Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Bookish Wisdom earns from qualifying purchases. This doesn't change our picks or your price.
Quick answer: If you finished As I Lay Dying, try The Sound and the Fury, Light in August, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, Wise Blood, Child of God and Winter's Bone. They share Southern voices, hard lives and dark humor.
William Faulkner's 1930 novel follows the Bundren family as they carry their mother's coffin across Mississippi, told in short chapters from 15 different voices. It is funny, tragic and challenging. Readers who finish it want more Southern Gothic and modernist fiction. These 15 books range from classics to modern novels, with some mature themes.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Sound and the Fury | William Faulkner | Adult | more Faulkner |
| Light in August | William Faulkner | Adult | readers who want a Faulkner entry |
| Absalom, Absalom! | William Faulkner | Adult | advanced readers |
| The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter | Carson McCullers | Adult | readers who like quiet depth |
| A Good Man Is Hard to Find | Flannery O'Connor | Adult | readers who like short fiction |
| Wise Blood | Flannery O'Connor | Adult | readers who like the grotesque |
| Child of God | Cormac McCarthy | Adult | readers who can take brutality |
| Blood Meridian | Cormac McCarthy | Adult | older readers |
| Winter's Bone | Daniel Woodrell | Adult | readers who like rural noir |
| The Color Purple | Alice Walker | Adult | readers who like letters |
| Their Eyes Were Watching God | Zora Neale Hurston | Adult | readers who like beautiful prose |
| A Confederacy of Dunces | John Kennedy Toole | Adult | readers who like comedy |
| The Optimist's Daughter | Eudora Welty | Adult | readers who like quiet books |
| Serena | Ron Rash | Adult | readers who like Southern tragedy |
| Where the Crawdads Sing | Delia Owens | Adult | readers who want an easier Southern read |
1. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
The Compson family's decline, told from four viewpoints. Famous and difficult.
Best for: more Faulkner.
2. Light in August by William Faulkner
Lena Grove, Joe Christmas and Reverend Hightower cross paths in Mississippi. Powerful and unforgettable.
Best for: readers who want a Faulkner entry.
3. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
Thomas Sutpen's rise and fall, told by several narrators. Dense and ambitious.
Best for: advanced readers.
4. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
A deaf man becomes the confidant of lonely people in a Georgia town. Tender and sad.
Best for: readers who like quiet depth.
5. A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor
Short stories of grotesque and comic Southern life. Dark, funny and shocking.
Best for: readers who like short fiction.
6. Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor
Hazel Motes founds a church without Christ. Strange and darkly funny.
Best for: readers who like the grotesque.
7. Child of God by Cormac McCarthy
Lester Ballard is an outcast in Tennessee. Dark and violent.
Best for: readers who can take brutality.
8. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
A teen joins a group of scalp hunters on the border. Violent and poetic.
Best for: older readers.
9. Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell
Ree Dolly searches for her missing father in the Ozarks. Spare and tense.
Best for: readers who like rural noir.
10. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Celie writes letters about her life in rural Georgia. Moving and powerful.
Best for: readers who like letters.
11. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Janie Crawford tells her story of love and independence in Florida. Lyrical and warm.
Best for: readers who like beautiful prose.
12. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Ignatius Reilly, a huge, odd man, wanders New Orleans. Hilarious and strange.
Best for: readers who like comedy.
13. The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty
A woman returns home to Mississippi after her father's death. Short and subtle.
Best for: readers who like quiet books.
14. Serena by Ron Rash
A ruthless couple builds a lumber empire in 1929 North Carolina. A dark Appalachian tragedy.
Best for: readers who like Southern tragedy.
15. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Kya, the Marsh Girl, is accused of murder. Atmospheric and popular.
Best for: readers who want an easier Southern read.
How to Choose
For Faulkner, begin with Light in August or The Sound and the Fury. For a gentler Southern voice, try Welty or McCullers. For short stories, read O'Connor. For modern rural fiction, choose Winter's Bone or Serena. A simple plan is to read slowly, keep a list of narrators, and talk with others. Many of these books use harsh language about race and violence. Because the book switches narrators, it helps to read the chapter heading first and think about who is speaking. Audiobooks with a full cast, such as the one with multiple readers, can make the voices easier to follow. Pair the novel with a short guide to Yoknapatawpha County and a map of the Bundrens' journey, which makes the geography easier to follow.
Related: 15 Best Books on Death and Dying · 12 Dystopian Books Like the Hunger Games | Best Books to Read Like Hunger Games
Frequently Asked Questions
Is As I Lay Dying hard to read?
The voices are tricky, but the chapters are short and the story is simple: the family must bury Addie.
Who narrates the novel?
There are 15 narrators, including Addie and the Bundren children.
Is it funny?
Yes. Faulkner called it a tragicomedy, and it has dark humor.
What should I read after it?
Light in August is a good next Faulkner.
Why is the book called As I Lay Dying?
The title comes from a line in Homer's Odyssey, as Agamemnon speaks of his death.
Is it a good entry to Faulkner?
Yes, it is shorter and more accessible than The Sound and the Fury.
How long is it?
About 250 pages, so it is a good first Faulkner.