I’m not a big horror reader, although I’ve been reading more of it since realizing just how much the horror umbrella encompasses. I’m still not super into classic monster books, though. Zombies don’t do it for me most of the time. Neither do vampires. But I love books that explore monstrosity. This is currently one of my favorite subgenres, though I’m not exactly sure what to call it. I’m talking about books that play with what it means to be a monster. Books starring characters that are both monster and not-monster. Books that delve into who we label monster, and why someone might choose to become one. Can a monster be a mother? A girl? Is grief a monster? Are monsters unforgivable? Misunderstood? These questions are so juicy. I could read about them forever.
These eight books are not your typical monster stories. Some of them don’t even feature “monsters” at all — they’re about emotional monsters, the monsters we make of memory, humans doing monstrous things. Many of them focus on transformation — a mother turns into a dog, a girl turns into a mermaid, a scientist tries to become part of a wolf pack. They’ve all changed the way I think about what it means to be a monster — often with a dose of creepiness along the way.
Chlorine by Jade SongThis eerie and beautiful book is all about girlhood and the many violences girls suffer under patriarchy. It’s about a competitive swimmer who knows she is a mermaid — so she turns herself into one. There’s a heavy dose of body horror in this, and it deals with sexual assault, but it’s a wonderfully layered story, and Song balances an exploration of intense themes with vivid characterization and gorgeous descriptions of water. This book will definitely have you thinking about queerness, monsters, bodies, and desire in new ways. |
Nightbitch by Rachel YoderThere is nothing I love more than a messy, in-your-face, not-at-all-neat, extremely brash book about motherhood. At its most basic, this is about a mother who turns into a dog. She has a young son, and her husband is often away for work. She’s extremely lonely and stifled. And that’s when strange things — dog-like things — start happening. I don’t think I’ve ever read a motherhood book that’s so darkly creative and so deeply physical. This is a brilliant, unsettling work. |
Sorrowland by Rivers SolomonThis impossible-to-classify novel, a blend of sci-fi, horror, fantasy, and speculative fiction, turns the whole concept of “monster” on its head. It’s about Vern, a 15-year-old girl who escapes a religious compound, gives birth to twins, and then tries to survive on her own with her children in the woods — all while something strange and monstrous grows inside her and around her. It’s a haunting story about racism, violence, motherhood, queer love, and what it means to claim — or unclaim — monstrosity. |
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