by Ruby Wright, Literature Columnist 25/26
In films, horror can be immediate and visceral – but in a medium where jump scares are ultimately impossible, how can books horrify? Literary horror manages to both captivate and repel, using the psychological and unnerving to shape the story instead of action. I know many people who don’t watch horror because they find it too intense, yet I also find that many people don’t read horror because they find it slow-paced or banal. So, I’d like to present a short list of contemporary horror books that will truly terrify, that use nightmarish subject matter to confront the political and cultural issues of our time. In my experience, the best horror is only one or two steps away from the world we live in now.
1. Tender is the flesh by Agustina Bazerrica (Trans. Sarah Moses)
‘Since the world began, we’ve been eating each other’
In a world where animals have been wiped out by a global epidemic, mankind, rather than ceasing to consume meat entirely, has begun to systematically farm humans – not that they’re called that anymore. We follow Marcos (employee of the local processing plant), whose task it is to source live specimens (referred to as ‘heads’), whose killing and butchering we see through Marcos' eyes. He approaches his work with detachment and apathy until the day he receives a live specimen of the finest quality. Despite the drastic punishments for anyone initiating personal contact, little by little he begins to treat her like a human being.
Make no mistake, this book is wildly uncomfortable, and at times sickens with its unflinching portrayal of the factory farming process. The writing is wonderfully brutal and I seriously recommend all omnivores to read this.
2. The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim
‘I’m certain that blue eyes would taste amazing, much better than brown ones.’
Ji-won’s life explodes with her father’s departure –her mother is distraught, her grades failing and her dreams growing stranger. The arrival of George, her mother’s obnoxious new boyfriend, shifts the story from family drama to visceral psychological horror. His ogling of her teenage sister and general fetishization of Asian women triggers the beginning of Ji-won’s spiral, as her obsession and hatred for George’s brilliant blue eyeballs leak into her dreams, fuelling her rage and growing hunger. The deceptions accumulate and victims pile up, as Ji-won attempts to satiate herself.
Brilliantly inventive, Kim’s story of female revenge and the unravelling of a young woman in her 20's masterfully ties Ji-won’s struggle to navigate her culture and beliefs in the western world with some very graphic body horror.
3. The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez (Trans. Megan McDowell)
A collection of singularly unsettling stories that combine the sociopolitical and the macabre. Enríquez writes into being the unspoken – fetish, illness, the darkness of human history and the madness for obsession all come to life with urgency. A woman is sexually obsessed with the human heart, a rotting baby crawls out of a backyard and into a bedroom, a pair of teenage girls can't let go of their idol and an entire neighbourhood is cursed to death by a question of morality they fail to answer correctly. Set throughout Buenos Aires, no prior knowledge of the politics of Argentina is needed for the power of Enríquez's statements to be felt.
A fantastic book to dive into a world of the bizarre and strange, and as a collection of short stories, it's perfect for reading in short bursts throughout the month.
4. Things We Say in the Dark by Kirsty Logan
One more short story collection, with this one exploring contemporary feminist issues through its dissection of the female body, desire and violence, and domestic claustrophobia. The stories range from disturbing horror to vicious fairy tales, with couples who wrestle with a lack of connection to their children and a schoolgirl becomes obsessed with the female anatomical models in a museum. One woman alone in a remote house in Iceland is unnerved by her isolation; another can only find respite from the clinging ghost that follows her by submerging herself in an overgrown pool.
This book builds up an impressive atmosphere of dread and doesn’t shy away from looking at women’s fears and realities with a terrifying level of honesty.
5. The Bus on Thursday by Shirley Barrett
Described as ‘Bridget Jones meets the Exorcist’, this novel follows one woman’s post cancer retreat to a remote Australian town where horrors await her. This humor-horror is without a doubt the lightest on this list – an absurd and strangely hypnotic read that sometimes veers towards thriller, other times romance, and often tends to defy convention altogether. There is possession and exorcism, and of course the question of the disembodied hand scuttling about, as well as other bona fide horror elements, so I’m including it on this list with the disclaimer that this is an ultimately strange book that might not terrify as much as it entertains.
Which books do you read around halloween?
Feature Image: Epigram / Ruby Wright
