Tropes › Multiple Timelines
Multiple Timelines
Two or more storylines set in different periods. They weave together until their connection snaps into focus.
Refreshed just now · 58 books
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Japanese Gothic
Kylie Lee Baker · Horror
New York Times Most Anticipated Book for 2026 USA TODAY Most Anticipated Books of 2026 Goodreads Readers' Most Anticipated Books of 2026 Book Riot…
gothic atmosphere · multiple timelines · paranormal romance · twist ending
gothic atmospheremultiple timelinesparanormal romancetwist ending🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›2 —
The Strength of the Few
James Islington · Fantasy
Omne trium perfectum The Hierarchy still call me Vis Telimus.
grimdark · quest · morally grey character · multiple timelines
grimdarkquestmorally grey charactermultiple timelines - ›3 —
My Friends
Fredrik Backman · Literary Fiction
Fredrik Backman, who “captures the messy essence of being human” (The Washington Post), returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of…
coming of age · found family · multiple timelines
coming of agefound familymultiple timelines - ›4 —
The God of the Woods
Liz Moore · Mystery & Thriller
When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk.
psychological thriller · missing person · multiple timelines · twist ending · cat and mouse
psychological thrillermissing personmultiple timelinestwist endingcat and mouse🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›5 —
The Bewitching
Silvia Moreno-Garcia · Horror
“Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches”: That was how Nana Alba always began the stories she told her great-granddaughter…
gothic atmosphere · witches · haunted setting · multiple timelines · dark academia
gothic atmospherewitcheshaunted settingmultiple timelinesdark academia🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›6 —
The Midnight Library
Matt Haig · Literary Fiction
Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever.
magical realism · multiple timelines · trauma recovery · redemption arc
magical realismmultiple timelinestrauma recoveryredemption arc - ›7 —
Strange Pictures
Uketsu · Horror
A Japanese mystery horror bestseller, revolving around a series of creepy drawings, in which the reader is the detective - from the Youtube sensation…
gothic atmosphere · psychological thriller · twist ending · multiple timelines
gothic atmospherepsychological thrillertwist endingmultiple timelines - ›8 —
Station Eleven
Emily St. John Mandel · Literary Fiction
One snowy night Arthur Leander, a famous actor, has a heart attack onstage during a production of "King Lear." Jeevan Chaudhary, a…
post apocalyptic · found family · multiple timelines · survival
post apocalypticfound familymultiple timelinessurvival - ›9 —
The Ministry of Time
Kaliane Bradley · Literary Fiction
In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she'll be working on.
magical realism · time travel · romantic comedy · multiple timelines
magical realismtime travelromantic comedymultiple timelines🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›10 —
Hyperion
Dan Simmons · Sci-Fi
In the 29th century, the Hegemony of Man comprises hundreds of planets connected by farcaster portals.
space opera · quest · multiple timelines · found family
space operaquestmultiple timelinesfound family - ›11 —
Flashlight
Susan Choi · Literary Fiction
One summer night, Louisa and her father take a walk on the breakwater.
unreliable narrator · multiple timelines · psychological thriller · twist ending · trauma recovery
unreliable narratormultiple timelinespsychological thrillertwist endingtrauma recovery - ›12 —
Our Infinite Fates
Laura Steven · Romance
THE NUMBER ONE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'Impossible to put down' V.E.
slow burn · fated mates · time travel · love triangle · multiple timelines
slow burnfated matestime travellove trianglemultiple timelines🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›13 —
Turn Off the Light
Jacquie Walters · Horror
Two women living centuries apart are bound by the same dark secret in this haunting novel that "upends everything you think you know about ghost…
gothic atmosphere · haunted setting · multiple timelines · ghosts · twist ending
gothic atmospherehaunted settingmultiple timelinesghoststwist ending🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›14 —
Shadows Upon Time
Christopher Ruocchio · Sci-Fi
The seventh and final novel of the galaxy-spanning series merges the best of space opera and epic fantasy, as Hadrian Marlowe at last lights the…
space opera · redemption arc · quest · multiple timelines
space operaredemption arcquestmultiple timelines🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›15 —
The Silmarillion
J.R.R. Tolkien · Fantasy
A number-one New York Times bestseller when it was originally published, The Silmarillion is the core of J.R.R.
quest · multiple timelines · dragons
questmultiple timelinesdragons - ›16 —
The Isle in the Silver Sea
Tasha Suri · Fantasy
From World Fantasy Award-winning author Tasha Suri comes The Isle in the Silver Sea, a heart-shattering standalone romantasy of sapphic longing,…
forbidden romance · historical fiction · multiple timelines
forbidden romancehistorical fictionmultiple timelines🌶️🌶️🌶️Moderate — some open-door scenes, not the focus - ›17 —
This Is How You Lose the Time War
Amal El-Mohtar · Sci-Fi
Two time-traveling agents from warring futures, working their way through the past, begin to exchange letters—and fall in love in this thrilling and…
slow burn · space opera · romantic comedy · multiple timelines
slow burnspace operaromantic comedymultiple timelines🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›18 —
Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro · Sci-Fi
Ishiguro explores what it means to have a soul and how art distinguishes man from other life forms.
dystopian society · gothic atmosphere · trauma recovery · multiple timelines
dystopian societygothic atmospheretrauma recoverymultiple timelines - ›19 —
The Winter People
Jennifer McMahon · Horror
The New York Times bestselling author of The Invited will shock you with a simmering psychological thriller about ghostly secrets, dark choices, and…
psychological thriller · haunted setting · ghosts · trauma recovery · multiple timelines
psychological thrillerhaunted settingghoststrauma recoverymultiple timelines - ›20 —
The Book of Records
Madeleine Thien · Literary Fiction
One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of the Summer A Literary Hub, Esquire, and Washington Post Most Anticipated Book of 2025 One of Time's and…
magical realism · multiple timelines
magical realismmultiple timelines - ›21 —
Homegoing
Yaa Gyasi · Literary Fiction
The unforgettable New York Times best seller begins with the story of two half-sisters, separated by forces beyond their control: one sold into…
historical fiction · coming of age · multiple timelines
historical fictioncoming of agemultiple timelines🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›22 —
Firefly Lane
Kristin Hannah · Literary Fiction
Inseparable best friends Kate and Tully, two young women who, despite their very different lives, have vowed to be there for each other forever, have…
found family · coming of age · multiple timelines · trauma recovery
found familycoming of agemultiple timelinestrauma recovery🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›23 —
The Overstory
Richard Powers · Literary Fiction
*The Overstory* unfolds in concentric rings of interlocking fable that range from antebellum New York to the late-twentieth-century Timber Wars of…
historical fiction · political intrigue · multiple timelines
historical fictionpolitical intriguemultiple timelines - ›24 —
All the Light We Cannot See
Anthony Doerr · Literary Fiction
From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, a stunningly ambitious and beautiful novel about a blind French girl and a German…
historical fiction · multiple timelines · survival · psychological thriller
historical fictionmultiple timelinessurvivalpsychological thriller🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›25 —
Orlando
Virginia Woolf · Literary Fiction
In her most exuberant, most fanciful novel, Woolf has created a character liberated from the restraints of time and sex.
historical fiction · magical realism · secret identity · multiple timelines
historical fictionmagical realismsecret identitymultiple timelines🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›26 —
House of Suns
Alastair Reynolds · Sci-Fi
Six million years ago, at the dawn of the star-faring era, Abigail Gentian fractured herself into a thousand male and female clones, which she called…
space opera · quest · multiple timelines
space operaquestmultiple timelines🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›27 —
Skylark
Paula McLain · Literary Fiction
! The New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife weaves a mesmerizing tale of Paris above and below—where a woman’s quest for artistic…
historical fiction · slow burn · multiple timelines · quest
historical fictionslow burnmultiple timelinesquest🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›28 —
Exit Party
Emily St. John Mandel · Literary Fiction
COMING AUTUMN 2026 From the bestselling author of Station Eleven, Exit Party is Emily St.
magical realism · multiple timelines · twist ending
magical realismmultiple timelinestwist ending🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›29 —
Red Clay
Charles B. Fancher · Literary Fiction
An astounding multigenerational saga, Red Clay chronicles the interwoven lives of an enslaved Black family and their white owners as the Civil War…
historical fiction · coming of age · trauma recovery · multiple timelines
historical fictioncoming of agetrauma recoverymultiple timelines - ›30 —
One of Us Is Lying
Karen M. McManus · Mystery & Thriller
Pay close attention and you might solve this.
closed circle · multiple timelines · cat and mouse · psychological thriller · twist ending
closed circlemultiple timelinescat and mousepsychological thrillertwist ending - ›31 —
A Day of Fallen Night
Samantha Shannon · Fantasy
Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory.
historical fiction · quest · multiple timelines
historical fictionquestmultiple timelines🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›32 —
When the Day Comes
Gabrielle Meyer · Fantasy
Libby has been given a powerful gift: to live one life in 1774 Colonial Williamsburg and the other in 1914 Gilded Age New York City.
multiple timelines · coming of age · slow burn
multiple timelinescoming of ageslow burn🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›33 —
The Waves
Virginia Woolf · Literary Fiction
Tracing the lives of a group of friends, this novel follows their development from childhood to middle age.
multiple timelines · coming of age
multiple timelinescoming of age - ›34 —
Lightbreakers
Aja Gabel · Literary Fiction
Named a Most Anticipated Book by LA Times, LitHub, and Harper's Bazaar What would you give to relive the past?
slow burn · multiple timelines · trauma recovery
slow burnmultiple timelinestrauma recovery🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›35 —
The Things We Leave Unfinished
Rebecca Yarros · Literary Fiction
When Georgia Stanton discovers that her late grandmother, Scarlett, the infamous romance author, didn't get the chance to finish her last book, she…
slow burn · historical fiction · multiple timelines · second chance romance · trauma recovery
slow burnhistorical fictionmultiple timelinessecond chance romancetrauma recovery🌶️🌶️🌶️Moderate — some open-door scenes, not the focus - ›36 —
By Any Other Name
Jodi Picoult · Literary Fiction
From the co-author of Mad Honey comes an “inspiring” (Elle) novel about two women, centuries apart—one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare’s…
historical fiction · unreliable narrator · multiple timelines · secret identity
historical fictionunreliable narratormultiple timelinessecret identity🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›37 —
The Sirens
Emilia Hart · Fantasy
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • #1 LibraryReads Pick • Indie Next Pick A spellbinding novel about sisters…
found family · magical realism · historical fiction · multiple timelines
found familymagical realismhistorical fictionmultiple timelines🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›38 —
The Complete Witcher
Andrzej Sapkowski · Fantasy
Experience the story from start to finish.
grimdark · anti hero · quest · multiple timelines
grimdarkanti heroquestmultiple timelines🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›39 —
The Winds of Winter
George R.R. Martin · Fantasy
The sixth book in George R. R. Martin's critically acclaimed, world wide best-selling series A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE - the inspiration behind HBO's…
grimdark · political intrigue · quest · multiple timelines
grimdarkpolitical intriguequestmultiple timelines🌶️🌶️🌶️Moderate — some open-door scenes, not the focus - ›40 —
The Forgotten Midwife
Laura Anthony · Literary Fiction
Set in the dual timelines of present-day and 1950s Ireland and based on real historical events, a powerful, poignant novel of feminism and resilience…
historical fiction · coming of age · trauma recovery · multiple timelines
historical fictioncoming of agetrauma recoverymultiple timelines - ›41 —
The Measure
Nikki Erlick · Literary Fiction
Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice. It seems like any other day. You wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and head out. But today, when…
slow burn · found family · multiple timelines
slow burnfound familymultiple timelines🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›42 —
A Pale View of Hills
Kazuo Ishiguro · Literary Fiction
In his highly acclaimed debut, A Pale View of Hills, Kazuo Ishiguro tells the story of Etsuko, a Japanese woman now living alone in England, dwelling…
psychological thriller · unreliable narrator · trauma recovery · multiple timelines
psychological thrillerunreliable narratortrauma recoverymultiple timelines - ›43 —
All the World Can Hold
Jung Yun · Literary Fiction
Let the Great World Spin meets My Name Is Lucy Barton in this novel set aboard an aging cruise ship bound for Bermuda, where growing tensions lead…
coming of age · trauma recovery · multiple timelines
coming of agetrauma recoverymultiple timelines🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›44 —
Cloud Atlas
David Stephen Mitchell · Literary Fiction
A stunning, innovative Matyroshka doll of six nested narratives, which start in the 19th century and vault us into a dystopian future.
multiple timelines · magical realism · post apocalyptic · quest
multiple timelinesmagical realismpost apocalypticquest🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›45 —
Magpie Murders
Anthony Horowitz · Mystery & Thriller
From the New York Times bestselling author of Moriarty and Trigger Mortis, this fiendishly brilliant, riveting thriller weaves a classic whodunit…
twist ending · multiple timelines · psychological thriller · cat and mouse
twist endingmultiple timelinespsychological thrillercat and mouse🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›46 —
The Guest List
Lucy Foley · Mystery & Thriller
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST THRILLERS OF THE YEAR “I loved this book.
closed circle · multiple timelines · twist ending · psychological thriller
closed circlemultiple timelinestwist endingpsychological thriller🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›47 —
You Killed Me First
John Marrs · Mystery & Thriller
Three women. Three smoldering secrets. Who will make it out alive? It’s 5 November, and a woman awakens to a nightmare. Bound and gagged, she lies…
psychological thriller · multiple timelines · twist ending
psychological thrillermultiple timelinestwist ending🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›48 —
In Ascension
Martin MacInnes · Literary Fiction
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 BOOKER PRIZE A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR An astonishing novel about a young microbiologist investigating an…
coming of age · multiple timelines
coming of agemultiple timelines - ›49 —
Celestial Lights
Cecile Pin · Sci-Fi
A coming-of-age tale inspired by Odysseus set both on Earth and in space, Celestial Lights is perfect for fans of Orbital and Normal People.
space opera · coming of age · quest · multiple timelines
space operacoming of agequestmultiple timelines🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›50 —
The Vanished Birds
Simon Jimenez · Sci-Fi
A “highly imaginative and utterly exhilarating” (Thrillist) debut that is “the best of what science fiction can be: a thought-provoking, heartrending…
space opera · found family · quest · coming of age · multiple timelines
space operafound familyquestcoming of agemultiple timelines - ›51 —
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
Stuart Turton · Mystery & Thriller
"Pop your favorite Agatha Christie whodunnit into a blender with a scoop of Downton Abbey, a dash of Quantum Leap, and a liberal sprinkling of…
twist ending · multiple timelines · closed circle
twist endingmultiple timelinesclosed circle - ›52 —📖
Forgotten Garden
Kate Morton · Mystery & Thriller
historical fiction · multiple timelines · twist ending
historical fictionmultiple timelinestwist ending🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›53 —
The Lighthouse Witches
C. J. Cooke · Fantasy
A Most Anticipated Novel by Pop Sugar * Book Riot * Betches * Bustle * and more!
witches · gothic atmosphere · multiple timelines · twist ending
witchesgothic atmospheremultiple timelinestwist ending🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›54 —
Sea of Tranquility
Emily St. John Mandel · Sci-Fi
Edwin St. Andrew is eighteen years old when he crosses the Atlantic by steamship, exiled from polite society following an ill-conceived diatribe at a…
time travel · multiple timelines · slow burn · space opera · paranormal romance
time travelmultiple timelinesslow burnspace operaparanormal romance🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›55 —
The White Octopus Hotel
Alexandra Bell · Fantasy
Journey to a magical hotel in the Swiss Alps, where two lost souls living in different centuries meet and discover if a second chance awaits them…
second chance romance · time travel · magical realism · multiple timelines · paranormal romance
second chance romancetime travelmagical realismmultiple timelinesparanormal romance🌶️🌶️Mild — romantic tension, kissing, nothing explicit - ›56 —
A Storm of Swords
George R. R. Martin · Fantasy
Here is the third volume in George R.
grimdark · revenge plot · love triangle · multiple timelines · dragons
grimdarkrevenge plotlove trianglemultiple timelinesdragons🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️Spicy — explicit sexual content, multiple open-door scenes - ›57 —
The Power
Naomi Alderman · Sci-Fi
ix, 340 pages : 20 cm
dystopian society · political intrigue · multiple timelines
dystopian societypolitical intriguemultiple timelines🌶️🌶️🌶️Moderate — some open-door scenes, not the focus - ›58 —
The Radiant Dark
Alexandra Oliva · Sci-Fi
Arrival meets Wild Dark Shore in this captivating novel that follows a family over fifty years—a bold and compassionate exploration of the universe…
coming of age · multiple timelines · trauma recovery · space opera · found family
coming of agemultiple timelinestrauma recoveryspace operafound family