Georgia has such a rich history and diverse landscape, from the bustling streets of Atlanta to quiet coastal towns and rural farmlands. It is no wonder so many authors have set their stories here.
These novels capture the spirit, the struggles, and the unique character of Georgia across different eras and communities. If you want to explore the state through fiction, here are some fantastic reads.
Margaret Mitchell, a Georgia native, sets her famous novel right here during the Civil War and Reconstruction. You follow Scarlett O’Hara, who comes from a wealthy plantation background. She has an incredible will to survive as the Southern world she knew collapses.
Her fierce determination is central, and her stormy relationship with Rhett Butler adds so much passion and conflict. The book really brings the historical period and the people caught within it to life.
Carson McCullers sets this story in a small Georgia mill town in the 1930s. It centers on John Singer, a deaf man who doesn’t speak. Various lonely people are drawn to him; each person longs for connection.
You meet characters like Mick Kelly, a young girl whose dreams feel bigger than her town, and Doctor Copeland, a Black physician frustrated by injustice. The novel deeply explores isolation within this specific Southern setting.
This novel revisits the world of “Gone with the Wind,” but this time you see everything through Rhett Butler’s eyes. Donald McCaig explores Rhett’s life before he met Scarlett.
You learn about his difficult family relationships and his constant battle with his reputation and sense of honor. It shows how Rhett became the man readers recognize and also develops side characters like Belle Watling. It provides fresh perspectives on familiar events.
Alexandra Ripley’s book continues the story right after “Gone with the Wind” concludes. Scarlett O’Hara is determined to rebuild her life after Rhett Butler leaves. She desperately wants to win him back, so her journey takes her from Charleston all the way to Ireland.
Along the way, she encounters new scandals, deals with family drama, and must adapt to a changing society. Scarlett’s fiery spirit really drives the narrative.
John Berendt transports you to Savannah, Georgia. The city’s charm is undeniable, but a murder trial soon exposes darker currents beneath the surface.
The story revolves around the death of Danny Hansford, a local character, and the wealthy antiques dealer Jim Williams, who stands accused. Berendt introduces a cast of truly eccentric Savannah residents.
His descriptions of the historic squares and quirky personalities create an unforgettable atmosphere where Southern elegance meets hidden secrets.
Carson McCullers sets this novella in a tiny, isolated Georgia town. It tells the story of Miss Amelia, a very reserved and independent woman who runs the town’s café.
Her quiet existence is disrupted first by the arrival of a strange hunchback, Cousin Lymon, who becomes her companion, and then by the return of her estranged, dangerous husband, Marvin Macy, just out of prison.
The strange triangle between these three characters creates intense drama.
This story unfolds in the small Georgia town of Cold Sassy in 1906. You see events through the eyes of 14-year-old Will Tweedy during a summer full of surprises. After Will’s grandmother passes away, his grandfather, Rucker Blakeslee, causes a huge scandal.
He quickly marries Miss Love Simpson, a milliner much younger than him. Will’s narration offers a humorous and touching look at Southern life, family dynamics, and the clash between old traditions and new ideas.
Alice Walker tells the powerful story of Celie, a young Black woman in the South during the early 20th century. Celie endures terrible abuse and hardship. She finds her voice and strength through letters she first writes to God, and later to her sister Nettie.
The novel explores her journey of self-discovery, her important relationships with other women like Shug Avery, and her resilience in rural Georgia.
Anne Rivers Siddons focuses on Atlanta’s high society. The story follows cousins Lucy and Shep as they grow up together. Shep narrates their lives, their complex bond, and how they handle family expectations and Southern traditions.
The novel chronicles Atlanta’s growth and changes through the 20th century while it examines themes of love, loyalty, and loss within their privileged world.
MacKinlay Kantor wrote this historical novel about the notorious Confederate prison camp in Georgia during the Civil War. The story shows the horrific conditions endured by the Union soldiers imprisoned there.
It also explores the lives of the Confederates who ran the camp and the local people affected by its presence. Kantor uses multiple viewpoints to create a detailed and often harrowing account of suffering, cruelty, and survival.
Jean Toomer’s “Cane” is a unique book that blends short stories, poems, and play-like sketches. It offers glimpses into African American life in the early 1900s, especially in rural Georgia. The book explores identity, race, and culture through various characters and scenes.
One memorable part focuses on Karintha, a woman whose beauty entrances her small town, though her life seems tinged with sadness.
James Dickey wrote this intense novel about four men from Atlanta. They decide to take a weekend canoe trip down a wild river in north Georgia before it’s dammed. Their adventure quickly turns terrifying when they encounter violent locals in the remote wilderness.
The story becomes a desperate fight for survival. It explores ideas about masculinity, civilization versus nature, and contains brutal, unforgettable moments.
Erskine Caldwell’s novel is set in rural Georgia and focuses on the Lesters, an impoverished farming family. The father, Ty Ty, is completely obsessed with finding gold on his land.
He dedicates a small plot as “God’s Little Acre,” meant to benefit the church, but keeps moving it to wherever he digs next. His obsession means he neglects his farm and family. The book deals frankly with poverty, desire, and betrayal in the harsh Southern landscape.
Tayari Jones tells the story of Celestial and Roy, a young, middle-class Black couple in Atlanta. Their life together is shattered when Roy is wrongly arrested and convicted.
Set largely in Georgia, the book examines how their relationship changes under the strain of Roy’s imprisonment. You read the emotional letters they exchange. Their individual choices and dreams are tested by this injustice.
Tom Wolfe’s sprawling novel provides a panoramic view of Atlanta life. The central figure is Charlie Croker, a larger-than-life real estate developer whose empire faces sudden collapse due to massive debt. His story intersects with others.
You see racial tensions, economic struggles, and the social dynamics of modern Atlanta and parts of Georgia. The characters wrestle with ambition, honor, and hardship.
Karin Slaughter brings readers back to Grant County, Georgia. Medical examiner Sara Linton and detective Jeffrey Tolliver investigate a troubling case that originates in a nearby small town full of secrets.
When one of their own colleagues is accused of murder, Sara and Jeffrey must dig into a dangerous web of corruption and old loyalties. The story combines personal drama for the main characters with a dark, suspenseful mystery.
In this Karin Slaughter novel, special agent Will Trent comes to Grant County, Georgia. He is there to investigate the death of a young woman found in the lake, which the local police quickly rule a suicide. Will isn’t so sure.
As he digs deeper, he uncovers secrets tied to the town’s past and clashes with the established police force. He must figure out who to trust in a place where everyone seems to be hiding something.
Lillian Smith wrote this controversial novel set in a small Georgia town in the 1920s. It centers on the secret love affair between Nonnie, a young Black woman, and Tracy, a white man from a prominent family.
Their forbidden relationship highlights the intense racism and social divisions of the time. The book explores the devastating impact this relationship has on them, their families, and the entire community.
This novel takes you back to the chaotic early days of the zombie apocalypse in Georgia. You follow Philip Blake, his young daughter Penny, and a few others as they try to survive in a world filled with the undead. This story shows Philip’s transformation.
You see the brutal choices he makes and how the constant danger starts turning him into the ruthless leader known as the Governor.
Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga continue the story in the zombie-infested world. This book follows Lilly Caul, a young woman desperately searching for safety. After surviving harrowing experiences, she and her group find their way to Woodbury.
The town seems like a sanctuary protected by the charismatic Governor, but Lilly soon discovers the darkness beneath Woodbury’s calm surface.
Thomas Mullen sets his novel in Atlanta in 1948. The city has just hired its first Black police officers, including Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith. They face segregation, hostility from white colleagues, and limitations on their authority.
When they investigate the murder of a young Black woman last seen with a white man, they delve into the dangerous underside of the city. The book vividly portrays the racial tensions and corruption of post-war Atlanta.
Jay Bonansinga continues the Walking Dead saga in novel form. Lilly Caul and a group of survivors try to rebuild a community called Woodbury after past destruction. Their struggle for safety is constant.
They face threats from walkers and other humans, including a dangerous group led by the fanatical Reverend Jeremiah Garlitz. The book details their fight to establish a safe place in the harsh Georgia landscape.
In this novel, Lilly Caul continues her efforts to lead the survivors in the unstable town of Woodbury. Rebuilding civilization in the zombie apocalypse is a relentless struggle. Lilly faces threats from both the walkers outside the walls and dangerous humans within.
Her leadership and trust are put to the test as she fights to keep hope alive in a community constantly on the edge.
Rick Shefchik’s mystery unfolds during the famous Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. Sam Skarda, a former police officer working security, gets pulled into an investigation when people connected to the tournament start dying.
He uncovers dark secrets and hidden motives behind the prestigious event. The story mixes the unique atmosphere of professional golf with a suspenseful murder plot.
Stuart Woods’ novel spans several decades in the fictional small Georgia town of Delano. It follows three different men who serve as the town’s police chief, starting in the 1920s. The first chief investigates the mysterious death of a young boy.
This unsolved case echoes through the years, affecting the town’s secrets, its people, and subsequent chiefs as Delano changes over time.
Virginia Lanier introduces Jo Beth Sidden, a resilient woman who trains bloodhounds in the Georgia swamps. She gets hired to find missing persons with her amazing dogs. Her life gets complicated and dangerous when a search links her to a murder investigation.
Jo Beth has to deal with threats from her abusive ex-husband and navigate the secrets of her rural community. Her connection with her dogs is central to the story.
Harry Crews takes readers to the gritty small town of Mystic, Georgia. The story centers on Joe Lon Mackey, a former high school football hero whose life has stalled.
The town is preparing for its annual Rattlesnake Roundup, a bizarre festival full of violence and tension simmering just below the surface. As the festival approaches, secrets unravel and frustrations explode in shocking ways. It’s a raw look at desperation in rural Georgia.
Pete Dexter’s novel is set in a small Georgia town called Cotton Point. The title character, Paris Trout, is a racist and brutally violent shopkeeper. He murders a young Black girl over an unpaid debt. The story explores the aftermath of this crime.
It examines how the town confronts, or fails to confront, the ingrained prejudice and moral failings within the community and within Trout himself.
Alice Walker’s first novel follows Grange Copeland, a Black tenant farmer in rural Georgia struggling with poverty and racism. The story covers three generations of his family. It shows how hardship and oppression impact his life, leading to anger, violence, and abandonment.
Later in life, Grange seeks redemption, particularly through his relationship with his granddaughter, Ruth. He tries to offer her a better future.