For years I’ve been keeping track of my reading on my Goodreads account, and decided it would be fun to come up with my favorite books from each year of the 2010s. These weren’t necessarily read in the year they were published! For some of the years, I couldn’t decide on just one book. In 2019, the only new release I read was The Reddening. Luckily, I loved it and thought it was horrifying. Although it was difficult to narrow down all the horror novels I read to this short list, I’m satisfied with what I’ve come up with. Hopefully someone finds a new book to love from this list.
2010
A couple and their friend are renovating a house in an abandoned village; meanwhile, a man is wondering what happened to his son who went missing three years earlier. I love when authors merge seemingly separate story lines together, and it’s successful here. This is both a gut-wrenching and genuinely creepy crime story; a literally chilling novel set in the Icelandic winter — a must-read for the winter months!
2011
If you’re a folk horror fan then reading The Ritual is obligatory. Don’t look too deep into reviews that may spoil what happens. This book seems to be divisive, but I loved it, especially the second half. Even if you saw the movie, the book is different enough that you won’t know what’s to happen. I loved the movie too, but what made the book awesome for me was not necessarily adapted for the film.
“The possibilities for destruction here were not so different in any other place; they just took different forms. Nor was the intent for violence any different here; that was everywhere he had ever lived. Or the self-absorption, the pathological ambition, the spite and delight in the downfall of others – all of that was back home too. It led here eventually.”
2012
The Devil in Silver was my introduction to Victor LaValle, who quickly became one of my favorite writers. I really liked the main character, Pepper, who finds himself locked up in a mental institution after getting into a fight. The horned creature terrorizing the residents of the institution is frightening, but the social commentary is what will get you thinking.
2013
Night Film (Marisha Pessl)
I remember ringing in the New Year by finishing this book. It was the end of 2016, and for the first time I managed to break 100+ books in a year. Night Film had so many factors that made it feel like it was written for me: Horror/cult films, intrigue, New York City. It was weird, unsettling and suspenseful, and thanks to the added elements like documents and diary entries, felt authentic.
2014
This is actually a kid’s book, but I found it incredibly moving and creepy. It explores the power of storytelling, survivor’s guilt, and xenophobia through a very dark fantasy about a tree that can grant your true wish. But at what cost?
“Most trees cast an air of quiet dignity over their surroundings. This one did not. Most trees invite you to climb up into their canopy. This one did not. Most trees make you want to carve your initials into the trunk. This one did not. To stand in the shadow of this tree was to feel a chill run through your whole body.”
Another kid’s book, and one that honestly surprised me. It’s dark as hell, even darker than The Night Gardener. The main character is a young boy struggling with mental illness (OCD and anxiety), and has a newborn baby brother who is sick and may not survive. It’s a version of the changeling tale: A queen wasp promises the boy she can “fix” the newborn. Terrifying. The Nest explores one’s struggle to feel normal, and why we don’t have to fix things to be perfect. I actually re-listened to it because of this post, and the story definitely held up the second time around.
Andrew Michael Hurley is an incredible writer of folk horror. The Loney brings the landscape and environment of an English coastline alive off the page, giving it as much attention and depth as if it’s a main character. As for the human characters, they are devout Catholics taking an annual pilgrimage in the hope of curing a disabled young boy. As a former Catholic now Atheist, I found the story incredibly haunting.
2015
One of the best haunted house novels I’ve ever read. The way the story unfolds is fantastic. It’s broken into five chapters, each one narrated by a different person. We begin with Nathan, a 13 year old boy going to Slade House with his mum, Rita, to attend a musical soiree. The first chapter is a dreamy, creepy and fragmented sequence of events. Each successive chapter takes place 9 years after the previous one. There’s a reason for this that you soon learn. Unique and creepy!
“Grief is an amputation, but hope is incurable hemophilia: you bleed and bleed and bleed.”
2016
It’s the 1960s and the cars are fast. The vampires are vile, violent, and of course bloody as hell… And a nun has come to kick their ass! A wholly original vampire story that had my adrenaline pumping, and introduced me to the incredible work of Christopher Buehlman. If you read this and like it, then you simply must read The Lesser Dead, as there is a connection between the two novels.
My Best Friend’s Exorcism had me at times laughing, scared, grossed out, and also… Crying?! Yes, I was completely touched by the female friendship. It’s shocking that a man was able to capture that so well. It’s a wonderfully horrific — and nostalgic — coming of age tale.
A cosmic horror about grief. Two friends, both who experienced deep loss, go on a fishing trip to a mysterious creek. I’m a sucker for books that take place “locally” (I live in NYC), and this folk horror novel tells a quite frightening story in the Catskills. The Fisherman is new weird, and seeps with dread. When people want “literary horror”, I direct them here.
2017
An exceptionally bleak and chilling novel that takes the protagonist, Paul, to a place called Dread’s Hand in Alaska, where he’s hoping to get closure. Paul’s brother has been missing, and may be among the victims of a mass murder. But Paul is not welcome in Dread’s Hand, and while searching for answers he discovers that the locals believe a devil haunts the woods. It’s truly scary, and one perfect for a cold night.
This book tapped into some personal fears of mine, and that’s why it’s one of the scariest books I’ve ever read. It’s not just the supernatural terror that I found frightening, it was that Sebastian, our protagonist, was losing control over his life. His life is infiltrated by disgusting, dark characters. I felt utterly helpless while reading because at no point was Seb safe, be it awake or asleep. What’s remarkable is that the feeling of dread and fear is sustained throughout, from beginning to end. And Thin Len, who you will meet when you read the book, will visit me in my nightmares…
“You’re never as alive as you are when you leave your body.”
2018
Yu-jin wakes up and there’s blood everywhere. He eventually finds the murdered body of his mother in the kitchen. Did he kill her? And if so, why? The Good Son is an absolute thriller. I could barely put it down. If you like dark literature, unreliable narrators, and/or screwed up families then this is for you. Disturbing read.
What if you were exorcised… but you wanted your demon back? I adored this book. Such a refreshing take on the possession trope. I love the character of Clare, and while I can’t relate to demonic possession, I can relate to coping with family trauma, loss and first love. And all the ways that people you love can disappoint you. A great horror story for adolescence.
Yep, 2018 was a big year for horror. Maybe it was just because I was paying better attention, but there seemed to be many fantastic releases. The Anomaly is a fun thriller that takes place in caves. Caves already scare me. Throw in a film crew and some crazy archaeological horror? Hell yeah! The story follows Nolan, a “rogue archaeologist” who explores myths and history that most people dismiss as nonsense. Nolan and his small crew go look for a cavern in the Grand Canyon, which only a few other people have ever claimed to find. I thought I would be able to predict what was going on, and when I thought I had something figured out, I didn’t. It’s a great blend of sci-fi and horror, with some real bonkers shit happening.
2019
The Reddening (Adam Nevill)
Oh hello, third Nevill book to be on this list! I can’t help it; Nevill once again managed to scare the shit out of me. And hello, another archaeological horror! The Reddening takes a little time – it’s worth the wait – to focus on two women, Kat and Helene, who each have their own reasons to be drawn to the Devon coast and to its newly discovered caves. It is in these caves where early humans engaged in disturbing, violent rituals. But it’s clear from the beginning of the book that such ritualized brutality was not left in the past.
The story scared me because it felt so believable, from the vivid descriptions of the coastline to the horrific acts of violence. As I turned the pages, I didn’t know what was going to happen next, and Nevill surprised me to the very end. It’s bloody, fantastic, and primal.
“From end to end, history was collected horror, preserved for the fascination of a bestial species.”
As an aside, I happened to rediscover my enjoyment of the drone metal band Sunn O))) around the time I started reading this book. They released two albums this year and both of them are fantastic accompaniment to The Reddening. Both the band and Nevill seem to tap into something beyond us, something ancient. Listening to Sunn O))) while reading heightened the feeling of dread. So I highly recommend checking out Pyroclasts and Life Metal as the soundtrack, should you choose – and I hope you do! – to read the book.
Looking back, it was a great decade for horror. It’s a genre that can be both poignant at times, and horrific at others. It explores what it means to be human, in all of its grisliness. I’m excited to see what the ’20s brings to the genre. Hopefully the writers mentioned here keep churning out the good stuff, and I look forward to disccovering new voices as well!