10 books like ‘The White Lotus’ that will hold you over until season 4

The White Lotus has been captivating audiences for years now. The darkly glamorous HBO series has a winning combination of great satire, intriguing mystery, and excellent casting, so its popularity is no surprise. Also not surprising is the desire of fans to have something to replace the big, high-end hotel-chain-shaped hole in their lives now that season 3 is over.

If you’re looking for a book that will help you recapture the tension you felt while watching Walton Goggins and Aubrey Plaza over the past few years, then you’re in the right place. Read on to see 10 books like The White Lotus that will hold you over until season 4!

Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum

This debut novel caused a storm when it was released a couple of years ago, and its biting satire and great plotting are highly reminiscent of The White Lotus. Rosenblum writes skillfully about the intricacies of class and power while maintaining a propulsive plot that’s full of intrigue. The title of the book says it all, really, with Bad Summer People following a group of wealthy revelers who have travelled to an ultra-exclusive retreat on Fire Island. What begins as an idyllic retreat is shattered after a murder takes place, and a number of deep, longstanding feuds are revealed in the aftermath. This one’s a real page turner.

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

Rebecca may very well be the best psychological thriller ever written. The famous book has never gone out of print and for good reason: it remains a tremendous read, and continues to inspire to this day. Much like The White Lotus, Rebecca explores class and wealth and has a dose of darkness and murder. The book begins in earnest in the millionaire’s play area of Monte Carlo, where our unnamed narrator meets the distinguished Maxim de Winter. What follows is a masterpiece in fiction, with the ghost of Maxim’s former wife (and namesake of the book) seeming to haunt our narrator’s every moment. It’s hard to express how addictive this book is, and it has to be read to be fully appreciated.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Lucy Foley has been making a name for herself in the crime and mystery genre, and this wonderful 2020 novel adds to her growing reputation. The story takes place on an island off the coast of Ireland, where guests have been invited to the wedding of magazine editor Jules Keegan and reality television host Will Slater. The intrigue begins when a body is discovered after a power outage caused by a storm. The Guest List covers similar themes to The White Lotus and is also a fun puzzle to be solved, much like the HBO show. Foley is also a great writer, and you will undoubtedly zoom through this book.

Swimming Home by Deborah Levy

Dealing with dark themes of mental illness, the negative impact of fame, and infidelity, it’s no surprise that Swimming Home by Deborah Levy comes to mind when thinking about books like The White Lotus. The British author has a gift for the weird and the macabre, as shown by her pulsating Booker-nominated Hot Milk, but it’s Swimming Home that will really scratch that White Lotus itch. The story follows the poet Joe Jacobs as his family holiday is interrupted by a crazed, obsessed fan. Despite his obvious discomfort, Joe’s wife Isabel invites her to stay, and soon the holiday turns from tranquil to terrifying, although not for the reasons readers might initially think.

Sedona by Kerry Fryar Freeman

One of the reasons The White Lotus is so successful is because of its brilliant satirizing of the wealthy, hammering home the message that more often than not the rich and successful are beneficiaries of luck rather than intelligence or skill. Sedona leans into this theme, telling the story of the eponymous town, which is home to cult-like groups and all the associated grifters, making money to burned-out professionals desperate for some sort of meaning. Our narrator is one such person, driven by a desire to help out her sick grandmother. All seems to be going well when she first moves to the town, but as she scratches the surface of Sedona, things get weird. This is a compulsive and entertaining read that’s a great blend of mystery and satire, just like Mike White’s beloved HBO series.

The Beach by Alex Garland

This 1996 novel was a hit when it was released, but became a global sensation after a movie of the same name was released starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The story follows Richard, a young English backpacker who is given a map to an idyllic hidden beach on a remote island by a fellow Brit who doesn’t seem to be all there. When the map giver later commits suicide, Richard is driven to follow the trail, where he and his companions finds a secret community living in paradise. However, as he spends more time with the group, Richard realizes that the beach isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. If you’re missing the contrast of idyllic settings and cold-blooded murder The White Lotus brings, then this is the book for you.

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith is the queen of the psychological thriller, and Ripley is her finest creation. The first in the ultra-famous series of books follows Tom Ripley, a young American who makes a meagre living by scamming others. However, all that changes when he is cornered by the father of his former college acquaintance Dickie Greenleaf, and given cash to go to Italy to bring Dickie back from Europe. Despite barely knowing him, Ripley goes and enmeshes himself with Dickie, all the more growing more obsessive over the younger Greenleaf. As Tom’s mental state devolves and the money runs out, things take a dark turn. Highsmith’s characters share the same intriguing nature as those in The White Lotus, and like the HBO show, the juxtaposition of luxury and the darkness of humanity is a driving force in this iconic story.

Hotel World by Ali Smith

Fancy hotels, unique characters with shady backstories, and a dead body…no, we’re not talking about The White Lotus, but Hotel World by Scottish author Ali Smith. Smith’s masterful novel follows five women whose lives intersect in surprising ways, similar to the anthology structure of The White Lotus. Also like the show, the obvious thing that links them all is their connection to a hotel (in this case, the fictionalized Global Hotel), but in reality there are many more strings tying them together. This is a great piece of fiction that is as readable as The White Lotus is bingeable.

The Secret History by Donna Tart

This choice might seem a bit rogue, but hear us out. Although it is set at a university (and is widely considered to be the progenetor of the “dark academia” subgenre), The Secret History is actually incredibly similar to The White Lotus, not just in terms of its dark vibe, but also because of the themes it tackles. Narrator Richard finds himself entangled with a group of brilliant classics students, all under the tutelage of the mysterious genius academic Julian Morrow. At first, Richard is thrilled to be in with this clique, but he soon realizes these well-heeled, highly educated students are harboring some dark urges, and even darker secrets. A deliciously dark mystery, and rightfully considered a modern classic.

Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

It doesn’t take a genius to link the work of F. Scott Fitzgerald to The White Lotus. The writer famously satirized the wealthy of the Gilded Age through works like The Great Gatsby, but it’s his fourth and final novel, set in the French Riviera during the Jazz Age, that really chimes with the HBO series. The story follows the seemingly perfect life of Dick and Nicole Diver, a married couple who are spending the summer in the South of France with a group of like-minded wealthy American expats. However, when the youthful aspiring actress Rosemary comes into the picture, the dark underbelly of their marriage is revealed, and what follows is a web of deceit and backstabbing, all expertly rendered by Fitzgerald’s genius. Tender is the Night is a genuine masterpiece that touches on the same themes as The White Lotus and has a similar setting and cast of characters.

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