Three Spooky Season Reads

I know we’re long past spooky season at this point, but in my defense, I caught pneumonia. I’ve spent the past few weeks laying on my couch, pale, feverish, and coughing like some Edgar Allan Poe character. Fortunately, the antibiotics have kicked in, and I’m feeling much better.

The strange thing is, I could have sworn I read four books for spooky season this year—I just can’t remember what the other one was. Perhaps I’m losing my mind. If I think of it, I’ll write about it later.

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

We picked this one for book club, and I have to say…it wasn’t my cup of tea. The chapters alternate between Hanna, a troubled young girl who doesn’t speak, and her mother, Suzette, who suspects that Hanna has it in for her. Spoiler alert: Hanna has it in for her. It would be scarier if we didn’t have Hanna’s perspective—that way there would be some ambiguity about whether Suzette’s fear was justified or whether it was all in her head. But we know from the beginning that it’s not in her head, which removes most of the suspense. Neither character is written with great nuance, but especially not Hanna—all her chapters are in a cloying, “Mommy is a bad mommy” voice. It’s as if the author has never met an actual child. The one thing I’ll say for it is that Suzette has Crohn’s disease, and Stage does a good job of using this for body horror without being disrespectful. I can’t personally recommend this one, but its reviews would suggest that lots of people did like it, so maybe it’s just me.

Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin

I stumbled upon an old copy of this one at the Newberry Library’s gigantic used book sale this summer. Rosemary’s Baby is one of my favorite Halloween movies, so I’ve always been interested in reading the book. And let me tell you—the book is exactly like the movie. If you’ve seen the movie, you’ve read the book. Which isn’t a bad thing! It’s also a good book! It has the same drawbacks that most books from the mid-20th century have: sexism, racism. But it’s satisfyingly eerie. Are Rosemary’s elderly neighbors part of a witches’ coven who are trying to interfere with her pregnancy? Grab your own copy and find out.

Chanson Douce by Leïla Slimani

This was translated into English as The Perfect Nanny, but let’s be real: "Lullaby” is a way better title. The novel tells the story of Myriam and Paul, a young French couple who both want to work—so they hire Louise to watch their two small children. Louise is excellent at her job, and the kids love her. But as Louise and the family become increasingly intertwined, codependent, the situation careens toward disaster. Every once in a while I read a book in French to practice the language, and Chanson Douce was perfect for this purpose; because the setting is largely domestic, most of the vocabulary is like what I learned in school all those years ago. But I should issue a content warning for this book: it does contain violence against children, which can be stomach-turning. Overall, though, I enjoyed this psychological thriller.