The ReadDown

Magical Realism Books You Need To Read

From memorable classics like The House of the Spirits to onscreen wonders like “The Shape of Water,” magical realism offers audiences the opportunity to look at the world from a different angle. The familiar becomes strange, and the strange in return becomes ordinary. Through study and innovation, literary greats like Margaret Atwood, Gloria Naylor, and Toni Morrison and newer visionaries like Ramona Ausubel, Lesley Nneka Arimah, and Anjali Sachdeva examine the complexities of being human by building worlds that are unexpected yet resonate deeply with readers. Through the unfamiliar, deeper truths are revealed. Magical realism — along with fabulism and speculative fiction — is a genre whose narratives foster empathy, awe, and compassion by challenging readers to view the impossible as possible. Consider this reading list an invitation to see the world through a different lens, an invitation to be transformed by the page.