Spooky Season: Books That Go Bump in the Night
Spooky season is upon us! And while the world has been a horror show of its own accord in recent years, October’s the perfect opportunity to hide under the covers with a scary story or two for distraction.
From psychological thrillers, murder mysteries, supernatural horrors and those disquieting narratives that hit a little too close to home, here are some of our top recommendations to round out a frightful month ahead.
Absorbed by Kylie Whitehead
Publisher: New Ruins
Kylie Whitehead’s debut novel is a darkly comic story of female insecurity, body horror and modern relationships. Allison has problems. Her constant fear and anxiety over her long term partner, Owen, leaving her are getting worse. She doesn’t like her job at the local council, her writing career has stalled and she is slowly losing her best friend. On New Year’s Eve, Owen and Allison have sex, and Owen disappears. Allison believes she has ‘absorbed’ him. A profoundly unsettling narrative, with enough of a side of creepiness to keep you checking under the bed, Absorbed (2021) will take you places you never wanted to go.
Reprieve by James Han Mattson
Publisher: William Morrow
A modern take on the classic haunted house/whodunnit thriller narrative, Reprieve (2021) combines the psychological tension of classic horror with social criticism to present an unsettling portrait of tangled American life. On April 27, 1997, four contestants make it to the final cell of the Quigley House, a full-contact haunted escape room in Lincoln, Nebraska, made famous for its monstrosities, booby-traps and ghoulishly costumed actors. Before they can complete the challenge, an unknown man breaks in and kills one of the contestants. As the stories of the remaining characters unfurl and collide, they’ll be forced to reckon with more than a killer: they’ll have to face each other and their horrific misdeeds.
The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi
Publisher: Knopf
A different slice of horror, if only for how close to reality this one hits. In The Water Knife (2015), Paolo Bacigalupi imagines a near future where climate change has triggered devastating droughts - horrifying in their plausibility. Fresh water supplies are now controlled by duelling business interests, with all the corporate intrigue, sabotage and brutality you might expect. When news of a new water source arises, forces mobilise to take control with deadly consequences. Described as “raw and unrelenting,” The Water Knife could be the scariest book you read this month and the wake-up call we all need.
Bunny by Mona Awad
Publisher: Viking
Bunny (2019) introduces us to Samantha Heather Mackey, a scholarship student who prefers the company of her dark imagination to people and is repelled by the rest of her fiction writing cohort, a clique of unbearable rich girls who call each other "Bunny.” When Samantha receives an invitation to the Bunnies' fabled "Smut Salon,” she finds herself inexplicably drawn to their front door. As Samantha plunges deeper into the Bunnies' sinister yet saccharine world, the edges of reality begin to blur - with monstrous consequences. Exploring female friendship, loneliness and belonging, Bunny is an exacting look at the terrible power of the imagination.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Publisher: Del Rey
Mexican Gothic (2020) is a rich, deeply atmospheric gothic horror novel that incorporates race, colonialism and eugenics. After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. Noemí may seem an unlikely rescuer with her chic gowns and red lipstick. But she’s also tough, smart and unafraid - or so she thinks. As Noemí digs deeper into High Place, she unearths stories of violence and madness. The characters, events, and dark history of her surroundings will test Noemí to the very limits of fear, and there may be no coming back from that.
The Newcomer by Laura Elizabeth Woollett
Publisher: Scribe
If you like your thrills more murder-mystery than psychotic-evil, The Newcomer (2021) is the exquisitely written latest novel from Australian favourite Laura Elizabeth Woollett. In a hotel room on a sleepy Pacific island, Judy Novak waits. And worries. It isn’t the first time her 29-year-old problem child Paulina has kept her waiting. But Judy can’t ignore the island’s jagged cliffs and towering pines, or the dread that Paulina has finally acted on her threats to take her own life. When Paulina’s body is discovered, Judy’s worst fears seem confirmed. Only, Paulina didn’t kill herself. She was murdered. Dubbed more ‘literary crime’ than mystery thriller, The Newcomer is an atmospheric story with a strong sense of place. It will not only keep you guessing to the very last pages, it’ll mesmerise you with the quality of writing.
Her Body and Other Parties by Carman Maria Machado
Publisher: Graywolf Press
The horror and violence captured in the short story collection Her Body and Other Parties (2017) is subtle yet provocatively fuelled by broader, gruesome narratives from contemporary society. Carman Maria Machado delivers startling narratives, mapping the violence visited upon women’s bodies. A wife refuses her husband's entreaties to remove the green ribbon from around her neck. A sales clerk makes a horrifying discovery within the seams of the store's prom dresses. One woman's surgery-induced weight loss results in an unwanted houseguest. Otherworldly, yet oddly of this world, darkly violent, fantastically queer, at times comic and always utterly compelling, Her Body and Other Parties is explosive in its originality.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Publisher: Penguin Classics
I couldn’t finish this list without at least one classic, and for me, that had to come from Shirley Jackson, the queen of horror, in my opinion. Whether she’s writing classic ghost stories or psychological terrors, Jackson knows how to get under our skin. The Haunting of Hill House (1959) is the story of four ghost-seekers who arrive at the notoriously creepy Hill House for an overnight stay. We’re introduced to Dr Montague, an occult scholar looking for evidence of a ‘haunting’, Theodora, the lighthearted assistant, Eleanor, a fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists, and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. As the night wears on, it quickly becomes apparent that Hill House has much darker plans for them all and one guest in particular. You’ll want to leave the bedside lamp on all night after reading.
Elaine Mead is a freelance writer and book reviewer, currently residing in nipaluna (Hobart), Tasmania. She is passionate about the ways we can use literature to learn from our experiences to become more authentic versions of ourselves and obsessed with showing you photos of her Dachshund puppy. You can find her online under www.wordswithelaine.com.
