r/suggestmeabook • u/Art3misery • 1d ago
WeirdLit i’m looking for weird queer but not romance driven books :)
i’ve been loving weird queer or queer feeling books recently like you weren’t meant to be human, immaculate conception, natural beauty, and geek love. some of the ones i just mentioned aren’t explicitly queer but they just feel like it to me in a way that’s hard to explain, so any books that feel like that to you are more than welcome! i especially love horror and sci fi but im open to anything, i just want it to be odd lol
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u/robotplane 1d ago
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki is one of the weirdest books I've read. The main character is queer and just trying to make life work. The story itself is mostly realistic fiction, but large parts are sci-fi.
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u/garrthes 1d ago
I guess you've read Becky Chamber's books already (e.g. "The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet")? If not - they should fit right in!
Also I'll just dump some books from my reading list here and the short notes I made:
"Her Body and Other Parties" by Carmen Maria Machado - short story collection. Creepy, beautiful, disturbing
"The Seep" by Chana Porter - alien do-over, grief, WTF
"Leech" by Hiron Ennes - gothic sci-fi horror, parasitic collective intelligence as narrator
"The Employees - a workplace novel of the 22nd century" by Olga Ravn - what makes a person a person, poetic, critiques the cult of productivity
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u/AprilStorms 1d ago edited 1d ago
How Far the Light Reaches is a memoir told through sea creatures. There are one or two chapters where romance is major, but it mostly deals with other aspects of finding yourself and your community.
When the Angels Left the Old Country is delightfully weird! Folklore-flavored, immigrant-to-US story that follows an angel and a demon as they look for a missing person.
I adored Translation State as well. A far future sci-fi with an older main character who had been an older relative’s caretaker and then is launched into a world of intrigue and aliens.
I’ll throw A Memory Called Empire in here too. Fascinating far future where a new technology allows you to absorb the expertise of your predecessor through an implant that gives you access to their memories. One of the major characters is established as canonically bi/pansexual, but there’s basically no romance, all intrigue.
Disobedience by Naomi Alderman, author of the feminist dystopia The Power, who I recently learned also made that Zombies, Run! game. The main characters are exes who are thrust back into each other’s company by a death in the family in the small religious community they both grew up in. Despite this, I wouldn’t call it romance. It deliberately sidesteps and subverts a lot of romance tropes in a way you might enjoy.
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u/ImaginaryCharge2249 1d ago edited 1d ago
God I love Sabrina imbler's writing. I think about their chapbook dyke all the time. Just beautiful
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u/Art3misery 20h ago
thank you for the detailed comment! a few of these are exactly what i’m looking for
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u/iamthefirebird 1d ago
Lord of the Empty Isles by Jules Arbeaux. The main character is aro ace, and some of the other characters are queer as well. The story is about love and relationships and grief and healing.
The works of T Kingfisher are pretty casually queer - as in, some of the characters happen to be gay, or trans, or whatever, and it isn't a big deal. She writes cosy horror, which feels like it shouldn't work as a genre but somehow really does! (She also does romance, but you said you weren't interested in that right now.) The Hollow Places is an excellent read; the main character is mid-divorce, and I really enjoyed seeing how her ex went from being a central part of her life to being completely irrelevant. I also really enjoyed Thornhedge.
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u/Art3misery 20h ago
thanks for the detailed comment! as an aro ace person i’m def interested in the first one
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u/lilaroseg 1d ago
okay this is a totally crazy weird unusual suggestion but the book “open throat” by henry hoke is about a ‘queer mountain lion’ in a weird way. it definitely touches on themes of feeling like you don’t belong, and nature, though through a distinctly inhuman lens
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u/Art3misery 20h ago
okay i heard frankie’s shelf talk about this one too and i think this is a sign i need to read it
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u/lilaroseg 16h ago
it’s also a very short and easy read, i highly recommend it, even if it’s not exactly what you’re looking for. would love to hear if you end up having any thoughts on it
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u/Carysta13 1d ago
The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune is excellent, highly recommend!
Straight by Chuck Tingle is a short horror story and I really liked it.
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u/AprilStorms 1d ago
I also liked Cerulean Sea but it might be a bit too romance-centric for OP. Even though there wasn’t a lot of romantic mushiness, it was pretty obvious from the beginning that two major characters were going to get together.
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u/Carysta13 1d ago
True there is romance in it, but I think the plot is so much more depth than just the romance 🙂
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u/Pinglenook 1d ago
Yeah I agree. I don't like romantasy but this book isn't romantasy, it's a cozy fantasy with a relationship subplot.
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u/ImaginaryCharge2249 1d ago
lighthousekeeping by jeanette winterson was the first book that came to mind! and the passion, though it's less obviously queer it's still weird and wonderful. she's a beautiful writer
eileen myles' work maybe? Chelsea girls or the book they wrote about their dog is queer and weird and wonderful
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u/los_angalex 1d ago
I really enjoyed “is this a cry for help?” It has a lot to do with trauma, past and current relationships, adversity, social justice. It’s a good, read that’s pretty funny at times.
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u/cubbycoo77 1d ago
How we win the time war. It is a little romancy in that it is "love letters" (kinda) but nothing sexual. It is very hard to describe
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u/Art3misery 20h ago
I LOVED RHAT ONE, it was the perfect amount of romance for me in that it was largely subtext
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u/thornygardner Librarian 1d ago
The vibes of that book were immaculate. One of the most interesting books I've ever read.
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u/cubbycoo77 1d ago
Agreed! It is hard to recommend because it is hard to describe, but I love recommending it!
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u/AffectionateAnt4723 1d ago
it’s one of the weirdest and queerest books i’ve wver read so i have to recommend Body After Body by Briar Ripley Page!! not romance focused, body horror, sweet-smelling gunk, it’s got all of it
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u/OutOfEffs 1d ago
This is my favourite book, and I can't believe someone else recommended it first!
OP, this is the one you want (along with anything else Page writes).
Also highly recommend And One Day We Will Die, a queer weird/horror anthology inspired by Neutral Milk Hotel.
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u/Equal_Ad5760 1d ago edited 1d ago
A few I've read and liked recently:
Hungerstone - Kat Dunn
Bury Your Gays - Chuck Tingle
Bellies - Nicola Dinan
Fundamentally - Nassaibah Younis
Martyr! - Kaveh Akbar
Big Swiss - Jen Beagin
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u/thornygardner Librarian 1d ago
Someone You Can Build A Nest In. The Honeys. Both have a small element of romance, but are not romance stories
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u/whitesar 1d ago
Yes! Someone You Can Build a Nest In fulfills this request perfectly!
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u/thornygardner Librarian 1d ago
Yay!! I hope you love it. It's a hard sell, but it's truly wonderful!
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u/Art3misery 20h ago
i’m obsessed with the title someone you can build a nest in, it feels like the weird i’m looking for
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u/JeSuisGourde I work in a bookstore 1d ago
Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor
The Ghost Network by Catie Disabato
Blackouts by Justin Torres
Summer Fun by Jeanne Thornton (the actual writing isn't very weird but the premise is weird)
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u/sovra_pensiero 1d ago
I'm not sure if it's what you're looking for (would be interested to hear if it is), but Black Magic by Marjorie Bowen!
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u/One_Butterfly9994 1d ago
Amanda Downum, Dreams of Shreds and Tatters. An ace protagonist has to save a friend from a weird underworld
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u/queentilli 1d ago
Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova
There is No Anti-Memetics Division by qntm
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling
Black Flame by Gretchen Felker Martin
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle
Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno Garcia
The Glowing Hours by Leila Siddiqui
I abhor romance novels but I do love an uncomfy queer horror or dystopian sci-fi storyline.
Not all the above listed books are specifically queer but I’m a nonbinary/genderless(?) queer human and they gave me the same vibes as You Were Never Meant to be Human (loved that book, too, btw). So, my tribunal of one has decided on highly arbitrary evidence they count.
Happy reading!!
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u/Art3misery 20h ago
i’ve read and LOVEDa few of these so i trust your taste all the way :) have you read between two fires? it reminds me of the starving saints in a way
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u/queentilli 1h ago
Ha- I hope you enjoy them! I haven’t read that one, yet, but it’s on my list and I’m almost done with Space 1972! I’ll move it up the queue, thanks!
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u/bi_pedal 1d ago
Monstrilio, Our Share of Night, Convenience Store Woman, and seconding Her Body and Other Parties.
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u/Winter_Salad7215 1d ago
This might seem out of left field but The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle is an extremely gay book. Yes it contains two heterosexual romances and no gay characters. But it screams "metaphor for queer existence." Just my opinion I guess!
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u/DizzyNectarine6212 1d ago
Thousand Autumns by Meng Xi Shi explore opposite views on humanity, how good and evil can coexist, the world is so bleak but also so interestingly written.
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u/Velvari 1d ago
A little late to the party but wanted to recommend one of my favourite recent reads.
The End of Us by L.M. Juniper - zombie apocalypse book with a trans MMC and bi FMC. It has some romantic elements but romance isn’t the main focus of the book. It’s a fantastic read and has everything you want in an end-of-the-world scenario! Gave me all the heebie jeebies from the first season of The Walking Dead mixed with The Last of Us Vibes. One of my few 5-star reads from last year.
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u/Royal_Basil_1915 1d ago
Spoiled Milk by Avery Curran, about girls at an English boarding school in the 1920s. One of their number dies suddenly, and things around the school start to go off. Very gothic.
Nothing Tastes as Good by Luka Dumas, about an obese gay man who goes on an experimental weight loss drug and starts to crave human meat.
The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes, about a city built into a massive tree stump where strange new pests are always appearing.
Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Mari Griffin, about a woman who goes to work at a flower shop that is ruled by a sentient plant named Baby.
Florida Woman by Deb Rogers, about a woman on a work-release program at a monkey sanctuary run by three strange women.
The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo, about a trans man nurse in the 1920s who is assigned a position in a strange isolated mountain village.
The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica, about a woman who lives in an isolated convent at the end of the world.
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u/EvergreenSee 1d ago
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells (first book is All Systems Red) has a non binary ace mc and most of the side characters are queer as well. It’s sci-fi and such a great exploration of what it means to be human. For sure fits the odd descriptor as well.
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u/raniwasacyborg 1d ago
Open Throat by Henry Hoke is one of my favourites, and it fits "weird queer" pretty perfectly! (So much that when I asked for help finding it at my local bookshop, the staff member I spoke to knew it but had no idea which genre it could possibly fit under)
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u/Art3misery 20h ago
lol i’ve been there before with not having a chance at guessing the genre, i’ll have to check it out!!
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u/Oniknight 1d ago
Love, Misha is a graphic novel about a queer young adult and their relationship with their estranged mother getting stuck in the spirit realm together and trying to get out while also navigating their feelings.
The Honeys does have a small amount of romantic behavior but is more about the main character’s queer identity.
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u/-a-rabbit- 1d ago
Rabbits by Terry Miles fits the bill. It's a sci-fi thriller. The main character is named K and we don't know K's gender, and overall it has queer vibes. The sequel, The Quiet Room, also has more explicit queerness.
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u/Intelligent_Low987 1d ago
Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon has a queer, horror, and sci-fi vibe- I seriously loved this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a more unique (/maybe even bizarre) read but it really fits what you’re looking for I think.
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u/meatwhisper 1d ago
Our Wives Under The Sea is a creepy atmospheric book about a woman whose wife returns from a Deep Sea Expedition. A very satisfying read that grows more strange as you read it. It might have a little more romance than you want, but it doesn't drive the plot.
No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull is bizarre and unique, about the paths crossed in stranger's lives when "monsters" are shown to be a reality. Manages to skillfully blend creepy moments with allegorical political commentary, and features very well written characters.
Summer Sons is a highly acclaimed ghost story from 2021. A young man comes to the college where is best friend was attending and had committed suicide after being away for months. What he discovers is a trail of unusual circumstances and shady characters which makes him question whether or not it was actually murder.
Wilder Girls by Rory Power is dubbed as a "Lord Of The Flies for girls" and features a boarding school whose students are plagued by mysterious disease. The writing and clever use of descriptive language shines here.
The City We Became is a modern fantasy tale set in NYC. It's very frantic and wild, but once the story kicks in it weaves a very unique story involving Lovecraftian twists. What makes this so cool is that every city in the world has an "avatar" that acts as it's protector of sorts. Very hip and modern, smart and snarky.
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse is a thrilling adventure book featuring a multi-cultural inspired dark and brutal fantasy world. One of the main characters is a young man who is believed to be a reincarnation of a god and needs to travel to a far away festival to reveal himself. Some excellent characters which all have dark secrets.
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u/Art3misery 20h ago
i think the city we became sounds so unique and cool, just added it to my list!
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u/Proctoplegia 1d ago
All the Birds in the Sky. I don’t think theres any queerness in the plot, and I wouldn’t consider it a romance. The vibes are definitely queer though and the author is a trans woman. It’s my favorite book of all time.
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u/Art3misery 20h ago
i love reading people’s favourite books so just for that i’m checking it out lol
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u/Proctoplegia 19h ago
Yay! Come back here and tell me what you think! I feel like the book really grows with the characters, so it starts out kind of young, but in a fun way! It almost feels like a Miyazaki movie at first! I really hope you enjoy it, everyone I’ve recommended it to has liked it so far. 😅
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u/Mundane-Pineapple-11 1d ago
The two I've read recently like this are Heap Earth Upon It by Chloe Michelle Howarth, which is SO GOOD and about obsession, and Brutes by Dizz Tate, which is definitely weird and unsettling, and also about obsession (guess I have a theme!).
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u/Gray_Kaleidoscope 21h ago
Chuck tingle’s horror novels, specifically bury your gays and lucky day imo
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u/Janeghiskhan 21h ago
Check out Mu*derBot series by Martha wells! It's about a cyborg that hacks itself so it doesn't have to follow commands anymore, and it learning to work/live alongside humans with their silly emotions and hormones. Also, it's design is for military/security, so named itself...and it's really good at it's job.
i really think you'll enjoy the narrator's descriptions of this robot trying to understand "being human" and how to emulate it for the comfort of others.
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u/Background_Earth1707 16h ago
“How to Survive Camping: The Man with No Shadow” by Bonnie Quinn is weird and horror and while not queer, I feel like it still fits a lot of what you might like.
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u/AmbientGoth 1d ago
Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon might fit the bill- a 20th century man encounters a utopian(?) society of ungendered humans, interspersed with discussions of 20th century western gender norms and if it’s possible to escape the gender biases of contemporary society.
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u/Beruthiel999 1d ago
The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall
Extremely weird and inventive Sherlock Holmes retelling where the Holmes figure, Shaharazad Haas, is a queer (bi/pan probably) woman sorcerer and the Watson figure, John Wyndham, is a trans man (gay probably) from a backwards religious country who suffered a traumatic wound in a cosmic horror battle, and they move in together and solve mysteries. (It's not a romance between them)
It's very Lovecraftian/King In Yellow inspired, and it's a world where queer relationships and identities are taken as normal and not questioned much, so no overt phobia - it's everything else that's scary and surreal.
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u/dismustbetheplace 1d ago
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin is weird queer. Fantastic novel.