What is Weird Girl Lit? Meet Your New Favorite Genre!

by Jean Kyoung Frazier

This novel will make you want pickle pizza. Pizza Girl is a coming-of-age story about a pregnant teen who works at a pizza shop and becomes obsessed with one of the store’s regulars. Our unnamed main character lives in the suburbs of L.A. and feels completely lost after her father’s death, refusing to process her grief. She becomes increasingly avoidant, pushing away the support of her mom and boyfriend while ignoring her future.

Her world changes when Jenny, a stay-at-home mom, walks into the pizza shop. Our main character quickly becomes enamored with her, and the highlight of her week becomes delivering Jenny’s pizzas. As their relationship begins to grow, so does our narrator’s obsession, one pickle-pizza delivery at a time.

by Carmen Maria Machado

This short story collection by powerhouse writer Carmen Maria Machado covers a variety of genres, including psychological realism, sci-fi, comedy, horror, and fantasy. With each story, Machado explores the experiences and realities of women’s lives, including the violence we experience and the ways our bodies are perceived and controlled.

Her Body and Other Parties is queer, funny, unsettling, and horrific, making it one of the most dynamic and unforgettable short story collections you’ll read.

by C.J. Skuse

by Rufi Thorpe

Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a hilarious tale about a woman who discovers she’s pregnant with her English professor’s child and suddenly has to figure out how to survive. When Margo decides to keep the baby despite everyone telling her not to, she’s forced to face the brutal reality of single motherhood. Now, with eviction approaching, Margo must come up with creative ways to make money and keep herself and her baby afloat.

At her lowest point, Margo’s estranged father, a former professional wrestler, shows up at her doorstep offering help. Inspired by her father’s gift for storytelling and the theatrical world of wrestling, Margo comes up with the perfect plan: starting an OnlyFans as an experiment and using the same storytelling techniques that made her father successful in the ring to build an audience on the platform.

by Rachel Yoder

This novel is a powerful take on womanhood, motherhood, and challenging the norms women are expected to conform to. An artist who stays home full-time with her two-year-old son finds herself struggling with loneliness, exhaustion, and the overwhelming demands of motherhood. With her husband constantly traveling for work, she’s left to handle all the challenges of raising a toddler on her own, and she’s slowly beginning to lose her mind.

Then, one night, while her child won’t fall asleep, she begins noticing strange changes in herself. Sharp canines, patches of hair, a new appetite, and instincts she can’t explain.

by Jen Beagin

Greta’s job is to transcribe therapy sessions for a sex coach who calls himself Om. In classic weird-girl-lit fashion, Greta becomes infatuated with Om’s newest client, a repressed married woman whom she secretly refers to as Big Swiss.

Then, one day, Greta recognizes Big Swiss’ voice while out in town. What begins as a weird fascination quickly turns into an unexpected relationship, entangling their lives in ways neither of them could have anticipated.

by Samantha Allen

Patricia Wants to Cuddle follows the final four contestants of a reality TV dating show as they arrive on a mysterious island to compete for the heart of a cold, sleazy bachelor. Each woman has her own reason for being on the show, whether it’s brand sponsorships, followers, or the hope of actually finding real love.

And then there’s Patricia, a moody woman misunderstood by her local community, isolated and desperate to make a connection of her own. As the contestants perform for the cameras, Patricia watches from the shadows, a queer woman observing the grand spectacle of heterosexuality unfolding before her.

But when the cast and crew finally encounter Patricia, they quickly realize that if they want to make it to the next Elimination Event, they’ll first have to survive the night.