Gothic fiction goes back in time for hundreds of years, with the written work of Camila and Dracula, but gothic fiction is not all vampires and monsters (although sometimes it does include them). It is often more reliant on the themes of emotional distress, the feeling of doom and danger, and dark elements that could be related to supernatural elements but the actual presence of them is not as necessary as the projection that they could exist.
The genre is long and wide, but one strong element is the amount of historical and iconic female writers who have turned the genre into a social conversation. Check out these 10 incredible gothic fiction books by female writers that will have you thinking about more than the supernatural, as well as considerations about society and history.
10. Beloved by Toni Morrison
Arguably one of the most feminist authors of all time, and a glass ceiling breaker in Southern Gothic fiction, Toni Morrison’s Beloved is a timeless classic that intersects African American History, the power of community trauma, and simultaneously collective healing – all with the exciting and eerie element of a ghost story.
Seth is an African American woman who reflects on her life when she was enslaved and the road to freedom, and as the book skips between present and past, it is intercepted by an unexpected visitor.
9. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Wuthering Heights is a classic example of the intersection of Gothic fiction, passionate romance, and revenge. Heathcliff and Catherine fall in love but society keeps them apart, as he is not rich enough to be her husband.
While this novel might not have a monster at play, Heathcliff’s heartbreak creates the overarching feeling of torment and yearning to get back at those who took his love away from him.
8. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre is a massively underrated Gothic novel for today’s readers; despite a modern film adaptation the book is not given its due credit in today and age.
The main element of this book that gives it that good old eerie feeling as Jane, the protagonist, is tormented by her life and the unfairness of it all. From a terrible family, a terrible finishing school, and a terrible love story she is haunted by herself. To show a woman dealing with such ordinary atrocities in the time it was written was revolutionary.
7. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Say hello to the queen herself, Mary Shelley was one of the founding members, and the first woman, to write gothic fiction. The story behind Frankenstein is almost as good as the book. A friend of her husband bet that she couldn’t write a scarrier monster story them him, so she wrote Frankenstein – and won the best of course.
Everyone knows the tale of this monster, but the feminist significance behind taking women out of the reproduction process, and the chaos that breaks loose is a highly overlooked detail to the common eye.
Related10 Of The Best Books By Feminist Authors
6. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Rebecca contains all the perfect elements of gothic fiction from revenge, love, and even a ghost.
A young woman gets married to a vacation lover, but the honeymoon phase ends quite abruptly when he attempts to assimilate into his way of life as a British Lord living on an estate. When they return to their countryside mansion, the protagonist feels an abrupt and dark wall put up between her and the other members of the estate, and she begins to feel the haunting of her husband’s first wife – whose death remains mysterious.
5. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia
While classics are revolutionary, modern gothic fiction is what keeps the genre alive – which is done so beautifully by Silvia Moreno Gacia in Mexican Gothic.
The protagonist is a young woman who is obsessed with uncovering the truth about her cousin’s husband – who she believes is trying to kill her. In this cat-and-mouse gothic horror novel, traditional gender roles are questioned along with hypermasculine authority in society.
RelatedDown South: The Best Southern Gothic Books To Add To Your TBR
4. The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Published in 1959, Shirley Jackson’s magnum opus follows a group of people spending time in the abandoned Hill House hoping to uncover scientific evidence of paranormal phenomena. They get much, much more than they bargained for.
Using gothic elements, ghosty terror, and creative narration, the novel set the tone for other gothic fiction that would follow. A must-read if you enjoy books about paranormal activity, intertwined with clever commentary.
3. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Octavia Butler always takes readers to the next level, and Kindred is mandatory reading for gothic fiction lovers and especially to understand the elements of Southern Gothic fiction.
Dana who is an African American woman in the 1970s is transported back to the pre-civil war South. On a whim, she is responsible for saving the life of a white man, and through their interactions, she bonds with him before realizing the role he plays in her heritage. Butler examines violence, systemic oppression, and emotional conflict through the eyes of her characters.
Related5 Best Modern Gothic Novels To Read This Fall
2. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
One of the best Gothic fiction books to date, The Color Purple is more than a classic but essential reading. It isn’t easy to pack so much power into a book, but Alice Walker has never faltered at this task. From early fem-Queer representation, a complex look into Black women’s perspectives, and telling a story of collective experience, The Color Purple is a masterpiece.
This book heavily leans towards Southern Gothic Fiction, for which Alice Walker is also a trailblazer in contributing African American women’s history and representation.
1. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Gillian Flynn made a name for herself with Gone Girl, but her first novel Sharp Objects is an excellent addition to modern Gothic fiction.
Reporter Camille is sent on an assignment that cuts a bit close to home, the disappearance of two little girls from her hometown in the deep South. Now a city girl who had run away from her country roots, she struggles to adjust to being back in a place that brings back such horrid memories. But during her investigation, dark secrets about her own life begin to unravel.
