October may be over, but I don’t think there’s ever a bad time to recommend something gloriously grim.  When you’re craving the decaying splendor and unspeakable secrets of a gothic novel, nothing else will do.  Each of these selections puts a unique contemporary spin on the gothic genre, and all will be an excellent accompaniment to the cold days and long nights coming right around the corner.

The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling

Jane Shoringfield is aware that her hasty marriage to Dr. Augustine Lawrence is highly irregular. Dr. Lawrence insists upon certain unusual rules – particularly that Jane never set foot in Lindridge Hall, the Lawrence family’s ancestral home.  But when Jane finds herself with no choice but to break her husband’s prohibitions, she realizes her marriage comes with more than she bargained for: magical secrets and the very literal ghosts of Augustine’s past.  In The Death of Jane Lawrence, Caitlin Starling has deftly crafted a gothic novel that feels like the classics while speaking directly to what modern readers want.  At first, this book appears to be a fantasy-influenced homage to gothic mainstays, such as Rebecca and Jane Eyre.  But gradually, alongside the heroine, the reader comes to realize that this is in no way the story that they were expecting.  The ending was one of the best twists I’ve had the pleasure of reading this year.  Naturally, I wouldn’t dream of spoiling it.

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

For tragedy-stricken Ines, acceptance to the unorthodox and prestigious academic institution of Catherine House is a second chance.  Soon, Ines discovers that Catherine House’s faculty are running some sort of experiment on the undergrads.  But Catherine House has also brought her new friendships, new love, and access to a world as exclusive as it is beautiful.  When Catherine House’s secrets finally come to light, Ines may find herself unable to pull away.  Like many other books in the popular dark academia subgenre, Catherine House brings gothic sensibilities to the campus novel.  This book is just as thematically substantial as it is stylish: the author’s note reveals that much of the book’s thematic core was taken from Thomas’ own experiences as a Black woman at an Ivy League university.  If you crave glamour and intrigue, but also a book that will leave you with something to think about, Catherine House is for you.

The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw

Welcome to the Hellebore Technical Institute for the Gifted – where ‘Gifted’ refers to supernatural abilities that might bring about the end of the world.  Alessa Li endures her enrollment-through-kidnapping at Hellebore under protest.  But on the day of the graduation ceremony, Hellebore’s uncanny faculty start devouring the student body.  Alessa and a handful of survivors end up in Hellebore’s labyrinthine library, forced to sacrifice one of their number every night in order to survive.  In The Library at Hellebore, Cassandra Khaw brings an action-horror sensibility to dark academia, with singular results involving buckets of gore.  Khaw takes thematic swings that are definitely adults-only, but the overall emotional effect is that of the very best teen angst revenge fantasy.  If any of the above sounds compelling to you, and if you remember how it felt to be young and angry in an unfair world, The Library at Hellebore will resonate with you in a way that little else will.

But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo

I wrote about Hache Pueyo’s But Not Too Bold earlier this year when I was spotlighting fairy tale retellings, but I’d feel remiss if I didn’t give it another nod here.  But Not Too Bold tells the story of Dalía, an unassuming servant in the palatial Capricious House.  A troubling mystery catapults Dalía into the attention of Anatema, a spider-like entity with a habit of devouring her brides.  The gothic subgenre lives and dies on setting and atmosphere, and Pueyo delivers.  Capricious House is a daylight horror dreamland, one of the most memorable settings I’ve had the privilege of reading about this year.  But Not Too Bold also touches upon the romantic side of the gothic in the potentially fatal attraction that blossoms between Dalía and Anatema.  Busy readers will also be pleased to know that all this is accomplished within the novella’s length, so if you don’t have time for a tome, it’s an excellent choice.