Mona Awad is a Canadian novelist known for darkly humorous literary fiction. Her notable titles include Bunny and 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl, offering sharp insights into contemporary themes.
If you enjoy reading books by Mona Awad then you might also like the following authors:
Ottessa Moshfegh creates stories that unsettle you in the best way. Her style is darkly humorous, with flawed characters you can't quite root for but can't ignore either. She often explores alienation, discomfort, and the complexities of human desires.
If you enjoyed Mona Awad, you'll likely connect with Moshfegh's My Year of Rest and Relaxation, a story about a woman attempting an extreme form of hibernation as an escape from life.
Carmen Maria Machado blends horror, fantasy, and literary fiction, crafting vivid, genre-defying short stories focused on feminist themes, identity, and bodies. Her narratives are provocative and real, pulling readers inside strange and eerie worlds, much like Awad.
A great book to start with is Her Body and Other Parties, a haunting collection that steps boldly into uncomfortable yet fascinating territory.
Alissa Nutting writes sharp, darkly comic stories that challenge social norms and push boundaries. Her narratives often center on unconventional and unsettling relationships, examining modern life through an absurdist lens.
Fans of Awad's biting wit will appreciate Nutting’s Tampa, a controversial novel exploring a disturbing female protagonist and uncomfortably dark humor.
Kelly Link creates imaginative short stories that blend reality and fantasy, veering into magical realism and speculative fiction territory. Her writing feels dreamlike yet sharp, filled with odd characters and quirky scenarios.
If Mona Awad's mix of weirdness and insight resonates with you, try Link’s collection Get in Trouble, where each story walks the line between fantastic and unsettlingly real.
Oyinkan Braithwaite’s stories offer a darkly funny approach to heavy topics, managing to be both witty and macabre. She highlights familial ties, societal expectations, and hidden violence through a sharp narrative lens.
Awad's fans could savor Braithwaite’s novel My Sister, the Serial Killer, about two sisters bound by blood, secrets, and the cleanup after a string of murders.
Kristen Arnett writes with dark humor, insightful observation, and an honest exploration of family tensions and identity struggles.
Her novel Mostly Dead Things follows a family that runs a taxidermy business, capturing the messy, absurd, and awkward realities of grief, love, and sexuality.
If you appreciate the quirky darkness and emotional sharpness in Mona Awad's work, Arnett's writing will resonate deeply.
Samantha Schweblin creates unsettling, surreal fiction that blurs the boundaries between reality and the uncanny. Her short novel Fever Dream is a tense psychological narrative that explores motherhood, environmental anxiety, and a creeping sense of dread.
Schweblin's atmospheric and strange storytelling will appeal to readers who enjoy the haunting ambiguity and psychological discomfort found in Awad's novels.
Rachel Yoder approaches motherhood and identity with humor, horror, and profound insights into the anxieties of modern life.
Her novel Nightbitch centers on a new mother convinced she's literally transforming into a dog, channeling raw frustration and absurdity into a unique and darkly comedic narrative.
Readers who value Mona Awad's fearless storytelling and exploration of hidden fears and desires will immediately connect with Yoder's bold style.
Julia Armfield writes fiction immersed in dark fantasy, folklore, and relatable emotional anxieties. Her novel Our Wives Under the Sea is an eerie and moving tale of a woman whose partner returns strange and altered after a deep sea expedition.
Armfield skillfully mixes relationships, loss, and otherworldly events, perfect for fans of Awad's richly imaginative yet emotionally truthful narratives.
Halle Butler explores contemporary work-life anxieties and personal dissatisfaction through sharp wit, dry humor, and a brutally insightful lens. Her novel The New Me captures the mundane yet crushing despair of a temp worker striving—and failing—to gain control in her life.
Butler's clear-eyed and humorous reflection on existential dread and societal pressure is a great match for readers drawn to Awad's frank and darkly comedic portrayals of millennial anxieties.
Ling Ma writes fiction blending sharp humor, social commentary, and surreal twists, similar to Mona Awad. Her novel, Severance, explores office culture and consumerism with dark wit.
It's a story of a young woman navigating a global pandemic that transforms ordinary routines into a strange and unsettling experience.
Alexandra Kleeman often mixes elements of the absurd with insightful explorations of identity and body consciousness. If you like Mona Awad's dark humor and odd twists, Kleeman's novel You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine would appeal.
It offers a weird, funny critique of consumer culture and how modern society shapes women's experiences.
Catherine Lacey's books have an uncanny atmosphere and strong psychological depth. She explores loneliness, identity, and emotional truths.
Her novel Nobody Is Ever Missing follows a woman leaving her life behind and traveling to New Zealand, offering readers an intimate and unsettling portrayal of inner struggles and self-discovery.
Marisha Pessl writes complex novels combining mystery with psychological depth. Her style is smart, engaging, and filled with intriguing plot twists.
Her novel Night Film is eerie and suspenseful, centering on a disgraced journalist investigating the mysterious death of a legendary filmmaker's daughter. Readers enjoying Mona Awad's darker, intriguing narratives would find plenty here to appreciate.
Elif Batuman offers narratives both insightful and humorous, often centered on exploration of literature and identity. Her novel The Idiot captures the awkwardness, confusion, and self-discovery of college life.
Similar to Mona Awad, Batuman uses humor and wit to highlight deeper themes of self-reflection, relationships, and understanding oneself in a complex and confusing world.