If you were moved by the vast historical canvas and intricate tapestry of families in The Known World, you'll find Homegoing equally compelling. Gyasi traces the descendants of two half-sisters from 18th-century Ghana through generations and continents, showing how the legacy of slavery ripples through time. The novel's broad reach and interconnected stories provide the same epic sense of history, consequence, and humanity.

If you appreciated how The Known World weaves together the lives of many—from Moses to Caldonia to Henry—A Brief History of Seven Killings will draw you in with its large, vivid cast. James's novel spans decades and perspectives, immersing you in the worlds of gang members, journalists, and politicians in Jamaica, each with their own voice and stake in the story.

If you were fascinated by the ambiguous choices and ethical dilemmas faced by characters like Henry Townsend or Moses, The Underground Railroad offers another powerful exploration. Whitehead's Cora must make impossible decisions to survive, and the people she meets—both helpers and betrayers—are drawn with the same nuance and complexity that made The Known World so haunting.

If you admired the layers of interiority and memory in characters like Caldonia or Alice, Beloved will resonate with its deep psychological complexity. Morrison's Sethe is haunted—literally and figuratively—by her past, and the novel’s exploration of trauma, motherhood, and selfhood mirrors the profound inner journeys found in The Known World.

If you valued the immersive, meticulously crafted world of antebellum Virginia in The Known World, you'll be captivated by James's depiction of a Jamaican sugar plantation. The sights, sounds, and brutal realities of 18th-century Jamaica come alive through the eyes of Lilith, drawing you into a world as vividly rendered as Edward P. Jones's.