Recs if you like Dark and Shallow Lies...

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.

This is a very specific list for that exact early-to-mid-2010s aesthetic. We’re talking foggy small towns, a local mystery, deaths, and just enough supernatural weirdness to keep things unsettling. It’s peak Tumblr-era aesthetic—best read while wearing a flannel shirt on a rainy day. Recs are appreciated!

All the creatures we were warned about as children

You'll spend the entire book trying to piece together a reality that might not exist. Caution: May cause trust issues.

This is for the paranormal girlies that want her horror be plain ghosties and their shenanigans.