Read Horror for Halloween - and Beyond!
Have you stopped by the store since we expanded? With Old Town Books Junior’s opening came more shelf space for adults. We added sections like Sports, Historical Fiction, and the star of the spooky season—Horror. Read on for more from bookseller Lane about how we built out the section, and some of her picks.
In creating the new section, first we had to decide, what IS
horror?
You know it when you read it, but where is the line? Is it exclusively supernatural? Grady Hendrix’s The Final Girl Support Group features very human murderers and their survivors. Is it only dark? Chuck Tingle’s Bury Your Gays is as campy and fun as it is gory.
“Disgusted. Repulsed. Afraid. A looming sense of dread. The horror shelf is a blend of all types of stories promising an emotional connection from start to finish.” - Lane
Horror is unlike most genres because it isn’t defined by what’s in the story but rather by how it makes you feel as a reader.
Disgusted. Repulsed. Afraid. A looming sense of dread. The horror shelf is a blend of all types of stories promising an emotional connection from start to finish.
It also happens to be one of the most diverse spaces in publishing, allowing authors and readers to explore and reflect on what causes fear or dread.
Horror is a haven for the queer community (who have adopted The Babadook as a gay icon) in part because it allows for the
exploration of themes such as social rejection and body dysmorphia.
Bookseller Lane contemplating her next horror read…
Cassandra Khaw’s fever-dream-style novels exemplify this. In The Salt Grows Heavy, they reimagine The Little Mermaid as a
creature with a taste for flesh seeking revenge for the way she was wronged. As she tries to escape the now-destroyed
kingdom the mermaid allies herself with a plague doctor and they are forced to go to brutal lengths to survive a cult of
undead children. The story is classic body horror full of disfigurement and dysfunction. As I read, I feared for the safety of the
main duo, but the central discomfort was larger than that. Every turn is unsettling as the novella explores our relationships
with our own bodies, how they look, and the wild things they can and cannot do.
Some of my favorite horror novels of the year have been in translation from authors outside of the US. A Sunny Place for
Shady People, Maria Enriquez delivers short stories in and about Enriquez’s home country of Argentina. Each story examines
a different aspect of culture and national identity. In “Julie,” the narrator is visited by her relatives who have emigrated to
Vermont but are now returning under questionable circumstances. As we are told the story through the perceptions of a
biased narrator, we are left to decide—are they motivated by the shame of appearing imperfect to their American neighbors,
or do they truly want to help their mysteriously afflicted daughter? This is a brilliant use of horror, using the discomfort you’ve
created to lure readers into reflection on emotional and philosophical questions extending beyond the initial paranormal
plot.
Whether you’re looking for a spooky story to kick off the Halloween season or a thought- provoking read that will force you to examine the dark cobwebbed corners of your mind, horror is the right call.
Just, maybe don’t read it too late at night? Or do… if you dare!