Kelly Link writes short stories that feel like whispers of secrets. Her collections, such as “Get in Trouble”, have plots that twist in ways you don’t expect and characters that seem both familiar and strange.
If you love her particular brand of magic, you might be curious about other authors who work in a similar space. These writers also craft fiction that blends the real with the surreal. They explore the edges of what is possible in stories.
Angela Carter is a great pick for readers who enjoy Kelly Link’s blend of fairy tale themes and surreal storytelling. Her book “The Bloody Chamber” is a standout example. In this collection, Carter reimagines traditional fairy tales through a darker, feminist lens.
The title story pulls you into a haunting retelling of the Bluebeard legend, filled with striking imagery and unexpected twists. Carter’s sharp wit and lush descriptions create stories that feel fresh yet deeply rooted in folklore.
If you appreciate uncanny narratives with vivid characters, “The Bloody Chamber” offers something unique and memorable.
Readers who enjoyed Kelly Link’s imaginative short stories may find Carmen Maria Machado equally captivating. Machado’s style blends fantasy, horror, and literary fiction seamlessly.
Her collection “Her Body and Other Parties” offers fresh takes on folklore and familiar tales, twisting themes around women’s bodies, identity, and relationships.
Particularly memorable is her story “The Husband Stitch,” where a green ribbon worn by the protagonist becomes disturbingly significant. Machado creates haunting narratives that stick with you long after reading.
Books by Neil Gaiman often blend fantasy and the supernatural into everyday life. If you enjoy Kelly Link’s approach to strange yet familiar settings, then Gaiman’s “The Ocean at the End of the Lane” could be a great choice.
The story follows a middle-aged man returning to his childhood hometown, where he recalls memories long forgotten. He meets Lettie Hempstock, a mysterious neighbor whose presence makes reality uncertain and magical events possible.
This short novel dives into themes of memory, childhood fears, and the blurred lines between fantasy and reality. Gaiman crafts vivid scenes filled with unexpected magic, quiet horror, and rich emotional layers.
Fans of Link would likely appreciate his imaginative style and surreal storytelling.
Karen Russell writes vivid stories that blend reality with dark fantasy. Her collection “Vampires in the Lemon Grove” includes tales that twist ordinary settings with magical elements. One story describes vampires who feed on lemons instead of blood in a sunny Italian orchard.
Another explores the strange transformation of Japanese girls who become human silkworms. Russell’s writing is sharp, eerie, and imaginative. Readers who enjoy Kelly Link’s playful and unsettling style will find similar satisfaction in Russell’s storytelling.
Aimee Bender is an American author known for strange yet thoughtful short stories and novels that often blend the everyday with the fantastical. If you enjoy Kelly Link’s quirky and surreal tales, Bender’s writing might appeal to you as well.
In her novel “The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake,” young Rose Edelstein discovers she can taste people’s feelings in their cooking. One bite of her mother’s homemade cake reveals hidden emotions and secret truths.
This surprising gift sends Rose on a curious journey through family relationships and unexpected discoveries. Through odd yet believable characters and gentle magical realism, Bender offers a quick-moving read full of heart.
Jeff VanderMeer is an author known for his imaginative blend of speculative fiction, fantasy, and the weird. If you enjoy the strange yet carefully crafted stories of Kelly Link, VanderMeer’s “Annihilation” might catch your interest.
In “Annihilation,” a team of female researchers sets out to explore Area X, a mysterious, forbidden zone. Previous expeditions ended in tragedy or madness, and the mystery of what exists there only deepens as the plot unfolds.
VanderMeer creates a compelling atmosphere built on tension, mystery, and paranoia. The characters continually question what they perceive as real, and the reader does the same.
Readers looking for thoughtful fiction full of unexplained wonders and creeping suspense may appreciate VanderMeer’s work.
China Miéville is a British author known for creating imaginative, often strange worlds that blend fantasy, science fiction, and a dash of realism. If you enjoy Kelly Link’s storytelling, Miéville’s writing might resonate with you.
His novel “Perdido Street Station” offers an intriguing look into a city named New Crobuzon. In this sprawling, gritty metropolis, magic coexists with machinery, giving a unique spin to urban fantasy.
The plot involves scientist Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin, who faces trouble after undertaking a secretive commission to restore flight to a creature who lost his wings.
Miéville weaves in other characters, conflicts, and surprises in a way that might keep readers hooked to the very last page.
Books by Ted Chiang offer imaginative, thought-provoking short fiction that often blends the ordinary world with extraordinary, speculative twists. His collection “Stories of Your Life and Others” combines fascinating scenarios with deep emotional layers.
For instance, the story “Story of Your Life” follows a linguist named Louise Banks who is tasked to decode an alien language when strange visitors land on Earth. Her discoveries about language open powerful questions about destiny, choices, and human connection.
Readers who appreciate Kelly Link’s blend of reality and fantasy might find Ted Chiang’s work equally intriguing.
Alice Hoffman writes novels filled with magic, folklore, and emotional depth—qualities fans of Kelly Link often appreciate. Hoffman’s book “Practical Magic” follows the Owens sisters, Gillian and Sally.
Raised by eccentric relatives, they inherit magical gifts as well as a tricky family curse. When unexpected troubles force them back together, the sisters must confront their past, their own desires, and the mysterious powers woven into their family history.
Hoffman’s storytelling combines the supernatural with real human relationships into stories that are at once enchanting and deeply relatable.
If you enjoy Kelly Link’s stories filled with unique twists and a touch of surreal magic, Margaret Atwood could be your next favorite author.
Atwood blends imaginative storytelling with intriguing yet relatable characters, often set in worlds both familiar and slightly off-kilter.
Her collection “Stone Mattress” includes the unsettling but captivating title story about a woman named Verna who embarks on a cruise to the Arctic.
When Verna encounters a figure from her past, long-buried secrets surface, and the story shifts between dark humor, mystery, and subtle menace. Atwood has a gift for creating atmospheric tales that keep readers uncertain about what’s around the next corner.
Kat Howard is an author known for her captivating blend of fantasy, fairy tale, and magic realism. Readers who appreciate Kelly Link’s distinctive storytelling style may also find enjoyment in Howard’s work.
Her novel “An Unkindness of Magicians” presents a hidden world of magic within contemporary New York City, driven by secret contests between powerful magical families.
As dangerous competitions unfold, characters confront dark family legacies, ambition, and the high price of power. With elegant prose and imaginative narratives, Howard crafts stories that leave readers eager for each new twist.
George Saunders is an American author known for dark humor, surreal situations, and stories that blur reality and imagination. If you like Kelly Link’s blend of the everyday and the fantastic, you might enjoy Saunders’s short story collection “Tenth of December.”
In this book, characters face strange yet relatable dilemmas, like a man who tests experimental mood-altering drugs turning into an unexpected hero, or a boy who encounters both danger and kindness after stumbling across an unusual scene in the woods.
Saunders has a knack for depicting human experiences in peculiar and thought-provoking ways, with stories that often lead readers to reflect on kindness, bravery, and the complexity of everyday choices.
If you enjoy Kelly Link’s strange blend of everyday weirdness and chilling suspense, Brian Evenson might be exactly what you’re seeking. Evenson is known for pushing the boundaries between horror and literary fiction.
His collection “Song for the Unraveling of the World” is dark yet oddly mesmerizing. In one standout story, “Room Tone,” a filmmaker becomes increasingly obsessed with capturing perfect silence, leading him down a path that blurs reality in unsettling ways.
Like Link, Evenson creates narratives rich with uncanny atmospheres, confusion, and characters facing unusual situations.
Shirley Jackson writes suspenseful stories that explore ordinary lives with strange twists, similar to Kelly Link’s quirky and eerie tales.
Her novel “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” follows the Blackwood sisters, Merricat and Constance, who isolate themselves from their suspicious neighbors in a rundown estate.
With unsettling humor and mystery, Jackson quietly reveals dark secrets in a family haunted by tragedy. The sisters’ lives grow increasingly tense when an unexpected visitor arrives, disrupting the fragile comfort of their secluded home.
If quirky characters and subtle suspense appeal to you in Link’s stories, Shirley Jackson’s work will pull you into its quietly disturbing world.
Books by Helen Oyeyemi blend the strange with the everyday world beautifully, similar to stories by Kelly Link.
In Oyeyemi’s novel “White is for Witching,” readers meet Miranda Silver, a young girl who lives with her brother and father in a peculiar family home in Dover, England. Miranda suffers from a rare condition called pica, a compulsion to eat unusual things.
As her illness progresses, the house itself begins to grow possessive of its inhabitants. There are mysterious disappearances, ghostly presences, and secrets deeply entwined with the family’s past.
The novel weaves magical elements through realistic family struggles, creating an intriguing, unsettling experience. For those who love the subtle chills and imaginative storytelling of Kelly Link, Helen Oyeyemi offers a very satisfying reading experience.