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Donna Tartt’s The Little Friend is a powerful novel filled with suspense, dark family secrets, and a young girl’s journey into adulthood. Set in a small Southern town, the story follows twelve-year-old Harriett Vanger, who becomes obsessed with finding out who killed her brother. With its spooky mood, deep characters, and gripping storyline, this book is hard to forget. If The Little Friend fascinated you, here are 8 other books with similar themes of complex characters, hidden secrets, and suspenseful atmospheres.
1. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
If you enjoyed The Little Friend, then The Secret History, Donna Tartt’s first novel, is a must-read. This book follows a group of elite college students who commit a murder, exploring the intense psychological consequences of their actions. Like The Little Friend, it delves into the complexities of friendship, the lure of dark secrets, and the idea of moral decay in a seemingly perfect setting.
2. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Sharp Objects centers on journalist Camille Preaker, who returns to her hometown to investigate a murder, only to confront dark secrets from her past. Flynn’s storytelling is laced with suspense, twisted family dynamics, and eerie small-town mysteries, making it perfect for fans of The Little Friend.
3. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Another novel by Tartt, The Goldfinch, won the Pulitzer Prize and brings her characteristic depth to a story about loss, trauma, and resilience. This coming-of-age tale follows Theo Decker, a boy who survives a bombing that kills his mother, setting him on a complex path toward adulthood.
4. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle tells the eerie story of the Blackwood sisters, who live in isolation following the mysterious deaths of their family. The novel explores themes of ostracism, familial secrets, and psychological turmoil with an unsettling gothic atmosphere.
5. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Lovely Bones is a haunting story about Susie Salmon, a young girl who watches from the afterlife as her family tries to find her killer and cope with their grief. Though it deals with tragic themes, Sebold crafts a unique perspective on family and justice, making it an evocative companion to The Little Friend.
6. The Likeness by Tana French
In The Likeness, detective Cassie Maddox goes undercover to solve a murder, slipping into the identity of the victim who eerily resembles her. French’s psychological thriller offers intricate plotting, complex characters, and a chilling sense of place that will draw in those who enjoy Tartt’s atmospheric storytelling.
7. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
This Pulitzer-winning novel centers on Cal, a hermaphrodite, whose life unfolds through the immigrant journey of her Greek family in Detroit. Middlesex explores identity, family heritage, and societal norms in a way that’s both intense and thought-provoking, similar to Tartt’s immersive character exploration.
8. Beloved by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison’s Beloved is a haunting story about Sethe, a former slave, whose home is inhabited by a spirit believed to be her deceased daughter. This novel weaves together themes of trauma, maternal love, and the haunting past, making it as emotionally rich and unsettling as The Little Friend.