a plague o’ both your houses!
texts about generational curses within families, featuring a touch of strangeness/surrealism/wonder/magical realism.
created by aliyahmk
last updated February, 2026
Comments
a note on curation: as is touched on in the description, this list focuses on books featuring either literal curses, or curses that are not explicitly spoken, but are reflected through fantastical elements of the text.
should this list have included instances of implied or metaphorical generational curses (e.g. a family grappling with addiction or loss) without a touch of magical realism or the speculative, the scope would have been impossibly wide, and i’m interested in looking at more literal interrogations of a ‘family curse’.
similarly, this list will not focus on purely fantasy texts that focus on generational curses but take place in a world vastly different to our own; this would also crack open the scope of the list quite a bit, and pull away from the focus of dealing with family trauma in the context of the world as we understand it.
despite the title, this list also focuses on the curse of a family itself, not a haunted house, unless said house has been acknowledged as a vessel for this family curse, and has been impacting the family for generations. (there are so many haunted house = family trauma narratives, so i’ll be shying away from this unless it tackles the generational element particularly well e.g. a house haunting one family over centuries.)
please take these notes into consideration if you are thinking of leaving a (very welcome) recommendation!
OOOOO loveee a family curse! and love an aliyah list!!!! <3
aliyahmkOP
hehe thank you!
i wonder if the fall of the house of usher would fit? i know it’s kind of a haunted house thing, but the house has been in the family for generations and its decaying has been a part of the family’s decaying? like their fates are kind of tied together in a way. not sure but thought i’d suggest it just in case!!
aliyahmkOP
i considered the fall of the house of usher but have held off for now to focus on works that centre the generational aspect a bit more, but i may circle back to it!
for a classic rec: Aeschylus' Oresteia trilogy: a collection of 3 classic greek plays where the family curse of the house of atreus plays a central role, which causes the family members to keep killing in each in vengeful acts
aliyahmkOP
(excellent recs though, gotta love the OGs!)
aliyahmkOP
yeah, i’ve been contemplating whether or not to include greek tragedies here, as so many of them do speak to family curses but i’ve yet to include any other dramatic texts. much to think about!
