Read a literary horror haunted-house novel

Reprieve — James Han Mattson

Don’t forget about the massive end-of-summer giveaway! More details at the bottom of this post, so keep reading! If you left a comment already, you can earn additional entries by leaving more comments! Each comment on an August recommendation counts!

What to Read This Week

Reprieve by James Han Mattson

What It’s About

I am absolutely full into my spooky season reading, only a week into August, and I will not apologize! It made me think about one of my favorites from last year’s autumn season, Reprieve, which has total Haunting of Hill House vibes, but with some slasher fiction thrown in, plus a healthy dose of commentary on racial tension and societal expectations.

1997, Nebraska. The Quigley House is famous for its one-of-a-kind approach to the haunted house experience: it is full-contact, and makes entrants sign a waiver before stepping foot inside. It’s a complicated escape room, boasting a large cash prize if a team is able to make it all the way through each room. Only one team has ever completed it, but many have tried. And on this night, one of the contestants is killed while trying to complete the task, sending the house into further chaos.

Each character on the team had their own story leading up to this night, and how they came together as a team is a strange and long journey. They all unfold separately until they convene for the challenge, and each has their own baggage and background they’re bringing to the house, motivating them to keep going to win the cash prize.

Content warnings: some of the content warnings I noted while reading include racial slurs and racism, homophobia and homophobic slurs, body horror, gore, violence, sexual predatory behavior. Please take care if needed while reading.

Who Will Like It

This is a pretty gruesome book at times, but it’s easier to get through than a slasher film because of the way the story breaks and flashes back between scenes to give more background on each character.

And for a horror novel, I would argue its horror doesn't lie in the activity and tragedy at the haunted house at all: it exists in the social interactions and everyday world the characters are interacting in, very much our own current society, even though the book takes place in the late 1990s.

If you read and enjoyed Rumaan Alam’s Leave the World Behind, I would encourage you to pick up this one next.

Extra links

I read this lovely photo essay in the New York Times about reading outside. I love reading outside, and I love trying to see what others are reading. It feels like a shared connection in our separate worlds.

End-of-Summer Giveaway!

Through the month of August, each time you comment on a post, you get an entry into the massive end-of-summer giveaway! I currently have 15 brand-new ARCs and finished copies of 2022 releases, and adding more every week! These will likely be split up into two boxes for two winners, and I’m leaving it a mystery so you will be surprised! They include all genres, from fiction to nonfiction to mystery, thriller, romance, literary fiction, and more.

To enter:

• Must be US resident or have US mailing address

• Must be 13+ years

• Comment on any August recommendation or post to earn an entry. The monthly August what’s on my stack is included!

• You can earn multiple entries by leaving comments on as many August recommendations as you want!

• Entries accepted through August 31.

More books!

Can’t get enough, or looking for a different recommendation? Browse the archives, or check out some popular past recommendations: 

• Read an adrenaline-fueled futuristic adventure novel

• Read about a woman who lives in total darkness

• Read this suspenseful dual timeline mystery about the nuclear scare

I also love hearing from readers! Let me know what kinds of books you’re looking for that you’d like to see featured, or send in your most recent five-star read (or two) and get a recommendation just for you. You might be featured in an upcoming newsletter! Reply to this email to get in touch!

---

Sponsor an issue of Reading Under the Radar! Add your own banner image or use text only, and link to your publication, product, or service. Fill out this form to inquire about sponsoring a newsletter and featuring your book or publication!