These books are built around ideas more than plot. What makes a thing or a person what it is/who they are? What is reality? In a patriarchal society, what happens if we take men out of the equation? Leaning into the philosophical without reading like a textbook, they offer interesting characters, good writing, and much to think about. (Recs are welcome. I will not add novels that offer interesting ideas, but make me think they should have been a short story. Short story collections are fine.)