Wasteland Girls

Wasteland Girls by Anna Bailey is a soulful, award-winning short story collection that brings the American heartlands to vivid, unsettling life, written with the steady confidence of a novelist who knows exactly how to land an ending. These are literary fiction stories with a sharp rural noir edge—atmospheric, humane, and often quietly ferocious.

Across remote towns, frozen coastlines and wide-open roads, Bailey follows people living on the margins: a Texan man crossing a divided US to see his dying brother; a family of hoarders where magic and revenge simmer under the clutter; a woman stranded in a Yukon cabin beside her husband’s body; a stranger returning after twenty years with a life that won’t explain itself.

Perfect for readers who love character-driven fiction, big landscape settings, and emotionally resonant writing in compact form—especially fans of Chris Whitaker, Annie Proulx, or Emma Cline.

Step into these wild, luminous worlds and find your next unforgettable read.