I recently started reading what I guess is the magical realism genre and have enjoyed reading The Memory Police and Our Wives Under the Sea. Both had an unsettling, almost eerie atmosphere that really hooked me. Lately, I've had trouble getting into books, but these were so suspenseful I couldn’t put them down because I was so eager and stressed out to see the endings. I'm now looking for similar recommendations—books that are eerie or unsettling without being overly scary, violent, or gory. More generally, I’d love recommendations for magical realism books where the world feels just a little off. Thanks!!
by Far_Neighborhood2723
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Veilborn: The Rift of Realities and Tomorrow War by Johnathan Miller. The author is a bit crazy, but in a good way. His writing will take you to some really weird and intense places. The first book is kind of like Mistborn.
Samanta Schweblin’s novels and short stories. Not necessarily dystopian, but definitely eerie and “off” feeling.
Also Kelly Link, though her work tends to be more funny and playful while also being weird and unsettling.
{{The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro}}
*Sundial* by Shirley Jackson – eerie/dystopian/apocalyptic but in Jackson’s trademark unhinged, who’s-really-crazy-here style.
*Vassa in the Night* by Sarah Porter – truly bizarre and delightful retelling of the Baba Yaga fairytale, just wild and surreal.