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Autumn is in full swing, and just in time for spooky season to hit its stride, I’ve prepared a collection of supremely unsettling reads for you this month. Go forth and embrace uneasiness, my friends!

Here were my favorite books from the month of September:

You’ve Lost a Lot of Blood
By Eric LaRocca
★★★★

Through a mosaic of pieced-together poems, audio transcripts, and novella excerpts, this book tells the fictional story of Martyr Black and his partner Ambrose Thorne, who are best known for a string of violent crimes regarded by the couple as “art.” The writing, believed to have been created by Martyr Black himself, offers a unique window into the killer’s psyche and motivations. At the center of the book is a novella by Black that explores the horrific implications of an immersive video game gone wrong.

LaRocca combines beautiful, affecting prose with imagery that is at times grotesque and visceral, creating a haunting meditation on art, violence, and what we owe one another. The intriguing structure of a story within a story, as well as the variation of narrative modes, offers a unique opportunity for the reader to contemplate connections not explicitly made on the page. LaRocca is particularly skilled at developing an unsettling atmosphere that readers will likely need to sit with long after they’ve read the final lines.

More Than This
By Patrick Ness
★★★★

Seth awakens just after his death in a strange place he can only assume to be hell. Even stranger, hell includes the childhood home he left behind years ago, now complete with an ominous thrumming coffin in the attic. Assaulted by nightly dreamscapes that thrust him back into his old life, Seth explores the barren world he now exists in and soon realizes he must reconsider his understanding of “reality” if he wants to survive.

This book will leave the reader constantly questioning their perceptions, just as Seth is questioning what and who he can trust. Its dystopic exploration of technology and survival is thought-provoking on its own, but even more compelling is the way this book tackles grief, isolation, and family relationships. It’s not a novel that provides simple answers to the many questions it asks, but that is also one of its greatest strengths.

Never Let Me Go
By Kazuo Ishiguro
★★★★

Growing up at Hailsham boarding school, Kathy, Ruth and Tommy knew they were destined to one day become “carers” and “donors.” But the knowledge rarely encroached on their idyllic childhood, which was filled with artistic endeavors and schoolyard adventures. It’s not until the trio are adults that they realize how unprepared they were for the lives they were intended to lead and how little they know about the way the world really works.

Told through Kathy’s reflections as an adult, Never Let Me Go is a deliberately-paced coming of age story that cuts much deeper than it first appears. The style of the novel is quietly haunting, particularly in the way Kathy views certain shocking realities of her life as normal and expected. Its focus on childhood friendships is incredibly effective, because it sparks immediate empathy in the reader while also paving the way for discussions of what humanity is and how we wield it.

That’s all for this month. I’d love to hear what you’ve been reading lately, so feel free to reach out and let me know. I’ll see you in early November for my next round of recommended titles!