@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Yeah he has a very readable style. The short chapters and the cliffhanger ends to eevry chapter woth buildimg mystery, its like reading breaking bad

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