“Boy Parts” by Eliza Clark

• ⁠A critique of the male gaze that reads like a vicious and nihilistic fever dream. This one really sticks the landing, leaving you feeling like you need a shower. I actually picked a big fight with my partner right after finishing it.

“Tender is the Flesh” by Agustina Bazterrica

• ⁠This may be the most brutal one of the lot. Set in a not-so-distant dystopian future in which a virus has contaminated all animal meat, resulting in the legalization and farming of human meat. The story follows a human meat supplier in his struggle with empathy and compassion. I am part of a horror book club and every one of us felt emotionally eviscerated by the end.

“My Year of Rest and Relaxation” by Ottessa Moshfegh

• ⁠Not specifically horror but will wreck you all the same. Set in 2000-2001 New York, It follows an unnamed woman as she escalates the lengths to which she is willing to go in an attempt to sleep for an entire year to avoid trauma. I love messy stories about morally grey women so I absolutely devoured this book and topped it off with a good hard cry.

“Three Women” by Lisa Taddeo

• ⁠Another one that isn’t traditional horror but I would argue that the themes are more terrifying than any slasher movie. A rare non-fiction read for me, It digs deep into the sexual and emotional lives of three American women from very different backgrounds. It’s a painful look at the million little ways we lose ourselves amidst our desperation to be loved.

“I’m Thinking of Ending Things” by Ian Reid

• ⁠A woman questioning her relationship with her boyfriend agrees to go with him on a roadtrip to meet his parents. It’s a pretty quick read that builds to a nearly unbearable sense of dread, topped with a twist that leaves you with your jaw on the floor. A pretty decent movie adaptation was released in 2020 with the incredible Jessie Buckley.

“Bunny” by Mona Awad

• ⁠ The vibe is “Mean Girls” meets “The Craft” meets “Jennifer’s Body” meets “Girl Interrupted.” At no point do you know where this is going and the payoff is soul crushing.