Horror books have been experiencing a boom for the past several years, and Asian American horror reads are no exception.
Like all good horror, Asian American horror has a lot to say about what’s really scary in this world. Because, sure, monsters are terrifying. But so are lots of other things. And while Hollywood loves to cast people in the same kinds of roles as long as consumers are willing to pay to see them, Asian American horror reads deliver far more nuance and innovation than mainstream horror films tend to allow for Asian American characters.
As Rena Mason points out in her essay for Nightmare Magazine on Asian women in horror, “It’s time to let the women with the long wet hair in Asian cinema and their Western remakes rest. They’re tired.” In other words, it’s high time “the Asian ‘revenge wraith’ trope” was set aside to make room for other explorations of Asian and Asian American women.
The Asian American horror reads on this list will give you a taste of the creative terrors these talented writer are crafting for you. Before you peruse them, though, take a minute to give us some feedback.
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Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker
I love a good dual-timeline book, and Baker’s latest work does it in a really original way. Bringing together a contemporary Japanese American college student who has no memory of killing his roommate (whoops!) and a female samurai from the late 1800s who’s trying to figure out what’s wrong with her father, the novel is a surprise from start to finish. It’s spectacularly violent, yet written with beautiful, captivating prose. Baker’s novel is one of the most memorable works of horror I’ve read recently.
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They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran
I loved Tran’s first novel, She Is a Haunting (also YA horror), so I wasn’t surprised when I was immediately engrossed in this one. It’s set in the small town of Mercy, Louisiana, in the aftermath of a hurricane that’s left the community to deal with a deadly algae bloom. Teenager Noon is trying to survive the deadly environment when she’s forced to work with the corrupt harbormaster’s daughter to save her family. With elements of body horror and Southern Gothic, it’s a chill-inducing read.
Fiend by Alma Katsu
Maris, Dardan, and Nora are poised to take over the family business…but there’s more to it than any of them expected. Besides the fact that the Berisha family is falling apart in the most spectacular ways, the secret behind the family’s success is darker than any of them could have guessed at. This book deviates from Katsu’s usual brand of historical horror, presenting a contemporary context for the first time. That was really interesting to me, as was the fact that the family is basically a next of vipers and throwing a demon into the mix with so many unlikable characters made for a really interesting story.
Molka by Monika Kim
The fact that this book is based on an actual real-world problem makes it so much more horrific. Dahye is a woman trying to live out her dream life with her boyfriend, but everything collapses when they’re caught up in a spy cam scandal. With the narrative shifting between the increasingly unstable Dahye and the icky Junyoung (the one behind the spy cam), Kim has crafted a work of horror that’s immensely disturbing and raises important questions about consent, voyeurism, and technology.
Issues With Authority by Nadia Bulkin
This ingenious collection includes three novellas, each with a distinct feel and unique premise. It opens with with “Cop Car,” a story about a young psychic who’s being sought after by the government. (In the world of horror, you know that isn’t going to go well.) The second story is called “Your Next Best American Girl” and centers on a beauty pageant. While that may be horrific enough for some readers, the moderate body horror of the skin condition afflicting Veronica makes for an especially unsettling read. Finally, “Red Skies in the Morning” merged a pandemic situation with horror in a manner that managed to take a somewhat familiar horror trope and put a new spin on it. This book is well worth the read.
More Thrills and Chills for your Bookshelves
If you’re still seeking books that’ll bring on the goosebumps, check out the title son this list of amazing horror books that aren’t getting the attention they should. You should also peruse this list of AAPI horror authors to keep on your radar and take a peek at these queer horror books expected this summer.
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