Recs if you like The Past Is Never...
Southern Gothic Fiction
A selection of contemporary Southern Gothic titles exploring the decay, despair, and trauma of the reconstructed American South. Come for the palpably atmospheric settings and descriptions, stay for the literary commentary on the legacy of the South's oft-romanticized past.
As a note: I did not include the most well known writers in the genre, e.g. Truman Capote, Harper Lee, William Faulkner, etc. as the list is more focused on the resurgence of Southern Gothic in contemporary literature.
Southern Gothic
Sun Bleached Flies
God loves you, but not enough to save you from these stories. Ethel Cain & Preacher’s Daughter vibes/inspired fiction
books like ethel cain
southern gothic; religious horror; intergenerational trauma; dysfunctional families; obsessive love; cannibalism; rot and decay in a small town
50 States, 50 Books by Women
List from Sadie Hartmann's Feral and Hysterical: Mother Horror’s Ultimate Reading Guide to Dark and Disturbing Fiction by Women
