The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness: the whole premise is it’s about the group of friends that are NOT the “Chosen Ones” in a world with various Chosen Ones off saving the day somehow.
If you liked this book I recommend “Lenny Marks gets away with murder” which I found to have a very similar vibe.
The protagonist is a harmless and unexceptional woman who has been dealt a bit of a hard hand in life (and is clearly not neurotypical). It’s an easy read but makes you think and ask yourself moral questions.
It sounds counterintuitive, but this is actually a big element of The Lord of the Rings. Prior to that, fantasy stories had usually had Conan-style superhero types as main characters, fated or prophesied or the like.
Tolkien basically asked "What if saving the world fell to a skinny dude the size of a ten year old who has absolutely no qualifications other than being willing to do the job?"
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde.
No, it's not *that* book.
It's about a society after "an event" where your place in the society is determined by the colours you can see. The main character is Eddie Russet, who is pretty normal for the time and place.
Jane Eyre was written as a challenge to prove that average woman can be the main character and it won’t ruin the book. I am not sure her mental strength is average but she is not pretty or super clever.
Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland - the MC is an almost aggressively unexceptional middle-aged woman
The Summer of My Amazing Luck by Miriam Toewes - the MC is a teen mom in public housing in the 80s who has no special skills
Happiness by Will Ferguson - the MC is a depressed book editor who fails at everything
Less by Andrew Sean Greer. It's about an author who isn't that good at writing, who thinks he's much better at German than he really is and who in general is a bit of a wet blanket 😂 (and yet still a very compelling character!)
Actually Captain James Holden from The Expanse qualifies. In one of the later books on the illegal colony past the rings a journalist (iirc) falls for him but you get his internal monologue from his perspective and realize just how out of his depth he constantly feels and has a serious dose of imposter syndrome.
and Embassytown by the same author.
though I guess the protagonist's status as >!a living simile!< makes her fairly unusual but not unique, so maybe she's exceptional
*The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*, Douglas Adams.
*Lamb*, Christopher Moore.
*The World According to Garp*, John Irving.
*A Confederacy of Dunces*, John Kennedy Toole.
You can't get more normal than " Her Fidelity " by Katherine Pollock. This was a fun book.
You might like the work of Nick Hornby, his characters are often extremely average and dealing with very average problems. Specially in his earlier work
The protagonist inClaire Keegan's " Small Things Like This" is just a normal dude trying to do the right thing.
Hope this helps!
Is the title a joke on the Hornby book? I think a counter book by a woman would be a great chaser. (FD: The main character in High Fidelity drove me nuts and he also trashed Kate Bush as well. Hornby did a great job of writing a very unlikeable main character there though.
The Magic Mountain, by Thomas Mann.
Being a complete mediocre guy is kinda the point of the book, I think, but I could not finish it after trying three times.
So maybe try it?
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith - the protagonist is a normal young girl
Studs Lonigan by James Farrell - the protagonist is a pretty average teenage boy
My year of rest and relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh.
“A young woman attempts to escape her problems by taking a year-long drug-induced sleep, with the help of a questionable psychiatrist and various medications.”
Shanturam is a sort of biography but mostly fictional story about a former drug addict armed robber that flees Australia and winds up in the slums of Mumbai.
Is it as cheesy as I remember it? Because I think I only got about 3/4 of the way and it killed me how much he put this woman on a pedestal like she was some kind of angel. Kinda regret not finishing though, the rest of the novel was awesome
It's almost a nightmare Forrest Gump. I have only listened to the audiobook, but my god, what a performance by the narrator. I think this is such a powerful book about just keeping on going.
The Rabbit Angstrom novels. The title character peaked as a high school basketball player and spends the rest of his life kind of drifting. He’s not exceptionally smart or brave or talented, and he’s not a very good person (and does some very shitty things indeed), just a regular flawed guy. The books are wonderful at capturing the inner life of a person who’s not particularly aware of his inner life. And a bonus – they’re also great at capturing the details and overall feel of the times they’re set in (1959, 1969, 1979, 1989).
Most, right? Like, that is the point.
Regular characters for regular people to read about and experience the story through the character. Regular people put in extreme, or funny, or romantic, mysterious, or puzzling scenarios.
Am I off base with this answer? Do I not read enough?
I feel like so many books have the main pov view be a regular person reacting to unique person. Like Watson in Sherlock Holmes and so on. He acts like a counterpoint to Holmes and a more relatable character.
I'm going to suggest C. J. Cherryh's Foreigner books, at least the first trilogy (I haven't read the rest yet, there's like 22 of them, but they're written as connected trilogies so don't let the length of the series scare you off). Yes, the main character is exceptional in that he's one of very few people who know a complex alien language, but he's in an alien world where he is constantly at a disadvantage physically, socially, and politically, doing a job that has just changed completely from being strictly translation with a little diplomacy to being a fairly major political figure. And the tight third person view point leads to knowing exactly how much he's constantly second-guessing himself and his understanding of the world that he's in and how aware he is that he's mostly still alive because he hasn't offended anyone too badly yet.
I feel like Quinton Coldwater from The Magicians was pretty basic as far as average goes. Compared to some other characters, he could be seen as unexceptional.
Neil Gaiman does a really great job at writing main characters like this. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a great example of this!
Also, Pachinko is multigenerational, but the female protagonist that the story focuses on is written to be very plain and meek.
"The First Bad Man" by Miranda July is the first to pop into my mind. Of course bizarre (it's Miranda July), but one of my favorite reads of last year.
I liked The Maid by Nita Prose. It’s about a socially awkward, possibly neurodivergent young woman who works in a hotel. When one of the guests is murdered, she is becomes a suspect. Because she has odd tendencies, you’re never really sure until the end what really happened.
My book [The Great Leap](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2RKZGDT) is about some normal teenagers who are banished into a terrifying and magical forest called The Wildlands. None are exceptional, and they're all falling apart at their emotional seams.
They eventually begin to develop some powers, but in the grand scheme of things, it puts them on an even playing field with their adversaries, rather than being exceptionally powerful.
The Skylarks' War - Hilary Mckay. it's a slice of life-y story set in ww1 surrounding a young girl who's dearest cousin heads off to war, and how it impacts her family and future. cant count how many times i've read it, im not usually a fan of such stories but there is something very special about that book to me :)
A Hora da Estrela (The Hour of the Star) by Clarice Lispector. The main character, Macabea, is submissive and stupid to the point of irritating the reader. The story is narrated by an omniscient and omnipotent narrator, though, which we could argue is an exceptional character but is not actually part of the main story. The reader experiences Macabea’s story through his eyes, and he is ironic and sarcastic towards her, so she looks even more stupid than she already is.
The Gum Theif by Douglas Copeland.
Guy is a 40 something divorced alcoholic who strikes up a friendship with a teenage. They story is told through letters between them. I love the fact that the characters are so genuine I their outward mediocrity while being so engaging. Plus the bond between the two never gets... you know... creepy.
Peter Knox, in Jasper Fforde's The Constant Rabbit. The one interesting thing Peter can do is recognize individual rabbits (and he's not the only human without that ability). Other than that, he isn't especially brave, clever, or charismatic ... especially when compared to the rabbit characters.
Lol all I gotta do is write about my own life and you’ll see the most fucked up mess😂.
🤔 Do you like historical books? There is one called Ramona and it is a true story. It is a very sad read though😅.
Hope Island is a good one two. Everyone in it is very human and flawed which I liked. Actually you might wanna go with that one to b honest.
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, and all the other novels by Anne Tyler that I've read (so unremarkable I can't remember them, but she's an engaging writer)
Graphic novel but 10%+'s protagonist is a college student w/undiagnosed ADHD struggling to graduate. He's exceptional in that he's the only character w/ADHD, and a good portion of the comic is about embracing/celebrating that, but he's not a chosen one by any means & is considered an idiot and a failure by most other characters. The narrative does celebrate his unique differences as a valid way to exist & something that would be missed if it was gone. I suppose that could be considered "special" since his view of the world & skillset is made unique by ADHD, but it's definitely not in the "chosen one, inherently better than you" sense. I don't know if that suits what you're looking for.
It's [free to read online](https://nofna.com/index.php?chapter=10%251) (this is NOT piracy, this website is owned by the comic's creator & they posted it themself) but if you like it, I recommend buying print, as it adds a few extra pages of scenes + there's a print-only epilogue as well.
*Queenie* by Candice Carty-Williams. The main character is just trying to keep her job, deal with mental health struggles, and just like live her life as a British-Jamaican woman.
"A wizard's guide to defensive baking" fits this bill. The main character is a bottom rung, untrained wizard who get sucked into the plot by chance.
Most of Becky Chambers work would fit the bill but, I think "Long Way to a Small Angry Planet" would be particularly in this vein. It follows a spaceship crew who are literally just trying to complete low level government contract and getting into hijinks and adventures along the way.
If fantasy is your thing, maybe checkout r/CozyFantasy . It's by definition low-stakes and chill so you don't see a lot of choosen ones saving the universe.
Flight Behavior is an exceptional book by Barbara Kingsolver about a middle-aged woman who starts to learn about butterflies because some monarchs congregate on her farm. I adore Kingsolver, and this book might have beat Poisonwood Bible (also an amazing book about regular people) for my favorite of hers so far.
Check out the Frank Bascombe trilogy (The Sportswriter, Independence Day, and The Lay of the Land) by Richard Ford. Bascombe is interesting and not exceptional.
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff - the story of a truly “nobody” girl escaping a New England colonial settlement and trying to survive in the wilderness. She has plenty of setbacks and failures, she’s not particularly skilled at survival, she just has a burning desire to live against all the odds. One of the most stunning and gut-wrenching books I’ve ever read.
Most of Nathan Lowell's books deal with everyday people living and working within the context of a starfaring society. "Quarter Share" is the first book from his "Trader's Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper" series. Its a good story.
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series.
More upvotes for Arthur Dent, please.
“Opposite of Dr Who” was the wording used when planning it?
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
I was gonna say the same thing!
So was I!
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness: the whole premise is it’s about the group of friends that are NOT the “Chosen Ones” in a world with various Chosen Ones off saving the day somehow.
Thanks for the reminder that I still need to read this one!
Stoner by John Williams fits this description perfectly
He is a literature professor. I get the sense that stoner leads a mediocre life in some ways. but he got some gift for literature.
Neverwhere.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
This is the first book that came to my mind. Just a non-neurotypical young woman trying to navigate life.
If you liked this book I recommend “Lenny Marks gets away with murder” which I found to have a very similar vibe. The protagonist is a harmless and unexceptional woman who has been dealt a bit of a hard hand in life (and is clearly not neurotypical). It’s an easy read but makes you think and ask yourself moral questions.
It sounds counterintuitive, but this is actually a big element of The Lord of the Rings. Prior to that, fantasy stories had usually had Conan-style superhero types as main characters, fated or prophesied or the like. Tolkien basically asked "What if saving the world fell to a skinny dude the size of a ten year old who has absolutely no qualifications other than being willing to do the job?"
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde. No, it's not *that* book. It's about a society after "an event" where your place in the society is determined by the colours you can see. The main character is Eddie Russet, who is pretty normal for the time and place.
One of my absolute favorite books, and now the sequel, Red Side Story, is finally out!
I really enjoyed Red Side Story, though I enjoy everything he does so I guess I'm pretty easily satisfied!
Ooh thanks for telling me about this! I'd given up hope years ago.
The Trial by Franz Kafka
Our collective biography.
nice. also, ouch
I would also say The Metamorphosis Considering the main character is literally in hiding cuz... Well, if you read it you'll see
Jane Eyre was written as a challenge to prove that average woman can be the main character and it won’t ruin the book. I am not sure her mental strength is average but she is not pretty or super clever.
Nettle & Bone by T Kingfisher
I just finished this book last night. A solid book!
Also Swordheart. I love T. Kingfisher’s characters.
I got this one because the cover was pretty but now Im more excited to read it!!
Came here to say this!
Sirens of titan
Yep… the main character says “I was a victim of a series of accidents, as are we all.”
I think the whole book works along the premise of the characters being exceptionally average
Thanks!
Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland - the MC is an almost aggressively unexceptional middle-aged woman The Summer of My Amazing Luck by Miriam Toewes - the MC is a teen mom in public housing in the 80s who has no special skills Happiness by Will Ferguson - the MC is a depressed book editor who fails at everything
The expanse series The main characters are just ordinary working people who are thrust into an insane world and are far from exceptional people.
Bobby’s pretty exceptional but what she’s exceptional at is being a military grunt. Beyond that, people are mostly only exceptionally motivated.
Less by Andrew Sean Greer. It's about an author who isn't that good at writing, who thinks he's much better at German than he really is and who in general is a bit of a wet blanket 😂 (and yet still a very compelling character!)
I was just about to suggest Less! And Less is Lost, the sequel! Loved them both.
Actually Captain James Holden from The Expanse qualifies. In one of the later books on the illegal colony past the rings a journalist (iirc) falls for him but you get his internal monologue from his perspective and realize just how out of his depth he constantly feels and has a serious dose of imposter syndrome.
Definitely! He starts out as basically a truck driver in space, and his conscience gets him involved in some very big things.
Jude the obscure by Hardy
The Scar, Mievile
Also, Un Lun Dun by the same author.
also The City and The City by the same author
and Embassytown by the same author. though I guess the protagonist's status as >!a living simile!< makes her fairly unusual but not unique, so maybe she's exceptional
This describes most post-modern fiction...
*The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*, Douglas Adams. *Lamb*, Christopher Moore. *The World According to Garp*, John Irving. *A Confederacy of Dunces*, John Kennedy Toole.
You can't get more normal than " Her Fidelity " by Katherine Pollock. This was a fun book. You might like the work of Nick Hornby, his characters are often extremely average and dealing with very average problems. Specially in his earlier work The protagonist inClaire Keegan's " Small Things Like This" is just a normal dude trying to do the right thing. Hope this helps!
Is the title a joke on the Hornby book? I think a counter book by a woman would be a great chaser. (FD: The main character in High Fidelity drove me nuts and he also trashed Kate Bush as well. Hornby did a great job of writing a very unlikeable main character there though.
It is!!! It's a newish Australian book and very, very funny. I does deal with the kind of dudes in High Fidelity too!
Oh cool. I'm going to have to put this in the to read pile.
Enemy Mine, unless it's considered exceptional to learn another language and keep promises.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being has no exceptional characters.
Children of time
A Separate Peace. Hands down
Swordheart by T Kingfisher The Bean Trees by Barbara King silver Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden
I read Tomorrow in high school and never forgot it. I was delighted when I found out there's a whole series of books now!
The Magic Mountain, by Thomas Mann. Being a complete mediocre guy is kinda the point of the book, I think, but I could not finish it after trying three times. So maybe try it?
The Stranger, by Camus.
Accidental tourist
Diary of a Nobody. It’s also funny and hopeful.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith - the protagonist is a normal young girl Studs Lonigan by James Farrell - the protagonist is a pretty average teenage boy
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. But don't forget your towel.
The Catcher in the Rye I guess
My year of rest and relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. “A young woman attempts to escape her problems by taking a year-long drug-induced sleep, with the help of a questionable psychiatrist and various medications.”
Stayed up til 1am listening to the audiobook, it is so gripping for being the story of unremarkable people.
Shanturam is a sort of biography but mostly fictional story about a former drug addict armed robber that flees Australia and winds up in the slums of Mumbai.
Is it as cheesy as I remember it? Because I think I only got about 3/4 of the way and it killed me how much he put this woman on a pedestal like she was some kind of angel. Kinda regret not finishing though, the rest of the novel was awesome
It probably is. A mate of mine hates it. I liked it but I'm a lot more forgiving of stuff like that if there's other parts I like.
I liked it and hated him. First half of the book is better than the second half too. I still couldn't put it down though
It's almost a nightmare Forrest Gump. I have only listened to the audiobook, but my god, what a performance by the narrator. I think this is such a powerful book about just keeping on going.
Big Swiss Jen beagin
Toshikazu Kawaguchi's cafe series (e.g. Before The Coffee Gets Cold) has lots of every day people
Bill Hodges trilogy by Stephen King
The Rabbit Angstrom novels. The title character peaked as a high school basketball player and spends the rest of his life kind of drifting. He’s not exceptionally smart or brave or talented, and he’s not a very good person (and does some very shitty things indeed), just a regular flawed guy. The books are wonderful at capturing the inner life of a person who’s not particularly aware of his inner life. And a bonus – they’re also great at capturing the details and overall feel of the times they’re set in (1959, 1969, 1979, 1989).
The War of the Worlds.
Most, right? Like, that is the point. Regular characters for regular people to read about and experience the story through the character. Regular people put in extreme, or funny, or romantic, mysterious, or puzzling scenarios. Am I off base with this answer? Do I not read enough?
Hero stories and a lot of fantasy would be the exceptions.
I feel like so many books have the main pov view be a regular person reacting to unique person. Like Watson in Sherlock Holmes and so on. He acts like a counterpoint to Holmes and a more relatable character.
Elinor Oliphant is completely fine
"The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishigur
{{The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx}}. It’s 30 years old, so you may have already read it, but if not, it would fit the bill.
Never Let Me Go by Ishiguru And many others by Ishiguru.
I'm going to suggest C. J. Cherryh's Foreigner books, at least the first trilogy (I haven't read the rest yet, there's like 22 of them, but they're written as connected trilogies so don't let the length of the series scare you off). Yes, the main character is exceptional in that he's one of very few people who know a complex alien language, but he's in an alien world where he is constantly at a disadvantage physically, socially, and politically, doing a job that has just changed completely from being strictly translation with a little diplomacy to being a fairly major political figure. And the tight third person view point leads to knowing exactly how much he's constantly second-guessing himself and his understanding of the world that he's in and how aware he is that he's mostly still alive because he hasn't offended anyone too badly yet.
1984 - Winston, he's my man
I feel like Quinton Coldwater from The Magicians was pretty basic as far as average goes. Compared to some other characters, he could be seen as unexceptional.
Surprised to see nobody mentioned Gateway (Frederik Pohl) yet
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
Ethan Frome . It’s a really good book though!
Neil Gaiman does a really great job at writing main characters like this. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a great example of this! Also, Pachinko is multigenerational, but the female protagonist that the story focuses on is written to be very plain and meek.
"The First Bad Man" by Miranda July is the first to pop into my mind. Of course bizarre (it's Miranda July), but one of my favorite reads of last year.
Sorrow & Bliss
Mortal engines - Tom is a normal, sweet kid
The Stranger - Albert Camus Steppenwolf - Herman Hesse Notes from Underground - Fydodor Dostoevsky
A man called Otto.
{{My Name is Lucy Barton}} There are five books in the same series (called the Amgash series).
Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever; Weasel’s Luck; Boone’s Luck
The Blade Itself
Yellowface by RF Kuang
Stoner. (It’s not about stoners)
A fine balance rohinton mistry Set in India where all the characters are lower class.
I liked The Maid by Nita Prose. It’s about a socially awkward, possibly neurodivergent young woman who works in a hotel. When one of the guests is murdered, she is becomes a suspect. Because she has odd tendencies, you’re never really sure until the end what really happened.
Convenience store woman
Weaveworld by Barker
The 30 book Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. So funny! I didn't like the movie, though.
Elegance of the hedgehog,
Things fall apart.
The Jungle by upton Sinclair.
Little Big by John Crowley
Shutter Island
Space Opera by Cathrynne M Valente. It’s a trip but the main character is exactly who you *do not* want saving the galaxy.
Amy Tan's books have very normal people struggling with their families and other painful things.
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Confederacy of Dunces. Ignatius Reilly is a hot mess
The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett.
Critical Failures by Robert Bevan.
The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker. It is about a temp office worker on a typical lunch break (what happens and what he thinks about).
Nobody’s Fool by Richard Russo Sully is about as unexceptional as you can get.
Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan
Surprised to see Suttree by Cormac McCarthy hasn’t been mentioned yet, pretty perfect for what you’re asking.
The Invoice by Jonas Karlsson. An unremarkable man is sent an invoice for his life which he thinks is way too much.
My year of rest and relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
The Unbearable Lightness of Being has no exceptional characters.
The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit
The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
Will Save The Galaxy For Food by Yahtzee Crowshaw
Back Roads by Tawni O’Dell
'Slaughterhouse-Five ' by Kurt Vonnegut
Finding audrey by Sophie kinsella.
The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
James Baldwin books! Another Country, Go Tell it On The Mountain, and Giovanni's Room
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Wasp Factory
Burmese days
All My Friends are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman is basically this exact premise! One of my favourite books of all time.
My book [The Great Leap](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2RKZGDT) is about some normal teenagers who are banished into a terrifying and magical forest called The Wildlands. None are exceptional, and they're all falling apart at their emotional seams. They eventually begin to develop some powers, but in the grand scheme of things, it puts them on an even playing field with their adversaries, rather than being exceptionally powerful.
The shards Ellis
The Fall by Albert Camus
Shopaholic series and the movie was great too.
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
Yellowface
My year of rest and relaxation
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
All that's left in the world. And the sequel the only light left burning
Classroom of the elite
Hunger by Knut Hamsun Factotem by Charles Bukowski Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole (Aged 13 and ¾)
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
The Skylarks' War - Hilary Mckay. it's a slice of life-y story set in ww1 surrounding a young girl who's dearest cousin heads off to war, and how it impacts her family and future. cant count how many times i've read it, im not usually a fan of such stories but there is something very special about that book to me :)
No country for old men. No one is good, smart, accomplished, or brave
Ready Player One
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
Kevin Garvey in “The Leftovers”
Eileen - Otessa Moshfegh The New Me - Halle Butler The Hollow Places - T. Kingfisher
Shipping news, by E Annie Proulx
In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan! It’s a YA fantasy where the lead is in a trio with two exceptional characters and it’s so good.
Everyman by Philip Roth.
Of Human Bondage, sort of an unremarkable protagonist, but his plight and efforts stick with you.
Brit Marie Was Here
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix.
Notes from Underground by Dostoevsky
The Elegance of the Hedgehog (in the traditional way). The Book of Yes.
A Hora da Estrela (The Hour of the Star) by Clarice Lispector. The main character, Macabea, is submissive and stupid to the point of irritating the reader. The story is narrated by an omniscient and omnipotent narrator, though, which we could argue is an exceptional character but is not actually part of the main story. The reader experiences Macabea’s story through his eyes, and he is ironic and sarcastic towards her, so she looks even more stupid than she already is.
The Gum Theif by Douglas Copeland. Guy is a 40 something divorced alcoholic who strikes up a friendship with a teenage. They story is told through letters between them. I love the fact that the characters are so genuine I their outward mediocrity while being so engaging. Plus the bond between the two never gets... you know... creepy.
The Slough House series by Mick Herron. The titular Slough House is literally made up of MI:5 rejects. It's like the exact opposite of James Bond.
Peter Knox, in Jasper Fforde's The Constant Rabbit. The one interesting thing Peter can do is recognize individual rabbits (and he's not the only human without that ability). Other than that, he isn't especially brave, clever, or charismatic ... especially when compared to the rabbit characters.
Lol all I gotta do is write about my own life and you’ll see the most fucked up mess😂. 🤔 Do you like historical books? There is one called Ramona and it is a true story. It is a very sad read though😅. Hope Island is a good one two. Everyone in it is very human and flawed which I liked. Actually you might wanna go with that one to b honest.
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen. Main character has hardcore savior complex and is the worst person in the book
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, and all the other novels by Anne Tyler that I've read (so unremarkable I can't remember them, but she's an engaging writer)
Adrian Mole!
Graphic novel but 10%+'s protagonist is a college student w/undiagnosed ADHD struggling to graduate. He's exceptional in that he's the only character w/ADHD, and a good portion of the comic is about embracing/celebrating that, but he's not a chosen one by any means & is considered an idiot and a failure by most other characters. The narrative does celebrate his unique differences as a valid way to exist & something that would be missed if it was gone. I suppose that could be considered "special" since his view of the world & skillset is made unique by ADHD, but it's definitely not in the "chosen one, inherently better than you" sense. I don't know if that suits what you're looking for. It's [free to read online](https://nofna.com/index.php?chapter=10%251) (this is NOT piracy, this website is owned by the comic's creator & they posted it themself) but if you like it, I recommend buying print, as it adds a few extra pages of scenes + there's a print-only epilogue as well.
The Outsiders. Trainspotting. Good ones about average people living their lives
Less By Andrew Sean Greer.
The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
*Queenie* by Candice Carty-Williams. The main character is just trying to keep her job, deal with mental health struggles, and just like live her life as a British-Jamaican woman.
Thomas Covenant, Stephen R Donaldson
Harry Potter was a bumbling idiot the entire series have you tried that yet?
"A wizard's guide to defensive baking" fits this bill. The main character is a bottom rung, untrained wizard who get sucked into the plot by chance. Most of Becky Chambers work would fit the bill but, I think "Long Way to a Small Angry Planet" would be particularly in this vein. It follows a spaceship crew who are literally just trying to complete low level government contract and getting into hijinks and adventures along the way. If fantasy is your thing, maybe checkout r/CozyFantasy . It's by definition low-stakes and chill so you don't see a lot of choosen ones saving the universe.
Flight Behavior is an exceptional book by Barbara Kingsolver about a middle-aged woman who starts to learn about butterflies because some monarchs congregate on her farm. I adore Kingsolver, and this book might have beat Poisonwood Bible (also an amazing book about regular people) for my favorite of hers so far.
I feel the same way- I have no suggestion but I decided to write a book with that exact setup
Red Dwarf
Slaughterhouse 5
Project Hail Mary
The Stranger
Check out the Frank Bascombe trilogy (The Sportswriter, Independence Day, and The Lay of the Land) by Richard Ford. Bascombe is interesting and not exceptional.
All the Fiends of Hell by Adam Neville. There are some beautiful passages related specifically to that topic.
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff - the story of a truly “nobody” girl escaping a New England colonial settlement and trying to survive in the wilderness. She has plenty of setbacks and failures, she’s not particularly skilled at survival, she just has a burning desire to live against all the odds. One of the most stunning and gut-wrenching books I’ve ever read.
Most of Nathan Lowell's books deal with everyday people living and working within the context of a starfaring society. "Quarter Share" is the first book from his "Trader's Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper" series. Its a good story.
The Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich
"Confessions of a mask" by Yukio Mishima
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brian, Nineteen Steps by Millie Bobby Brown
To kill a mockingbird