My October in reading

Like most people, I try to squeeze in a few horror novels for spooky szn. Read some excellent ones this year.

Why I Killed My Best Friend by Amanda Michalopolou

Not a horror novel, despite the title. On Twitter, I always see agents and editors calling for stories about fraught female friendships, or friendship breakups—I think they should check out this one. Translated from the Greek by Karen Emmerich, this novel begins when young Maria’s family moves back to Greece from Africa, and she befriends the glamorous Anna, whose family has roots in Paris and is steeped in revolutionary politics. The story follows the girls’ tumultuous friendship as they grow, and ultimately, it’s Maria who ends up the true revolutionary—or is it? I liked this one—it was funny, and I think many of us can relate to the idea of an unequal or one-sided friendship. Plus, I enjoyed learning about Greek politics.

Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour

Looking for a dreamy ghost story where the phantoms of the past mingle with tangible phantoms in the present? Look no further than Watch Over Me. This YA novel tells the story of Mila, who has recently aged out of the foster care system, as she moves to a farm in northern California to teach younger foster kids. Mila has to grapple with her own history to learn how not to be haunted. The prose in this book was quiet and lovely—a pretty ghost story indeed. More poignant than it is frightening. I adored it.

Comemadre by Roque Larraquy

Recently I bought a Coffee House Press sweatshirt that says EXPERIMENTAL BOOKS ABOUT DEATH. Coffee House published Argentinian author Roque Larraquy’s novel Comemadre, and all I can say is, yep. An accurate description. Translated from the Spanish by Heather Cleary, this novel is divided into two parts. In the first, which takes place in 1907, the overconfident Doctor Quintana and his colleagues pursue the head nurse Menéndez, even as they all join together for a series of grotesque experiments on their dying patients—what secrets will decapitated heads share in their last moments? In the second, which takes place in 2007, a performance artist is willing to disfigure himself and others in the pursuit of his vision. As you might imagine, this novel was bizarre. I’m not sure I liked it, exactly, but I can’t stop thinking about it.

Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi

Translated from the Arabic by Jonathan Wright, this novel takes place in Iraq following the American invasion in 2003; it tells the story of a creature pieced together from the body parts of bombing victims as he terrorizes Baghdad—or seeks revenge, depending on your perspective. This is a poor summary. The novel follows many different characters, including but not limited to a potentially insane widow, an up-and-coming journalist, and a talkative junk collector. (Thank goodness for the list of characters in the beginning—I referred to it many times.) The book doesn’t have the gothic moodiness of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. It’s more like if you crossed Frankenstein with Heller’s Catch-22. It wasn’t at all what I expected, and I greatly enjoyed it.

From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell

I hadn’t read a graphic novel in ages, and this one had been sitting on my shelf for way too long. It tells the story of Jack the Ripper—the royal mandate and Masonic visions of the real culprit, the myriad frustrations of those who try to catch him. And the hard lives of his victims, of course. I’ve read a few other books by Alan Moore—Watchmen and V for Vendetta, to be specific—and as usual, he does a wonderful job tying together various philosophies, historical figures, and wild speculations into a sprawling, sticky web. The stark black and white illustrations fit the sinister mood of the story perfectly. Much of the story was misogynist, but hey, so was Jack the Ripper. Not to mention Victorian England in general! This was a perfect Halloween read.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

This novel by prolific Native American author Stephen Graham Jones received a ton of hype this year—and I think people may have overhyped it. Not that I didn’t like it—I did. But my expectations were so high that I was surprised to encounter a novel that was ordinary good rather than spectacular good. It follows four different men, who, when they were boys on the reservation, slaughtered a herd of elk that they definitely weren’t supposed to kill. Years later, the spirit of one of the elk is coming for revenge. The narration switches perspectives a few times, but for me, the most compelling part was the last section, when the few characters left build a sweat lodge. That part and everything that follows is so suspenseful, claustrophobic—I kind of wish it had been the whole book? I wasn’t as drawn in by the earlier sections. That said, if you’re looking for a good horror novel to read, I suspect you’ll enjoy this one.