Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Top ten literary chillers

At LitReactor Christopher Shultz tagged ten literary chillers where literary fiction and horror converge, including:
The Fever by Megan Abbott

Another rave Bookshots review from yours truly. And a fitting final entry to this list, since its horror is rooted in H.P. Lovecraft's most beloved fear—the fear of the unknown. The title refers to a strange epidemic that sweeps through a small Midwestern town, eliciting peculiar and disturbing behavior from all the female teenagers. Abbott explores this phenomena through both the youngsters and the oldsters perspectives, touching upon both the turmoil of formative and middle-aged years alike. Other themes explored: paranoia, jealousy, vindictiveness, avarice, and detachment from the self and morality—all through the lens of a pervasive, mounting sense of dread and clean, screenplay-like prose. A superb example of sophisticated horror indeed.
Read about another title on the list.

The Fever is among Anna Fitzpatrick's four top horror stories set in the real universe of girlhood.

My Book, The Movie: The Fever.

--Marshal Zeringue