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Quick answer: If you loved Barbara Erskine, read Diana Gabaldon's Outlander, then Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca and Jamaica Inn, then Jorge Luis Borges's Labyrinths, and Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife and Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale. All are time-slip and gothic novels.
Barbara Erskine writes time-slip novels such as Lady of Hay, in which past lives surface in the present. These picks share the haunting mood.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outlander | Diana Gabaldon | Adult | historical romance |
| Rebecca | Daphne du Maurier | Adult | readers who want the classic |
| Labyrinths | Jorge Luis Borges | Adult | readers who want a collection |
| The Time Traveler's Wife | Audrey Niffenegger | Adult | readers who like romance |
| The Thirteenth Tale | Diane Setterfield | Adult | gothic secrets |
| The Woman in White | Wilkie Collins | Adult | readers who like Victorian mysteries |
| The Mists of Avalon | Marion Zimmer Bradley | Adult | readers who want a novel |
| Jamaica Inn | Daphne du Maurier | Adult | Cornish adventure |
| The Rosetta Key | William Dietrich | Adult | historical adventure |
| Year of Wonders | Geraldine Brooks | Adult | plague village |
| The Physician | Noah Gordon | Adult | medieval medicine |
| The Bear and the Nightingale | Katherine Arden | Adult | readers who like folklore |
| Piranesi | Susanna Clarke | Adult | readers who like puzzles |
| Kindred | Octavia E. Butler | Adult | readers who want history with sci-fi |
| The Witching Hour | Anne Rice | Adult | Rice fans wanting more |
1. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
A nurse in 1945 falls through stones into 1743 Scotland. Romance, history and adventure.
Best for: historical romance.
2. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
A young bride arrives at Manderley and lives in the shadow of the first Mrs. de Winter. A masterpiece of gothic suspense.
Best for: readers who want the classic.
3. Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges
A selection of Borges's stories and essays, including “The Library of Babel.” A good sampler.
Best for: readers who want a collection.
4. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Henry travels in time uncontrollably, and Clare waits. Romantic and sad.
Best for: readers who like romance.
5. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
A biographer hears an author's secret story. Atmospheric and bookish.
Best for: gothic secrets.
6. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
A drawing master meets a mysterious woman in white and is drawn into a conspiracy. An early mystery with twists.
Best for: readers who like Victorian mysteries.
7. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The King Arthur story told from the women's perspective. Long, rich and influential.
Best for: readers who want a novel.
8. Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier
A young woman discovers a smuggling gang at her aunt's inn. Atmospheric and tense.
Best for: Cornish adventure.
9. The Rosetta Key by William Dietrich
A French scientist and an American adventurer search for ancient secrets in Napoleon's Egypt. Swashbuckling.
Best for: historical adventure.
10. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
A village isolates itself during the plague in 1666. Gripping and moving.
Best for: plague village.
11. The Physician by Noah Gordon
A boy from England becomes a healer and travels to Persia. Long and rewarding.
Best for: medieval medicine.
12. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Vasilisa lives in medieval Russia and must protect her village from spirits. Rich, cold and atmospheric.
Best for: readers who like folklore.
13. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
A man lives in a vast house of statues and tides and slowly learns the truth about his world. Strange, quiet and brilliant.
Best for: readers who like puzzles.
14. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Dana, a Black woman in 1976 California, is pulled back in time to a Maryland plantation where she must keep a white ancestor alive. A powerful classic.
Best for: readers who want history with sci-fi.
15. The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
Rice's saga of a family of witches in New Orleans. Same lush prose, dense history and gothic tone.
Best for: Rice fans wanting more.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Barbara Erskine: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Barbara Erskine. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For time-slips, read Outlander. For gothic mystery, try Rebecca. For historical mystery, pick Labyrinth.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Barbara Erskine?
An English novelist.
What is her best-known book?
Lady of Hay.
What is a time-slip?
A story where past and present overlap.
Which book here is best for Rice fans wanting more?
Try The Witching Hour by Anne Rice, which suits readers looking for Rice fans wanting more.
Which book here is best for readers who want history with sci-fi?
Try Kindred by Octavia E. Butler, which suits readers looking for readers who want history with sci-fi.
Which book here is best for readers who like puzzles?
Try Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, which suits readers looking for readers who like puzzles.
Which book here is best for readers who like folklore?
Try The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, which suits readers looking for readers who like folklore.
Which book here is best for medieval medicine?
Try The Physician by Noah Gordon, which suits readers looking for medieval medicine.