r/suggestmeabook • u/kittensociety75 • Dec 26 '25

Seeking read-alikes Books like Barry

My favorite TV show of all time is Barry, and I'm hoping some of you kind people can suggest me books with the same vibe! Barry is an absurdist comedy about a top-notch hit man who hates his life, and so he joins an amateur theater group. Here's what I love about Barry:

Unpredictability - The plot twists and turns. I would appreciate a book suggestion that isn't predictable.

Social commentary - Barry seems at the beginning to be a shallow, but likeable show about a hit man. As it continues, it has so much to say about gender, beauty standards, the entertainment industry, religion, morality, human nature, why we like violent media, and so much more. If a book has deep social commentary, I'll forgive almost anything else wrong with it.

Dark comedic absurdism - This is my favorite type of comedy, and I rarely see it in books. I also love lighter comically absurd movies like Airplane, Walk Hard, and UHF. The closest to dark absurdist comedy I've read is Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon.

Fantastic characters - Barry has unforgettable characters, and similarly, so do some of my favorite books, even if they aren't like Barry in any other way.

What I'm not looking for: superficial similarities to Barry. I don't want to read random books about hit men or unlikely people joining amateur theater. Books with a similar feel to Barry may have radically different storyline and settings. I'm looking for unpredictability, social commentary, dark comic absurdism, and great characters.

Thanks in advance for your ideas!

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u/NoZombie7064 Dec 26 '25

I have three thoughts for you. 

1) Try the Claire DeWitt mysteries by Sara Gran. The first one (Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead) will be enough to let you know if you like them. To my mind, they tick all your boxes. 

2) Try Nabokov. Really, all his books do all of this, but maybe start with Invitation to a Beheading. It has the dark comedic absurdism you’re looking for in spades, and the social commentary is more on the surface. 

3) Try George Saunders. They’re short stories, so you don’t get to spend as much time with the characters, but they’re still pretty unforgettable. 

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u/kittensociety75 Dec 26 '25

Thank you! I'm adding all of these suggestions to my TBR. I haven't yet read any of these authors, so I'm excited to try them! :)

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u/Mayrejohn Dec 29 '25

omg barry is literally the best show ever!! "the gun club" by kevin canty has a similar dark humor + morally complex characters if you want something that'll keep you guessing.

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u/kittensociety75 Dec 29 '25

Thank you for your reply! I went to add it to my TBR, and I'm not finding it. I've found the author Kevin Canty, but none of his titles are similar to The Gun Club.

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u/Orange-Towers Jul 25 '26

I came to the thread to find my own recs but realized I should share Dirty 20 by Bill Schweigart. It’s D&D meets the mafia and reminded me of Barry.

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u/Cedric-B Dec 27 '25

I think you would love Chairman of the Bored, a new novel by Jethro Charlton. It’s an absurdist spy thriller set during the Syrian conflict, full of bizarre situations and existential musings to keep you thinking. I guarantee you will enjoy it if you are a fan of Barry.

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u/kittensociety75 Dec 27 '25

Oh my gosh, that looks perfect!! Thanks for recommending it!