Southern Review of Books

“Wayward” Women Struggle for Bodily Autonomy in “Women of a Promiscuous Nature”

By: Amy R. Martin March 24, 2026March 24, 2026

ReviewsDonna Everhart, Fiction, Women of a Promiscuous NatureLeave a Comment

From the American Plan in 1918 to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2026 in, well, 2026, women’s bodies and sexuality seem to be the perennial target of men in positions of authority. In Donna Everhart’s historical novel Women of a Promiscuous Nature, ordinary women in 1940s North Carolina resist their unjust incarceration at the State Industrial…

Atchafalayan Birds, Myths and Haunts in “Station of the Birds”

By: Colin Bishoff March 20, 2026March 20, 2026

ReviewsBetsy Sussler, Fiction, Spuyten Duyvil, Station of the Birds1 Comment

Betsy Sussler’s “Station of the Birds,” is a tight, thrilling novel set in the bayous, swamps, and drug dens of the Louisiana backcountry.

A Conversation on Grief, Sonnets and Ekphrasis with D.S. Waldman and Austin Araujo

By: Austin Araujo March 16, 2026March 16, 2026

InterviewsAtria, D.S. Waldman, Interview, PoetryLeave a Comment

An interview with poet D.S. Waldman on his recent collection, “Atria.”

The Best Southern Books of March 2026

By: Chelsea Risley March 13, 2026March 13, 2026

Featuresbest of the month1 Comment

The best Southern books of March 2026.

Three Trimesters Inside of a Cult Nightmare

By: Whitney Stevens March 9, 2026March 6, 2026

ReviewsAndrew Joseph White, Fiction, Saga Press, You Weren’t Meant to Be HumanLeave a Comment

A nonverbal autistic trans man. A worm-worshipping cult. An unwanted pregnancy. Andrew Joseph White’s latest horror novel is as unsettling as its opening line promises.

Fabulist and Sincere: Burnside Soleil’s “Berceuse Parish”

By: Caroline Fairey Meese March 6, 2026March 6, 2026

ReviewsBerceuse Parish, Burnside Soleil, louisiana, Poetry, Review, Texas Review PressLeave a Comment

A review of Burnside Soleil’s debut poetry collection, “Berceuse Parish.”

A New Southern Magical Realism: An Interview with Robert Gwaltney

By: Dawn Major March 3, 2026February 23, 2026

InterviewsFiction, Interview, Mercer University Press, Novel, Robert Gwaltney, Sing Down the MoonLeave a Comment

An interview with Robert Gwaltney, author of “Sing Down the Moon.”

Cozy Chaos at The Chickadee in “The Best Little Motel in Texas”

By: Jessi Rae Morton March 2, 2026February 24, 2026

ReviewsFiction, Harper Perennial, Lyla Lane, Review, The Best Little Motel in TexasLeave a Comment

In The Best Little Motel in Texas, Lyla Lane brings together the most delightful tropes from cozy mystery and romantic comedy while adding a slight twist to each.