Julia Armfield is a British writer known for her imaginative and darkly insightful fiction. Her work often mixes realism with supernatural elements, notably showcased in her acclaimed short story collection Salt Slow and debut novel Our Wives Under The Sea.
If you enjoy reading books by Julia Armfield then you might also like the following authors:
Carmen Maria Machado writes imaginative fiction with surreal and unsettling twists. Her stories often explore gender, sexuality, and the darker sides of relationships.
In her collection, Her Body and Other Parties, Machado blends elements of horror, fantasy, and folklore in ways that readers fascinated by Julia Armfield's weird fiction will appreciate.
Daisy Johnson's work often blurs the line between the natural world and myth. She creates atmospheric stories dealing with family secrets, complex relationships, and subtle hints of the supernatural.
Her novel, Everything Under, reimagines classical mythology in a modern context, mixing lyrical prose with tense storytelling. Fans of Julia Armfield will enjoy Johnson's evocative style and psychological depth.
Kelly Link excels at spinning contemporary fairy tales and fantastical stories tinged with dread and wonder. She skillfully weaves the everyday with the eerie, creating narratives full of unexpected turns.
Her collection, Get in Trouble, offers stories rich with dark humor and subtle menace. Readers who like the imaginative, uncanny style of Julia Armfield should definitely check out Link.
Mariana Enríquez creates haunting fiction rooted in contemporary social issues, folklore, and horror. Her stories often explore the hidden side of urban life in Argentina, mixing gritty reality with unsettling scares.
Her collection, The Things We Lost in the Fire, offers chilling glimpses into human cruelty, supernatural elements, and stark, unforgettable imagery.
If you enjoy the unsettling narratives and thoughtful darkness found in Julia Armfield's work, Enríquez is an author you'll connect with immediately.
Sarah Waters is widely known for historical fiction that combines insightful character studies, romance, and suspenseful plotlines. Her novel, Fingersmith, set in Victorian London, unfolds through intricate plotting, deception, and absorbing narrative twists.
Waters often explores relationships between women, subverting genre conventions in subtle ways. If you appreciate the complex relationships and atmospheric settings found in Julia Armfield's fiction, Waters' storytelling offers similar joys.
Helen Oyeyemi writes imaginative and whimsical stories that blur reality with myth and folklore. Her stories weave themes of magical realism, identity, and transformation, giving readers an unsettling but fascinating reading experience that's hard to predict.
Her novel The Icarus Girl explores dual identities and supernatural elements within an everyday setting, offering a fresh take on themes similar to Julia Armfield's haunting, surreal narratives.
Samantha Schweblin creates tense, unsettling stories that blend subtle horror with surrealism. Her writing is often dreamlike yet vividly unsettling, touching on anxieties around family ties, environmental threats, and the unknown.
Her novel Fever Dream vividly portrays parents' fears and environmental anxieties in a disorienting narrative, appealing to readers who enjoy the eerie, atmospheric storytelling found in Julia Armfield’s works.
Ottessa Moshfegh has a distinctively sharp and dark sense of humor in her stories, exploring isolated characters with vivid psychological depth. Her work frequently reveals deeply-seasoned bitterness and absurdity beneath the ordinary routines of life.
Her novel Eileen showcases a dark, unsettling exploration into the psyche of a lonely young woman, delivering the same kind of nuanced psychological insight and uncomfortable tension that Julia Armfield fans will appreciate.
Megan Giddings writes insightful narratives that merge psychological drama, social commentary, and speculative fiction. Her writing is clear yet atmospheric, reflecting on issues related to identity, experimentation, race, and autonomy of the body.
Her novel Lakewood is a chilling exploration dealing with medical experimentation and ethical questions around exploitation—ideal for readers drawn to complex, socially-aware narrative layers reminiscent of Julia Armfield's style.
Tamsyn Muir is known for blending fantasy, horror, and dark humor, creating eccentric worlds that are intricate, energetic, and decidedly unique. Her novels playfully mix bone-dry wit with macabre thrills.
Her book Gideon the Ninth features necromancers and gothic sci-fi adventures, giving readers the same sharp-edged originality and complex relationships loved by those who enjoy Julia Armfield’s dark and imaginative tales.
If you enjoy the eerie and atmospheric worlds of Julia Armfield, Jeff VanderMeer is an author worth exploring. He creates unsettling yet captivating novels that blend elements of horror, fantasy, and the surreal.
His stories often investigate the mysteries of nature, ecology, and identity. A good starting point is his novel Annihilation, where a group of scientists explore a mysterious zone filled with strange phenomena, unsettling occurrences, and uncanny transformations.
Max Porter writes novels that blur the boundaries between prose and poetry, the real and the imagined, grief and healing. Similar to Armfield, he often evokes a dream-like mood, employing poetic language and powerful emotions.
In his book Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, Porter chronicles a family's loss in an honest, emotional, and imaginative way. A mysterious crow becomes part of their lives, shaping their journey through grief in surreal and unexpected ways.
Fans of Julia Armfield's exploration of femininity, bodies, and uncertainty may find Sophie Mackintosh equally appealing. Mackintosh's writing evokes a challenging and poetic landscape, touching on themes of intimacy, danger, and isolation.
Her novel, The Water Cure, tells the story of three sheltered sisters raised in isolation, whose lives change dramatically when strangers arrive. The novel explores vulnerability, family dynamics, and the hidden threats lurking in the outside world.
If you appreciate Julia Armfield's weird yet beautiful creations, Camilla Grudova may interest you. Grudova excels in crafting odd, mesmerizing short stories full of gothic darkness, whimsy, and the grotesque.
Her collection, The Doll's Alphabet, reveals worlds where the familiar mixes with the strange—objects come alive, human bodies alter, and ordinary routines take surreal turns.
Mona Awad writes novels that brilliantly combine humor, horror, and emotional intensity, a style you might enjoy if you're drawn to Armfield's atmospheric writing. Awad explores themes like identity, obsession, body image, and societal pressures.
In Bunny, she follows a grad student who becomes immersed in a clique of writers. What starts as mundane gradually becomes twisted, unsettling, and bizarrely captivating.