Eileen is a wintery slow burn by Otessa Mossfegh. Similar to her last novel, My Year of Rest and Relaxation, the pacing is dry and doldrum as we follow iotas of the main character's experiences. Everything from her bodily sensations to her scathing, hyper-feminine critiques of the people around her. Eileen is unapologetic, gross, and for much of the novel the plot moves at a glacial crawl. We see multiple days at work, nights of arguing with her father, long drives through the snow to get cheap drinks. Eileen herself is solitary, and we spend most of the time within the perspective of her inner thoughts.

Dune, by Frank Herbert

The first Dune book is a dry, precise tour de force of post-modern literature. The story is presented through multiple layers of metafiction right from the getgo as we see ancient hymns of Dune's history alongside _future_ recounts of the main character's actions. Then we meet the main character within his dreams before finally taking on a first person perspective. The histories of people, nations, and worlds is presented with little immediate explanation, and at first it can be challenging to keep track of which factions and people will have an impact on the primary story. On the other hand, these unanswered questions help flesh out a universe which immediately feels old and lived in.