Being a horror fan is weird sometimes. Every so often, I’ll finish a book or a movie that was well-crafted and thematically compelling, but for all that, just wasn’t scary – and there’s just no replacement for those shivers up your spine, that urge to look over your shoulder, that sinking feeling in your stomach. The books I’m going to talk about today don’t have that problem. Though they represent many different subgenres and settings, every single one of these books gave me the genuine creeps, and I mean that as the highest compliment. Let’s get started!
Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum
I’m fascinated by the thematic depths that can be found in the very best works of body horror. These stories delve into how unfair it is that our bodies and those of the people we love are fragile and finite, and into what might lead a person to embrace a metamorphosis that others perceive as “horrifying”. Naben Ruthnum’s Helpmeet unites all of these threads of body horror into a novella made of emotional dynamite. Set amidst the restrictive backdrop of the 19th century, Helpmeet is told from the perspective of Louise Wilk, a former hospital worker who caused a scandal by marrying a man of a higher social station. Since then, Louise has endured the infidelity of her husband Edward and the scorn of society at large. When her husband contracts mysterious disease that eats away at his body bit by bit, Louise becomes his primary caretaker. Louise believes she is about to watch her husband die, until she discovers that what is taking place may not be a disease at all, but rather a metamorphosis for both of them. The characterization in Helpmeet is just as masterful as the body horror, inviting the reader at every turn to sympathize with these deeply flawed characters. This is a book that stayed with me long after the final page was turned.
Continue reading “What’s Scared Me Lately?”
Mead Public Library Blog 