Bless You Heart! Southern Gothic Book Recs For Any Time of Year
Hello, Book Nerds! Welcome back to Reading Has Ruined My Life or welcome if you are new. As always, my name is Hannah and I am your captain on this journey into my bookcases.
I love Gothic literature, and if you’ve spent any time on RHRML then you already know that. But I never talk about its cousin subgenre: Southern Gothic. And Southern Gothic was actually my first foray into Gothic lit. One of my high school English teachers read the class a disturbing Southern Gothic short story, and it has stayed with me for well over a decade.
I recently reread said short story, which I will reveal momentarily as it will kick off this list, and it inspired me to create today’s post. Southern Gothic is a great genre, and it’s one I need to read more of.
For those who don’t know what Southern Gothic is, allow me to enlighten you. Southern Gothic is a subgenre of the Gothic genre. It takes traditional Gothic elements and places them against the decaying grandeur of the American South. A gloomy setting, phycological torment, the possibility of the supernatural; it’s all there. You are going to have once grand manor homes, but they’re going to be plantations. Isolation will play a large role in these stories, but it will be because a character is a bit of an outcast in a small, rural town. Get it, got it? Good!
Now onto the list!
5. “A Rose For Emily” by William Faulkner is kicking off this list. This is the disturbing short story my English teacher read to me and it has stuck with me for ages. We all know what she did with that dead body.
4. Next up on this list is The Toll by Cherie Priest. During their second honeymoon, Titus and Melanie Bell come across the fabled seventh bridge of Okenfenokee Swamp. After crossing, time becomes an illusion, memories of what transpired are few and far between, and Melanie goes missing. Filled with a claustrophobic and oppressive atmosphere, this mystery is full of folklore, folk magic, and small town secrets.
3. When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen comes in at number three. This title has stayed with me for many years thanks to Latanya McQueen’s excellent imagery. McQueen did a phenomenal job at creating the beautiful, lush backdrop of the Woodsman Plantation to detail the terrifying, disturbing, disgusting atrocities that occurred there. I realize I haven’t even mention what this book is about yet. The story follows a woman named Mira. She receives a wedding invitation from her childhood best friend, Celine, and she really wants Mira at the wedding. Sounds great, until Mira learns the wedding is taking place at the Woodsman Plantation, the same place where Mira and her other friend Jesse had a terrifying paranormal experience at as teens. On the day of the wedding, the bride goes missing and a group of spirits are out to seek revenge on the wedding guests for the crimes committed against them in life. I highly recommend reading When the Reckoning Comes. It’s a fantastic example of Southern Gothic horror, and the story proves that humanity is and always will be the scariest villain of all.
2. In the penultimate spot is If the Dead Belong Here by Carson Faust. Nadine Taylor and her family are going through the unimaginable. Her six-year-old sister, Laurel, has vanished without a trace. After Laurel’s disappearance, Nadine begins experiencing vivid dreams that blur the line between reality and illusion. Speaking of these dreams, they seemingly point to the notion that Laurel’s disappearance is connected to many other tragedies the Taylor family has experienced throughout the years. I can’t write anything better to describe this book than what the official synopsis has to say, so here goes:
Steeped in Indigenous folklore and drawing from the author’s own family history, If the Dead Belong Here examines what it means to be haunted—both by the supernatural and by terrors of our own making. Faust crafts a powerful, kaleidoscopic tale about the complicated legacies of violence that shape our present, the importance of honoring our past, and the resilience of a family—and a people—determined to heal from old wounds.
1. Finally, I have an oldie but a goodie to round off this list: The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons. In two years, three couples have moved into the home next to Colquitt and Walter Kennedy. Scandal, madness, and murder befall the owners of this home, and those who visit, including the Kennedys, find themselves steeped in tragedy. An anxiety inducing story for sure. Readers and reviewers alike have noted The House Next Door’s visuals, atmosphere, and open-ended ending left him, her, or them reeling for years.
Thus endeth our list! If you want any more Southern Gothic suggestions, then I highly recommend reading pretty much everything by Toni Morrison, Octavia E. Butler, and Flannery O’Connor. They are staples when it comes to the Southern Gothic genre. Each a legendary author. Their books should be included in every reader’s classics collection.
And with that, I shall bid you all adieu. Thank you very much for joining me today, Book Nerds. I will see you all again next week with a new Spooky Season review. If you can’t wait that long then you can always give Reading Has Ruined My Life a follow over on Instagram (@ReadingHasRuinedMyLife). I post there almost daily so come back often to revel in literary goodness. You can also follow the blog on Twitter and BlueSky (@RHRMLBlog). If you want something not related to books, then I highly recommend checking out my podcast Nothing to See Hear. The show stars me and two of my dearest friends as we talk about everything and anything. There are plenty of episodes to help celebrate Spooky Season. You can currently find the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
Until next time, stay safe, wash your hands, and read some good books for me.
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