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The Cloisters
by Katy Hays
Ann Stilwell arrives in New York expecting a standard summer internship at the Met, but she finds herself pulled into the strange, insular world of The Cloisters instead. This is a story about the intersection of historical obsession and modern ambition, centering on a collection of 15th-century tarot cards that might hold the key to predicting the future. The narrative hums with a quiet, creeping dread, making the museum itself feel like an active participant in the characters' undoing. You will spend as much time navigating the complex, shifting power dynamics between the researchers as you do unraveling the central mystery. It is a slow-burn psychological puzzle perfect for readers who enjoy academic settings that turn hostile, and who appreciate a story where the pursuit of knowledge comes with a heavy, dangerous price.
10 Books similar to 'The Cloisters'
If the intersection of prestige and peril in The Cloisters left you wanting more, these titles were curated to satisfy that specific itch for dark academia. We selected these books because they excel at building claustrophobic, intellectual environments where the characters' fixations inevitably spiral into moral compromise. Whether it is the occult influence found in Ninth House or the psychological unraveling in The Secret History, each of these stories explores how elite circles foster secrets that are best left buried. You will find the same unsettling tension here that makes high-stakes research feel truly lethal.
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by Donna Tartt
As the quintessential dark academia novel, this book shares The Cloisters' obsession with elite academic circles, moral decay, and the dangerous allure of hidden knowledge. Readers will recognize the same intense, claustrophobic atmosphere where intellectual pursuits spiral into obsession and tragedy.
by M.L. Rio
This novel mirrors the intense, competitive, and highly intellectual environment found in The Cloisters, focusing on a tight-knit group of students whose obsession with their craft leads to devastating consequences. It captures that same feeling of being an outsider looking into a world that is both beautiful and deeply sinister.
Set against the backdrop of Yale's secret societies, this book blends dark academia with occult elements, much like the tarot-obsessed world of The Cloisters. It features a protagonist navigating a prestigious, gatekept world while uncovering dangerous, supernatural secrets.
by Mona Awad
For readers who enjoyed the unsettling, surreal, and obsessive nature of the female friendships in The Cloisters, this book offers a darker, more satirical take on academic cliques. It explores the blurred lines between reality and delusion in a highly stylized, claustrophobic setting.
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This novel shares the academic rigor and historical mystery elements that drive the plot of The Cloisters, focusing on a search for truth buried deep within archives and ancient texts. It is a slow-burn, atmospheric puzzle that will appeal to anyone who loved the research-heavy, treasure-hunt vibe of Hays' work.
by R.F. Kuang
Like The Cloisters, this book centers on the power dynamics within an elite academic institution and the dangerous secrets hidden within its walls. It combines intellectual depth with a high-stakes, dark atmosphere that challenges the reader's morality.
This psychological thriller set at an elite girls' boarding school captures the same tension between past secrets and present-day obsession. Fans of The Cloisters will appreciate the focus on Latin, classical history, and the way the past refuses to stay buried.
With its highly intellectual, literary voice and its focus on a young woman navigating a strange, exclusive social circle, this book feels like a spiritual cousin to The Cloisters. It features a similar blend of academic pretension and underlying, creeping dread.
by Joan Lindsay
This classic novel is the ultimate atmospheric mystery, focusing on the disappearance of students and the haunting, inexplicable nature of their environment. It shares the same eerie, dreamlike quality and the sense that the setting itself is a character with its own dark agency.
For those who loved the book-ish, atmospheric, and slightly gothic feel of The Cloisters, this story about a hidden library and a cursed author is a perfect match. It captures the romance of research and the danger of becoming too obsessed with the objects of one's study.
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