Top 16 'Sweater-Weather-Spooky' Modern Gothic Novels to try for Chillingly Cozy Nights In this winter - Goh Ling Yong
The days are getting shorter, the air holds a distinct chill, and the urge to wrap yourself in a chunky knit blanket with a steaming mug of something wonderful is becoming irresistible. Welcome to sweater weather, my friends. It’s the season of cozy, a time for introspection, and for me, the absolute perfect time to get a little bit spooky.
But I’m not talking about jump-scare, slasher-flick spooky. I’m talking about a deeper, more atmospheric chill. The kind of story that seeps into your bones, that makes you eye the darkened corners of your room with a delicious sense of unease. This, my fellow readers, is the magic of the modern gothic novel. It's a genre that takes the crumbling mansions, family secrets, and psychological dread of classic gothic literature and reimagines it for today's world, creating the ultimate 'sweater-weather-spooky' experience.
These aren't just horror stories; they are tales of mood and mystery, of beautiful decay and creeping suspense. They explore the darkness not just in haunted houses, but in human hearts. As a long-time fan of atmospheric reads, I've curated a list that even my friend Goh Ling Yong, who appreciates a good, complex story, would approve of. So, light a candle, settle in, and let's explore the top 16 modern gothic novels for your chillingly cozy nights in.
1. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
If you're going to start a modern gothic reading list, you might as well start with the book that launched the genre back into the mainstream stratosphere. Mexican Gothic is a masterclass in atmosphere, blending vibrant 1950s Mexican glamour with a deeply unsettling, creeping body horror that will stick with you long after the final page.
Our heroine is the sharp, savvy socialite Noemí Taboada, who travels to a remote, mist-shrouded mansion called High Place after receiving a frantic letter from her newly-married cousin. What she finds is a decaying English-style manor, a deeply sinister family of British expats, and a strange sickness that seems to infect the very walls of the house. Moreno-Garcia expertly uses gothic tropes to explore themes of colonialism, eugenics, and decay, creating a story that is as intelligent as it is terrifying.
Perfect For: Readers who love a plucky, intelligent heroine facing down unimaginable rot. The sensory details are incredible; you can almost smell the damp and fungal decay. Pair this with a rich, dark hot chocolate and a rainy night.
2. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
For those who prefer their horror to be a slow, creeping dread that builds with quiet, literary grace, Sarah Waters' The Little Stranger is essential winter reading. Set in a crumbling Warwickshire manor in post-WWII Britain, the novel follows Dr. Faraday as he becomes entangled with the Ayres family, the last inhabitants of the once-grand Hundreds Hall.
The genius of this novel is its ambiguity. Is the house truly haunted by a malevolent entity, or is the decay of the aristocratic family and the pressures of a changing social class manifesting as something supernatural? The "haunting" is subtle—a strange mark on the wall, a child's inexplicable behavior, a persistent feeling of being watched. It’s a chilling psychological study of decline, resentment, and the ghosts of the past, both literal and metaphorical.
Perfect For: Lovers of literary fiction and a slow-burn mystery. This isn't a book of jump scares, but one of profound, lingering unease. It’s the perfect spooky book to read when the wind is howling outside your window.
3. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
A love letter to books, secrets, and the Brontë sisters, The Thirteenth Tale is a gothic mystery that feels both classic and fresh. Biographer Margaret Lea is summoned to the remote home of Vida Winter, a beloved but intensely private novelist who is finally ready to tell her true, and deeply strange, life story.
As Vida recounts her childhood in a decaying, fire-scorched manor with her volatile twin sister, Margaret is pulled into a labyrinth of family secrets, ghosts, and unreliable narration. The story-within-a-story structure is captivating, and the atmosphere is pure gothic bliss: a massive, dusty library; a wild, overgrown garden; and a sense of tragedy that haunts every chapter. It's a tale about the power of stories and the darkness they can conceal.
Perfect For: Bibliophiles who love a meta-narrative. If you've ever found comfort in the dusty aisles of an old bookshop, this one's for you. It practically begs to be read by a crackling fireplace.
4. The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas
Pitched as Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca, this debut novel delivers on its promise and then some. Set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, it follows Beatriz, who marries a handsome widower to secure her future, only to find his remote country estate, Hacienda San Isidro, is not the safe haven she imagined.
The house is alive with a malevolent presence, one that the staff ignores and her new husband dismisses. Desperate, Beatriz must turn to a young priest with indigenous roots who also happens to be a witch. The Hacienda is a stunning blend of historical fiction and pure, unadulterated horror. It’s a powerful story about grief, generational trauma, and reclaiming one's power in the face of both supernatural and patriarchal threats.
Perfect For: Readers who want high-stakes horror with their gothic romance. The scares are genuinely frightening, and the historical context adds a rich layer of depth.
5. Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth
This book is a queer, feminist, meta-gothic masterpiece, and an absolute delight. It tells two parallel stories: one in the early 1900s at the Brookhants School for Girls, where two students’ love affair ends in a strange, tragic death, and a modern-day story about a film being made about the Brookhants curse.
Plain Bad Heroines is sprawling, witty, and incredibly clever. It’s filled with historical footnotes, cursed objects (specifically, yellow jackets), and a narrator who directly addresses the reader. The atmosphere of the crumbling, haunted school is perfectly rendered, and the mystery of the Brookhants curse is genuinely compelling. It’s a celebration of queer history, horror tropes, and women who refuse to be silenced.
Perfect For: Those who love their horror with a heavy dose of humor and meta-commentary. At nearly 600 pages, it's the perfect immersive read to get lost in over a long winter weekend.
6. What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher (T. Kingfisher)
A brilliant, unsettling retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Fall of the House of Usher," this novella expands upon the original with fascinating and horrifying fungal biology. When retired soldier Alex Easton receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they rush to the ancestral home of the Ushers.
What they discover is a house sinking into a sentient, pulsating landscape of fungi, and a pair of siblings wasting away from a bizarre illness. T. Kingfisher’s writing is a perfect blend of wit, warmth, and skin-crawling horror. The creeping dread of Poe's original is still there, but it's amplified by scientific explanations that somehow make it all the more terrifying.
Perfect For: Anyone who loves classic gothic literature but wants a modern, creepy twist. It's short enough to devour in a single sitting but will haunt your thoughts for days.
7. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Welcome to the world of dark academia, where the gothic setting isn't a crumbling manor but the hallowed, secret-filled halls of Yale University. Galaxy "Alex" Stern has the ability to see ghosts, a "skill" that gets her a full ride to Yale with a specific task: to monitor the secret societies of the elite.
These societies aren't just networking clubs; they use dark, occult magic to manipulate stock markets, control politicians, and ensure their success. Bardugo crafts a gritty, modern fantasy that feels grounded and real, even amidst the ghosts and gory rituals. The gothic atmosphere comes from the ancient buildings, the oppressive weight of tradition, and the moral decay hiding beneath a veneer of prestige.
Perfect For: Fans of dark fantasy and mystery. It's a complex, character-driven story that deals with heavy themes of trauma and power.
8. The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
Ruth Ware is a modern master of the suspense thriller, and The Turn of the Key is her brilliant take on a classic gothic trope: the governess in a haunted house. This time, the governess is a nanny, and the house is a "smart home" in the remote Scottish Highlands, where everything from the lights to the locks is controlled by an app.
When Rowan Caine takes a job with an impossibly perfect family, she thinks it’s a dream come true. But the house has a dark past, the children are difficult, and the constant surveillance from the smart home's cameras creates a suffocating sense of paranoia. When a child dies, Rowan finds herself in prison, desperately trying to prove her innocence. The blend of classic gothic isolation with modern technological dread is absolutely genius.
Perfect For: Thriller lovers who want a spooky, atmospheric setting. You’ll never look at your Alexa the same way again.
9. Bunny by Mona Awad
If you took Heathers, mixed it with a MFA writing program, and dropped it into a surreal, fever-dream fairytale, you might get something close to Bunny. Our narrator, Samantha, is an outsider in her cliquey creative writing program, looking in on a group of saccharine-sweet women who call each other "Bunny."
When the Bunnies inexplicably invite Samantha into their inner circle, she's pulled into their bizarre, ritualistic "workshops" that blur the line between imagination and reality. This book is weird, hilarious, and deeply unsettling. It's a biting satire of academia and female friendships, wrapped in a surreal, gothic horror shell. The atmosphere is less crumbling manor and more off-campus-house-of-horrors.
Perfect For: Readers who like their fiction strange and surreal. It’s a book you’ll either absolutely adore or be completely baffled by, and that's a huge part of its charm.
10. The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
For a dose of pure, classic-feeling gothic horror, Laura Purcell is a must-read. Newly widowed and pregnant, Elsie is sent to her late husband's crumbling country estate, The Bridge. All she has for company are her husband's strange cousin and a few servants.
While exploring the house, Elsie discovers a locked room containing a painted wooden figure—a "silent companion"—that bears an uncanny resemblance to herself. Soon after, strange things begin to happen, and the figure seems to move on its own. This is a wonderfully spooky book, perfect for reading under a blanket while the wind rattles the panes. The historical setting is immersive, and the scares are genuinely effective.
Perfect For: Fans of Victorian ghost stories. It has all the classic elements: an isolated manor, a troubled heroine, and a super creepy object at the center of the mystery.
11. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
No modern gothic list is complete without paying homage to the queen, Shirley Jackson. While The Haunting of Hill House is a quintessential haunted house novel, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a perfect, jewel-box of a book about domestic gothic and paranoia.
The story is told by 18-year-old Merricat Blackwood, who lives in seclusion with her older sister, Constance, and their ailing Uncle Julian. The rest of their family died six years prior from arsenic poisoning, and the villagers have never forgiven Constance, who was acquitted of the crime. Merricat's world of carefully constructed rituals and magical thinking is shattered when a cousin arrives, threatening to expose their secrets and upend their isolated existence. It’s a claustrophobic and deeply sympathetic portrait of outsiders.
Perfect For: Anyone who appreciates masterful prose and psychological tension. Merricat is one of literature’s most unforgettable narrators.
12. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
Less of a horror novel and more of a deeply atmospheric historical novel with a gothic heart. After the death of her abusive husband, Cora Seaborne, a keen amateur naturalist, moves to a small Essex village to investigate rumors of a mythical serpent that has returned to haunt the marshes.
She finds herself in a community gripped by fear and superstition, and forms an unlikely bond with the local vicar. The "monster" of the story is as much about faith vs. science and fear of the unknown as it is about any literal beast. The setting is the star here—the bleak, beautiful, and treacherous Essex coastline is a character in its own right, creating a moody, immersive reading experience.
Perfect For: Fans of literary historical fiction who enjoy a bit of mystery and folklore. It's a thoughtful, beautiful book that will transport you completely.
13. Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Who says gothic has to be set on Earth? Gideon the Ninth is a brilliant, genre-bending novel described as "lesbian necromancers in a haunted gothic palace in space." And honestly? That’s the perfect description.
In a galactic empire powered by death magic, Gideon Nav is an indentured servant desperate to escape her life on the Ninth House. Her only way out is to serve as the cavalier to her nemesis, the bone-witch Reverend Daughter Harrowhark Nonagesimus, as she competes to become a lyctor to the Emperor. They travel to a decaying, labyrinthine palace on the First House, where the contestants are mysteriously picked off one by one. It’s a locked-room mystery with skeletons, sword fights, and a snarky, unforgettable protagonist.
Perfect For: Sci-fi and fantasy fans looking for something completely new. The world-building is phenomenal, and Gideon's voice is one of the best in modern fiction.
14. White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
Helen Oyeyemi’s work is always inventive, blending folklore and fairy tales with a modern literary sensibility. White is for Witching is her take on the haunted house story, where the house itself is a character with its own sinister, xenophobic consciousness.
The Silver family lives in a house in Dover, England, that has a mind of its own. It doesn’t like strangers. After the death of her mother, Miranda Silver develops pica, a disorder compelling her to eat non-food items, and seems to be more in tune with the house than anyone. The novel is a complex, fragmented, and powerful exploration of family legacy, grief, and racism, told from multiple perspectives, including the house itself.
Perfect For: Readers who enjoy experimental and allegorical fiction. It’s a challenging but deeply rewarding novel that uses gothic horror to ask important questions about borders and belonging.
15. Gallant by V.E. Schwab
Though categorized as YA, Gallant is a dark, beautiful fairytale that will appeal to adult readers of modern gothic. Olivia Prior is an orphan who can see ghouls. Her life changes when she receives a letter summoning her to Gallant, her ancestral home.
But when she arrives, she finds a crumbling manor full of secrets and a gateway to a dark reflection of the world, ruled by a shadowy force. It’s a story about finding where you belong, even if it’s among ghosts and shadows. Schwab’s prose is lyrical and evocative, and the inclusion of illustrated journal entries makes for a truly unique reading experience.
Perfect For: When you want a quick, atmospheric read that feels like a classic, dark fairytale. It’s hauntingly beautiful and full of heart.
16. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
While not a supernatural story, The Secret History is arguably the novel that codified the modern dark academia subgenre, which is deeply rooted in gothic sensibilities. It’s a story of intellectual arrogance, moral decay, and murder among an elite group of classics students at a Vermont college.
The book opens with our narrator, Richard Papen, confessing his role in a murder. The rest of the novel is a "whydunnit," exploring how this group of brilliant, isolated students, under the sway of their charismatic professor, came to commit a terrible crime. The gothic elements are all there: an isolated, atmospheric setting; a sense of psychological dread; and characters haunted by their own dark secrets.
Perfect For: Those who love a character-driven, philosophical mystery. It’s an immersive, unforgettable novel that will make you want to wear tweed and wander through a snow-covered campus.
There you have it—16 incredible modern gothic novels to fill your winter nights with cozy, chilling delight. This genre proves that spooky season doesn’t have to end in October. As my pal Goh Ling Yong would say, a truly great story can transport you, and these books will whisk you away to crumbling manors, haunted campuses, and misty moors.
Which of these spooky books will you be adding to your list? Did I miss any of your favorite modern gothic novels? Let me know in the comments below! Happy reading, and stay cozy.
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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