This Is My Genre (Horror!)
I saw Joel post his answers to these questions and thought it looked like fun! I'll always seize the chance to talk about my favorite genre, especially because I feel that it's misunderstood in a lot of ways.
What is your favorite genre?
Horror, of course! If you're a regular reader of my blog, this probably comes as no surprise. These questions are centered around books, and I almost exclusively read within the horror genre, aside from essay collections, classic literature, and some fantasy.
Who is your favorite author in this genre?
The age-old question! It's always hard to pick just one. When I was a teenager, I was very into books by Clive Barker and Caitlín R. Kiernan. I still love both of them, and there are still books by them that I have yet to read. My current favorite, though, is T. Kingfisher. Over the past couple of years, I've fallen in love with her books and the worlds she's created.
What is it about the genre that keeps pulling you back?
I've always felt that the best horror is an exploration of something else, not just horror for horror's sake. Supernatural horror often deals with themes like grief and loss, body horror examines societal beauty expectations, etc. It's actually comforting to read about characters who are dealing with recognizable inner turmoil and to witness them being both vulnerable and strong.
That being said, I also just love the vibes. As somewhat of a goth, I've always been drawn to the aesthetics of horror. Give me a spooky haunted house or a liminal foggy town any day of the week.
Horror isn't all hacking and slashing and blood 'n' guts (although that can be fun too!). Some really great stories are told through the genre, and it allows room for the imagination to run wild.
What is the book that started your love of this genre?
If you want to go way back, you could say the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine. But really, the book that opened up the genre to me and made me fall in love with it was Behind the Attic Wall by Sylvia Cassedy. It was the first truly eerie book I ever read, and I remember desperately wanting more like it after I'd finished it. I began to consciously seek out ghost stories and horror books after that.
If you had to recommend at least one book from your favorite genre to a non-reader/someone looking to start reading that genre, what book would you choose and why?
I think I'd recommend I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir. I read this one recently, and it's a subtle sort of horror that keeps you in its grip, turning the pages to see what happens next. It's part ghost story and part detective novel, and the way it unravels is masterful. The horror elements are not overdone but are implemented really well, at just the right moments. Its eeriness sits with you for a long while.
Why do you read?
Because humans need stories. Because I want to learn about other people. Because I want to feel less alone in my own thoughts and circumstances.
I read horror because I love seeing the pieces of a story fall apart and then get put back together. The tension and the "oh my god" moments when I gasp out loud are a rush, and I love seeing what authors do with all the different elements and tropes of horror at their disposal. I want to hear what people have to say.
I'd also love to hear what you have to say. Feel free to answer these questions on your blog and send me a link if you do!