18. Lovecraft Country

By Matt Ruff (400 pp)(ebook)

I did not see the TV series but I might have to now. I didn't know what to expect with this book and it was a wonderful surprise. There is an overarching story but also it feels like interlinked short stories -- every character gets an adventure. I don't know how to describe the in a sentence. It's set in the 50s in Jim Crow America where the racist stuff is terrifying but also there's a secret society with creepy rituals and unsettling creatures and a foreboding air over everything. The characters are really well drawn - the way they react to what's happening and their relationships are really good. Recommend.