If you were captivated by Dorothy’s isolated suburban existence and the intense focus on the close-knit, almost surreal domestic life in Mrs. Caliban, you’ll find Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle equally mesmerizing. The story’s tight lens on Merricat and Constance’s secluded world, punctuated by unsettling intrusions, evokes a similar blend of intimacy and strangeness.

If you were drawn to the unconventional romance between Dorothy and the mysterious sea creature Larry in Mrs. Caliban, you’ll be entranced by The Pisces. Broder’s novel explores another surreal, boundary-pushing love affair—this time between Lucy and a seductive merman—balancing fantasy and the raw, emotional undertow of human longing.

If you appreciated how the extraordinary quietly intrudes upon the ordinary in Mrs. Caliban, you’ll love Lanny. Porter’s novel gently infuses rural English life with folklore and otherworldliness, as the enigmatic figure Dead Papa Toothwort observes and influences the villagers, echoing the surreal yet grounded tone of Ingalls’ work.

If you found yourself immersed in Dorothy’s inner life and her sense of estrangement from those around her in Mrs. Caliban, The Vegetarian offers an equally intense psychological journey. Through Yeong-hye’s radical transformation and the ripple effects on her family, Han Kang crafts a haunting portrait of alienation, desire, and taboo.

If you delighted in the offbeat, darkly comic tone and surreal elements of Mrs. Caliban, The Hearing Trumpet is a perfect next read. Carrington’s elderly heroine, Marian Leatherby, tumbles into a bizarre adventure at a home for old ladies, where reality warps and wit abounds—a whimsical, subversive exploration of womanhood and the absurd.