Well, it turns out that I finally found a couple books that are somewhat similar to the book my friend and I are writing. Is anyone familiar with this type of book? If I understand Slice of Life books correctly, they basically just tell stories from a characters life and are often times humorous. Our story definitely has a plot so much so that it doesn't seem to fit into the Slice of Life category. I'll try and give a little bit of detail (I know I've done this a few times). Basically, our book is somewhat Slice of Life in that nearly everything that happens in the book actually happened; however, we've put the events in an order so that it progresses like a natural story. However, by doing so, the story has become fairly unbelievable, but we've told the story in such an exaggerated and convoluted manner that it seems appropriate. Additionally, the story revolves around some meaningful themes, so it's not exactly a strictly entertainment read. I always describe it as being Napoleon Dynamite in writing with the addition of a storyline and meaning (unfortunately I didn't like that movie at all, but it gives a pretty decent idea). Do you think this would fall under the Slice of Life category. I ask because it's helpful to find similar books in order to get a novel published. If not, do you have any ideas what it may be close to? I don't read a whole lot, so it's not much of a surprise that I've don't know of anything even close to our story. But, my friend is an English major and she doesn't either. Not to mention, we've let several English professors read parts of it and none of them know of anything very similar either. We've also let several of our friends read parts and they don't know of anything either.
Slice of life, because of the absence of a strong plot, is better suited for short stories than novels. It's hard to hold the interest of the reader over an entire novel without plot and therefore tension.
Why don't you read much? And do you think other people will be interested enough to read a whole novel which is a slice of your life? Just wondering...
Sounds a bit like Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell - his is several stories but he has told them out of sequence, one story just ends you turn the page into the next one, then comes back to the first story later. It's not autobiographical but works. There was a TV show in the 90s based off a book something like Our Life/Life written by an Anna something. Can't remember but it seems to share similarities with your book. There are others but my brain is working right now. There are plenty full blown Slice of Life type works that try funky ways of telling stories. Like Horizon pointed out they often make the Booker Prize list which is why I don't read them very often
Well, even if the OP doesn't read a whole lot, I'm sure it would be helpful to read more in this 'slice of life' genre, whatever that may be. I can't say that is something I've come across much in novel form, unless you mean to do a magnum opus like Ulysses which would be quite an undertaking.
I've only ever heard the term "slice of life" applied to two series. Both of them focus on characters going about their everyday lives: going to school, hanging out with friends, extracurricular activities, and occasionally a supernatural phenomenon or two. Basically, relatively normal people doing relatively normal things. For anyone who cares, I'm talking about the Haruhi Suzumiya series and Lucky Star.
On topic: I agree with Cogito about a Slice of Life type read is more for a short story collection. If your real life anecdotes are mixed with some plot or just the fact that it's in chronological order, it could be considered humor/non-fiction. Something like "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell"?
I remember some YA books that I read in high school that seemed to fit the Slice of Life category. The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot, and a similar series about a girl in England named Georgia -- I don't remember the series name, but the books were about her friends, her boyfriends, etc written in a humorouos style, just about her life. If it's funny -- I mean really, truly funny -- you might be able to pull it off well.
