Books Like Sometimes a Great Notion

Jack London

Like Kesey's coastal Oregon, London's novel is set against harsh seas and sets a hard, self-reliant character against a domineering force. Its raw physical energy will feel familiar to Stamper readers.

David Guterson

Guterson evokes a close Pacific Northwest community shaped by hard work and old grievances. Readers who loved the rural texture and tangled loyalties of Kesey's town will find a similar sense of place.

John Steinbeck

Steinbeck's warm, episodic portrait of a waterfront community of drifters and workers shares Kesey's comic affection for rough, unruly people on the Pacific coast.

William Faulkner

Faulkner's fractured, multi-voiced account of a troubled family echoes the shifting perspectives and inherited resentments that drive the Stampers. Readers of Kesey's novel often find it a natural next step.

John Steinbeck

East of Eden follows a family whose rivalries and buried betrayals carry the weight of myth, much as Kesey's novel does. Its sweeping scope and moral seriousness suit readers who loved the Stampers' tangle.

William Faulkner

Faulkner's shifting monologues trace a stubborn family's grim, darkly comic journey, using multiple voices as Kesey does. Its sharp black humour and unyielding characters appeal to the same readers.

David Foster Wallace

Wallace's enormous, digressive novel mixes comedy and grief with a restless structure and many voices. Readers who enjoyed the energy and ambition of Kesey's second novel will recognise its appetite for risk.

Joseph Heller

Heller's anarchic, looping narrative turns absurd institutions into tragedy and comedy at once. Its defiant anti-authority spirit matches the Stampers' refusal to bend to the strike.

Thomas Pynchon

Pynchon's sprawling, digressive prose and mix of farce and dread stretch the novel form much as Kesey does. Readers drawn to his wild, ambitious voice will find plenty to chase here.

John Steinbeck

Steinbeck's epic about a family facing economic ruin and collective struggle speaks to the same labour tensions as Kesey's strike. Its mix of anger and compassion will resonate with his readers.

Larry McMurtry

McMurtry's big, funny, melancholy saga of tough, flawed men on a hard journey captures the rough humour and stubborn code that run through Kesey's novel. Its scale rewards readers who like long, character-rich books.

Owen Wister

Wister's early Western portrays a laconic, self-reliant man bucking the codes of a rough community. Its stark frontier pride echoes the Stampers' defiance of a town that would rather they conform.