My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones is one of my favorite books of 2021. If you don’t know the magnificent SGJ, go ahead and pull up his author page on Goodreads. He’s written a ton of stuff, including the award-winning book The Only Good Indians last year. But, in my opinion, My Heart is a Chainsaw takes the cake. The main character, Jade Daniels, is a half-Indian half-white teenager living in Idaho. She is full of angst, anger, and knowledge of classic slasher films. Bored with the monotony of her life, she wishes that a slasher would descend upon her gentrifying lake town. And of course, she gets her wish. This is a cancel-all-plans-and-read type of book, especially for lovers of literary fiction and slashers. If you’ve already read My Heart is a Chainsaw and loved it as much as I do, try some of these other newer horror titles.
The Final Girls Support Group
by Grady Hendrix (2021)
Goodreads link to The Final Girls Support Group
There’s an obvious parallel between the love letter to the slasher genre in My Heart is a Chainsaw and Grady Hendrix’s first non-supernatural thriller The Final Girls Support Group (and also, Survive the Night by Riley Sager, but… let’s not go there). The Final Girls Support Group might not have vampires or exorcisms, but that’s not to say it doesn’t pay great homage to some of the more classic slasher films. Lynette Tarkington is seeking treatment for PTSD with five other women who all have experienced the trauma of being a “final girl.” But when one of the women doesn’t show up for therapy, Lynnette becomes convinced that a killer is coming to take them out, one by one. Both novels deal with traumatic effects on the lead women ,trauma that audiences may not think about while watching their favorite slashers.
The Queen of the Cicadas / La Reina de Las Chicharras
by V. Castro (2021)
Goodreads link to The Queen of the Cicadas
Belinda Alvarez heads to Texas for the wedding of her friend Veronica on a farm known for an urban legend: La Reina de Las Chicharras. Belinda and Hector, the owner of the farmhouse get more than they bargained for when they find out that an urban legend on the land is more than just a legend… and they’re part of it. Author V. Castro uses Mexican folklore and real life horrors (like the unjust working conditions of Mexican migrants) to weave a narrative together combining past and present. Both Belinda from The Queen of the Cicadas and Jade from My Heart is a Chainsaw are strong, complex main characters who feel drawn to exploring the unknown. Plus, the setting in both novels is almost a character in and of itself.
Clown in a Cornfield
by Adam Cesare (2020)
Goodreads link to Clown in a Cornfield
Oh man, I had so much fun with this book! I didn’t even realize until I was shelving it the other day that it was actually marketed as a teen novel, which I don’t normally read (but if I was a teen reading this book, I would’ve had nightmares!). Adam Cesare’s Clown in a Cornfield is a bloody, action-packed novel that wastes no time introducing us to Quinn Maybrook, the new girl in Kettle Springs, Missouri. As Quinn makes friends with the other kids at school, she learns about the town’s history, cornfield drinking parties, and the Founder’s Day celebration in the town. Kettle Springs is one of the more vivid settings I’ve read in a while: a creepy rural community with a newly-shuttered corn syrup factory and a clown as a mascot. This is undoubtably the kind of slasher Jade from Chainsaw was imagining coming to her town. Clown in a Cornfield is definitely the equivalent of a classic slasher movie from the 1980’s, specifically it gave me Halloween III: Season of the Witch vibes. But gory. Super gory.
The Book of Accidents
by Chuck Wendig (2021)
Goodreads link for The Book of Accidents
The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig is an eerie read. Nate moves back to his childhood home because his estranged father is dying (he hates him though). Nate’s son Oliver is having a lot of trouble at school, most likely due to being a highly sensitive person or empath. His wife Maddie is an artist who begins to let her surroundings affect her artwork. This is a really long book and full disclosure- I didn’t get super into it until about a third of the way through. I recommended for those who want to get lost in a Stephen King-esque book. Also, Stephen Graham Jones recommended this book on Goodreads. The Book of Accidents is about intergenerational trauma and family, much like elements in My Heart is a Chainsaw.
As always, please consider buying books from local booksellers. If they don’t have something in stock, they may be able to order it for you! Here are my favorite places to buy books online, shipping to most places in a US.
Semicolon Bookstore and Gallery
Elizabeth’s Bookshop and Writing Centre
Better World Books (used books)
What horror books have you read recently?
Chloe's Not Scared 
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