The weird girls are having their literary moment. I first noticed Weird Girl fiction around the time of the 2020 pandemic, when morale was low, human interaction was scarce, and the world was far from “normal.” I kept seeing books about women in strange and unsettling situations - and before I knew it, the Weird Girl had awoken in me.
Weird Girl fiction doesn’t have any hard and fast genre “rules” per se, but is often characterized by (sometimes) unlikable female protagonists experiencing the messier parts of womanhood in an abstract way. Often using elements of horror or magical realism, Weird Girl lit leans into taboos, imperfection, rage, and desire. It’s an opportunity to let go of reality and experience our feral feminist sides.
These types of books are far from new. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley come to mind, or Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice and Beloved by Toni Morrison. Gothic literature was and still is a space where women were able to express their darker thoughts and desires. Today’s Weird Girl fiction leans into contemporary settings and themes, with an emphasis on motherhood, sexuality, identity, body autonomy, societal expectations, and mental illness.
Whether it’s slowly turning into a dog, falling in love with a printer, ritualistic activities involving bunnies, or giving food critic a whole new meaning - girls will be girls. Here’s just a few of my favorite Weird Girl reads:
Bunny by Mona Awad - This trippy, dark academia story follows Samantha Heather Mackey as she navigates the rules of her prestigious MFA program at New England’s Warren University. A scholarship student who keeps to herself, Samantha is both repelled and fascinated by her writing cohort – a clique of rich, perfect girls who refer to each other as “Bunny.” But when she receives an invitation to the Bunnies’ infamous “Smut Salon,” Samantha finds herself drawn into a world of intense friendships and rituals, causing her to question her perspective on reality.
The Vegetarian by Han Kang - Yeong-hye’s decision to become a vegetarian comes as a shock to her traditional Korean family. But what else are you supposed to do when visceral, bloody, meat-filled dreams plague you each night? Yeong-hye’s small act of independence cracks something in her family’s psyche. As her husband, brother-in-law, and sister attempt to reassert their control over her, Yeong-hye fiercely defends her decision, undergoing a metamorphosis as she attempts to break free of her familial and self-inflicted shackles.
Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda - Lydia is hungry. She dreams of the food her Japanese father liked to eat - ramen, sashimi, onigiri - as well as the iced-coffee and home-grown vegetables the other artists in her London studio space consume. But Lydia has a problem - the only thing she can eat is blood, and it turns out finding non-human blood in the middle of London is a challenge. She could easily prey upon her fellow artists, but she is half-human, after all. As Lydia reckons with her conflicting identities and relationship with food, there’s still a constant need plaguing her thoughts - a girl’s gotta eat.
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite - Korede firmly believes that “family comes first” and “blood is thicker than water.” But there comes a point where familial obligation can become vexing, and her younger sister Ayoola’s third dead boyfriend has finally hit a nerve. Why does Korede always have to be the responsible one? She’s the one who knows how to remove blood stains, get rid of a body, and divert attention. But when Ayoola sets her romantic sights on Korede’s long-term crush and coworker, Korede is forced to reconsider her stance on familial duty.
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield - This one’s for the ocean and horror lovers. The story alternates between the perspectives of married couple Miri and Leah. Leah, a scientist with the Centre for Marine Enquiry, has just returned home after a near-death incident in which her submarine became stranded on the ocean floor for months. Whatever happened down in the depths changed her. As Miri tries to hold her marriage together, she slowly begins to realize the woman she once knew is gone, replaced by someone, or something, new. A strange and unsettling love story with lyrical prose.
If you're hungry for more, be sure to check out these other excellent Weird Girl reads:
