Dark in tone and set in an atmosphere of decay and decline, Southern Gothic lit is colored by that intense, damp, uniquely Southern heat pressing down on its characters and stories.

There’s often an element of macabre mystery or suspense to the plot, and its eccentric characters often address questions of class, race, morality, and humanity. Throw in a dose of gritty humor or a broken-down plantation or a stray voodoo priestess, and you’re there.

Books

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
A complicated, compelling cast of characters populates a claustrophobic Georgia town. This book explores the ideas of hearing and seeing and understanding through the eyes of its sensitive narrator and a deaf, mute man who knows everyone’s innermost secrets.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
A relatively recent entry into the genre, this nonfiction account of a 1981 murder and subsequent trial in wealthy Savannah reads like a thriller and lingers in your mind like a wisp of Spanish moss. (It’s also a movie starring John Cusack.)

A Visitation of Spirits by Randall Kenan
This story of a gay black teenager growing up in a fundamentalist Baptist town begins with his quest to turn himself into a bird. After he fails, the narrative takes a turn toward the fantastic as he becomes possessed by a demon and grabs a gun.

A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
It’s a play, a film, a book, a ballet, an opera… in any format, this classic tale of passion and abuse is the epitome of Southern Gothic.

Blackwood Farm by Anne Rice
Set in crumbling mansions of the deep South, this story of a man haunted by his doppleganger—and what happens when they both become vampires—will keep you up at night.

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
We couldn’t stop with just one pick from the queen of Southern Gothic. A former plantation owner narrates this tale of darkness in New Orleans.

“Barn Burning” by William Faulkner
This short story is a good place to start with the consummate Mississippian. A poignant coming-of-age tale about a child’s first brush with the American justice system. (Sound familiar?)

Nothing Gold Can Stay by Ron Rash
Start with “A Servant of History” for a jarring juxtaposition when a British professor arrives in a small town.

Beautiful Creatures series by Kami Garcia
A young-adult series with all the Southern Gothic trappings: magic, vampires, telepathy, bewitched objects, claustrophobic small towns, and more.

The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O’Connor
O’Connor is most famous for her short stories, but this standalone novel is a compelling reflection on the power of religion and the spiritual nature of life.

Beloved by Toni Morrison
Don’t be scared by its status as a classic: Beloved is a page-turner and a consummate ghost story. Powerful and terrifying, it centers on a mother haunted by the idea of her lost child and the terrible legacy of slavery on the Kentucky plantation where they used to live.

Music

Don’t stop with books: Pick some Southern Gothic-influenced music for background listening while you read.

• Early R.E.M.: Murmur (1983), Reckoning (1984), or Fables of the Reconstruction (1985)
• Alabama Shakes
• Bonnie “Prince” Billy/Will Oldham
• The Handsome Family
• Vic Chesnutt

Television and Film

Evocative and atmospheric, Southern Gothic settings are ripe ground for visual narratives.

• Treme
• True Detective
• Winter’s Bone
• Cape Fear
• Cool Hand Luke

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your picks! Leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend.