I’ve been on a run of short, strange, atmospheric books lately and I love that feeling where everything seems quiet but a little off. Figured I’d share a few favorites and see what else people would add.
Piranesi
Calm, almost meditative voice, but the setting has this eerie dream-logic that keeps you uneasy.
Annihilation
Very clean prose and a simple setup, but the whole book feels like reality is slipping a little bit at a time.
The Employees
Reads like workplace reports from a slightly wrong universe. Detached tone, deeply unsettling underneath.
Convenience Store Woman
Funny and straightforward on the surface, but there’s a constant social unease that gets sharper as it goes.
A Short Stay in Hell
Very fast read that starts as an odd thought experiment and turns quietly existential in a way that lingers.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Domestic and intimate, but with an unsettling undercurrent in every interaction.
The Invention of Morel
Short and calm in style, then increasingly uncanny as you realize what is actually happening.
Would love more recommendations in this exact vibe.
by matthew_rowan
2 Comments
The Glass Hotel by Emily St John Mandel or Klara and the Sun by Ishiguro , not super short but well written.
Ice by Anna Kavan.