Ten Favorite Variational Novels
(These are all novels (or in a few cases story collections) that generate themselves by establishing a theme, then modifying and repeating it. I’ve organized them alphabetically by author.)
Abbott Awaits by Chris Bachelder
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
The Crab Nebula by Éric Chevillard
Jesus Christs by A. J. Langguth
The Lost Books of the Odyssey by Zachary Mason
Singular Pleasures by Harry Mathews
The Afflictions by Vikram Paralkar
Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau
Inherited Disorders: Stories, Parables & Problems by Adam Ehrlich Sachs
Ghosts of You by Cathy Ulrich
— October 11, 2021