Horror is a literary genre designed to evoke fear, dread, and suspense through unsettling, often supernatural or grotesque elements, confronting readers with their deepest anxieties.
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The Hacienda by Isabel canas check
“But if God is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, if He is three in one in the Trinity, then God knows nothing of loneliness. God knows nothing of standing with his back to a gray morning, of dropping to his knees in the dust.”
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I love a book about houses. When the house is haunted? Huge bonus. I love a haunted house, because the house is always haunted by something more than the ghosts. It’s haunted by grief, or loneliness, or intergenerational trauma. What a perfect metaphor for our woes, the house is. This is a gothic horror set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence in the 1820s. Beatriz, our heroine, marries a hacienda owner for security after her father is found to be a traitor. The house is haunted (did you see that coming) by some dark force that Beatriz must uncover, with the help of a young priest. It blends gothic horror tropes with Mexican folklore, creating a tense, rich, atmospheric tale.
Right Shout by P. Djeli Clark
“I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures. None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives.”
There are few novellas I have ever rated five stars. It is hard to fully develop a story in such a short amount of time. This 185pg read got the whole five from me, though. Maybe you’ve caught on, but I love horror as metaphor. In this story, the monsters are two fold - there are the from another world, deformed demons with too many mouths, and then there’s the KKK. And the demon monsters take the shape of the KKK folks, because evil clings to evil. We follow a group of Black monsters hunters in the deep south trying to survive both these evils. Excellent read, and the cover? You can judge this book by it’s cover - because they’re both great.
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Grahm Jones
“We’re from where we’re from,” she says back. “Scars are part of the deal, aren’t they?”
This book was eerie from start to finish, I felt like I wanted to hide under a blanket just so I didn’t have to see what was coming next. But it always comes for us, in the end. This book delves into the lives of four Indigenous men who are haunted by a violent event from their past. A decade after they trespassed on sacred land to hunt elk, an ancient, vengeful spirit begins to hunt them down one by one. The story blends elements of supernatural horror with a deep exploration of Native American identity, tradition, and the consequences of abandoning one's cultural heritage. As the men face the relentless and terrifying force, they are forced to confront their guilt, trauma, and the ways in which their actions have severed their ties to their community and ancestry. I think horror has a unifying force between lived experiences - there is something unique that haunts us all.
My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
"But she remembers when the word 'friend' could draw blood...buzzed on the dopamine high of belonging to someone else, having a total stranger choose you, someone who wanted to know you, another person who cared you were alive."
This is an absolute romp of a horror book. My Friend’s Exorcism is dripping with 80’s pop culture references and imagery, creating a jarring but good juxtaposition from the horror elements. The story follows Abby and Gretchen as they transition from the freedom of summer to the new school year, and of course as they deal with Gretchen’s possession by some dark and creepy evil entity. The question at the end of the day is if their friendship can survive this ultimate evil, and if friendship is enough for Abby to save her bff. This book is an ode to our teenage friendships in all their intensity and I had so much fun reading it. And a plus, have you ever seen a cooler cover?
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
“No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.”
This is my absolute favorite book. Winner of the Frankie Award number one pick. A truly excellent specimen. From the first paragraph (see above) you see Jackson’s otherworldly writing, which sets me on edge in the most delicious way. The story follows Nell as she is recruited by Dr. Montague for a scientific investigation of Hill House, with a group of others who have some interest in the paranormal. Upon entering the house, Nell descends slowly into a madness whose origins you are left constantly wondering about - is it the house leading her to madness, or her own mental condition? This book is a master class in the haunted house genre, and it blew me away the first time I read it. I struggle with mental health myself, and the way Jackson threads the line between what is real and what is made up in Nell’s own mind leaves one wondering what’s real in our own lives at all. (Or at least, it did for me!)
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
“Many people live and die without ever confronting themselves in the darkness. Pray that one day, you will spin around at the water’s edge, lean over, and be able to count yourself among the lucky.”
From the author of the Frankie Award winning In the Dream House, here we have Carmen Maria Machado’s horror essay collection. Oh baby, it’s a good one. The biggest draw for me is the story The Resident, which opens so similarly to The Haunting of Hill House I thought it must be an homage. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the author had not even read The Haunting of Hill House! Serendipitous for me, such a huge fan of both authors. The essays in this book interrogate what it means to be a woman, and frankly what it means to be human. Again, I’m telling you, horror as metaphor! Essays not to miss: The Husband Stitch, Real Women Have Bodies, Mothers, and The Resident.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
“The walls speak to me. They tell me secrets. Don’t listen to them, press your hands against your ears, Noemí. There are ghosts. They’re real. You’ll see them eventually.”
There was something special about this little creature. Donna couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, but she knew with all her heart that it was true. It wasn't a matter of if she was going to try and save it, but a matter of how she was going to save it. She went back to the car to get a blanket and when she returned the creature was gone.The bush began to shake. Brad couldn't see what was causing it to shake, but he didn't care. he had a pretty good idea about what was going on and what was happening. He was so confident that he approached the bush carefree and with a smile on his face. That all changed the instant he realized what was actually behind the bush.more more moremormormoemroermeormeomomreomr
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