The question can a book be written without an antagonist My first thought was- yeah probably, but it won't be good if you're not an expert level writer other people said- HELL NO! A story/book can't exist without SOME form of conflict or antagonist. I dunno, man. 3 themes of conflict: man against man, man against nature, or man against self. Every single story has a conflict in it? Seems like a stretch.
Once upon a time. Not much happened. People did some stuff. Life went on. Everything eventually turned to dust. The end. (it's not entertaining, but is not a boring story still a story? And a good writer could probably make even that entertaining)
OK some of these examples below contain conflict, but I think some of them do not These are books where "nothing happens" If someone was trying to do a book without conflict- these might help. i dunno.
A Rebours aka Against Nature by <PERSON> is a book with no plot, it's really just a long description of the main character's taste in art, books, and interior decorating.
Room Temperature in which a man feeds his infant son and Box of Matches in which a man sits in front of the fire each morning before his family awakens, both by <PERSON>.
<PERSON>'s Waiting for Godot is considered to be literally about "nothing". You might prefer to watch the play in addition to reading it. Its very different from anything I've read before and its quite short so it's hardly a commitment. But still, very interesting. I still think about it randomly every once in a while even though I read it years ago.
Stoner by <PERSON>. (maybe about a dude that gets high)
Catcher in the Rye. I've always considered it a book where nothing happens (Not sure if it counts. this might be man against self)
On The Road by <PERSON>, one of my favourite Beat books and about as chill as you can get without being boring. 190
Also pretty much any <PERSON> book- try Colourless Tsukuru Taziki
The Slow Regard of Silent Things, by <PERSON>. Literally nothing happens and the main character is basically a nutter; from the preface by the author: You might not want to buy this book. I know, that’s not the sort of thing an author is supposed to say. The marketing people aren’t going to like this. My editor is going to have a fit. But I’d rather be honest with you right out of the gate. I think it’s only fair to warn you that this is a bit of a strange story. I don’t go in for spoilers, but suffice to say that this one is ... different. It doesn’t do a lot of the things a classic story is supposed to do.
Although there's different events happening in <PERSON> Taipei, it really feels like nothing important is going on.
Shopgirl (<PERSON>)
The slow regard of silent things (rothfuss)
A gesture life by <PERSON> was very very chill.
Greensleeves, by <PERSON> might fit the bill.
"Wherever You Go, There You Are", by <PERSON>. It's a book on mindfulness, which is literally the philosophy of being "chill".
I'd recommend Island by <PERSON>. Pretty much nothing happens until the end, and it's a very chill book about a chill way of life.
Franny and Zooey by <PERSON>
The tartar steppe by <PERSON>, nothing happens but after reading it i felt really changed. Beautifully written.
You might like Less Than Zero by <PERSON>.
I think it's <PERSON> who famously wanted to write 'a book about nothing at all'. For that, try Sentimental Education or Madame Bovary.
A lot of <PERSON> novels leave me with the feeling that not very much happened, apart from the characters learning things about themselves. And sometimes each other.
And, this might be my bias against a novel I had to read, but did anything happen in the second half of The Portrait of a Lady by <PERSON>? Anything at all?
White Noise, by <PERSON>.
Anne of Green Gables
So little happens in Bartleby & Co that there isn't even a book, just the footnotes that would exist if there were a book. It's about writers who stopped writing.
I believe that nothing really happens in "Cider with Rosie" by <PERSON>, however his descriptions of everyday things and life are wonderful.
The Windup bird chronicle by <PERSON>. Midway through I thought something was going to happen but no. Nothing happened. 190