“There’s something disturbing about recalling a warm memory and feeling utterly cold.”
They say home is where the heart is—a place to feel safe and secure, surrounded by those who mean the most to us. But what happens when those closest to us turn out to be something much darker than we could have ever imagined? Domestic noir has emerged as one of the most successful subgenres in the world of fiction over the past decade. Through books like Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, these stories, built around the boiling pot of suspense, suspicion, and mystery that is the family abode, have made for some of the most compelling reads in the literary world. Join us at What We Reading as we lift the lid on the domestic noir genre, exploring its history, characteristics, and most notable works!
What Is The Domestic Noir?
Domestic noir is a subgenre within crime fiction. It can trace its beginnings back to the film noir era in the 1940s and 1950s golden era of Hollywood where crime dramas emphasised cynical attitudes and small-fry motivations.
The term ‘domestic noir’ was first applied in the world of books in 2013 by Julia Crouch. Crouch had previously been heralded as the ‘Queen of Domestic Noir’ by fellow crime writer Elizabeth Haynes. Defining what the domestic noir genre is, Crouch wrote on her blog:
“In a nutshell, Domestic Noir takes place primarily in homes and workplaces, concerns itself largely (but not exclusively) with the female experience, is based around relationships and takes as its base a broadly feminist view that the domestic sphere is a challenging and sometimes dangerous prospect for its inhabitants. That’s pretty much all of my work described there.”
Commentators have also used the term ‘Chick Noir’ to describe the genre, though this has significantly fallen out of fashion. Novelist Luna Lewis labelled the term ‘viewed as offensive and degrading by many…The word “chick” inevitably implies female; or a synonym for ‘not to be taken seriously.’
Examples Of Domestic Noir Books
Domestic noir books are slow-burning stories that focus on the unravelling of close-knit relationships into something alien and sinister. Themes of women’s rights and intersectionality feminism, religion, faithfulness and fidelity, loss, betrayal, and power dynamics are all commonplace in the genre.
However, as their popularity has continued to grow, fantastical and even supernatural elements have also found their way into domestic noir books. Here are some examples of the most popular reads in this subgenre:
- Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
- Why it’s domestic noir: Through flashbacks, readers are given an insight into Nick and Amy Dunne’s deteriorating marriage, leading to the latter’s disappearance.
- The Wife Between Us – Greer Hendricks And Sarah Pekkanen
- Why it’s domestic noir: Through Vanessa, readers are able to see the psychological manipulation and control exerted on women by her enigmatic ex-husband, Richard.
- Behind Closed Doors – B.A. Paris
- Why it’s domestic noir: Underneath a surface of wealth and success, Jack and Grace’s marriage is revealed to be based on deriving pleasure from control, abuse and manipulation.
- The Girl On The Train – Paula Hawkins
- Why it’s domestic noir: Rachel’s assumptions about Scott and Megan’s idyllic marriage are brought crashing down after she witnesses one shocking event during her commute.
- Just The Nicest Couple – Mary Kubica
- Why it’s domestic noir: Through Lily’s revelations to her husband Christian, the shocking secrets lurking in the shadows of the two couples’ inner social circles are brought to light.
Differences Between Domestic Noir And Psychological Thriller
There are a number of similarities used by writers in both domestic noir and psychological thriller books. Techniques such as unreliable narrators and jumps in time and perspectives help build mystery and suspense. Both subgenres place an emphasis on the minds and relationships of their characters and deal with intense and often claustrophobic settings and environments.
However, there are also a number of significant differences that keep them as separate things.
Firstly, domestic noir books almost solely focus on characters’ decisions, and their immediate relations within the confines of their own home, whilst psychological thrillers can branch into other crime subgenres such as espionage, and political or legal thrillers.
Domestic noir books are also regarded as a tension-packed gradual unravelling of a family or household and the fallout afterwards, rather than a high-stakes, thrill-a-minute rollercoaster ride like in most psychological thriller books.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
