Hands down, the best time of year to read horror books is right now. Despite already having a TBR list that is bursting at the seams, here are some more horror books focusing on cannibalism that should be on your radar. But, as these recommendations are all in the genre of horror and relate to cannibalism, that means each of these books is deeply graphic and disturbing. Please do your research before picking up any of the following books.
Trigger Warning: Article makes mention of graphic content, sexual abuse, child abuse, murder, and most notably, cannibalism.
Lapvona by Otessa Moshfegh
This book is incredibly difficult to summarize, so please bear with me. Set in a medieval village, Lapvona follows Marek, the young and disabled son of a shepherd. He holds a special bond with Ina, the village midwife, who seems to have some supernatural abilities. At its heart, this book is a commentary on people’s selfishness and on how religion influences and is influenced by behavior. I hesitate to tell you more because this is a book best enjoyed when you go into it blind. That being said, it is pretty graphic and repulsive at times, so please check the trigger warnings before reading.
The Vegetarian by Han Kang
When Yeong-hye has a graphic nightmare in which she is in a slaughterhouse covered in blood, she swears off eating meat forever. There are massive repercussions from this one decision in all aspects of her life, making Yeong-hye a target of violence and repression within her community. This story explores the idea that to be human is to be violent in some form, even unwillingly, and that human cruelty and violence are in a way that is painfully surreal and raw.
A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers
Dorothy is a bestselling food critic, and the two things she loves most in the world are food and men. But right away, it is clear there is more to the story than just that. Dorothy describes herself as a cannibalistic psychopath who has eaten her past lovers. Told like a prison memoir, Dorothy recounts the events in her life that have led her to where she is now, the entire time, with a shocking lack of remorse. Dorothy was described to me as the love child of Hannibal Lecter and Patrick Bateman.
The Eyes Are The Best Part by Monika Kim
This book follows Ji-won and her family as they navigate life after their father abandons them. When her mother moves on with racist and misogynistic George, Ji-won begins to dream of bloody rooms filled with eyes that look suspiciously like his. When victims start to pile up around Ji-won’s campus, her hunger and rage become a living thing. More than just a horror book, this is a social commentary on the things one will do to keep their family from falling apart.
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
Natsuki’s story starts in her childhood, as she finds refuge from the abusive and sexually exploitative people in her life with Yu, a boy who believes his mother when she calls him an alien. They dream of escaping to another world to cope with their traumas. Years later, Natsuki is now 34 and in a marriage of convenience with her asexual husband. They both agree they want to escape society’s repressive standards and travel to an old family estate, where they find Yu and decide to live outside it.
Bones and All by Camille DeAngelis
This story follows the protagonist, Maren, who eats people. But, where there is room for the author to write a graphic depiction of cannibalism, it all happens off the page. After her mother abandons her at 16, Maren searches for her father and, along the way, discovers others like her. A creepy story about cannibalism, it is also a story of love and finding who you want to be.
Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z. Briter
Andrew Compton is a serial killer who sees murder as intimately artistic. Faking his death to escape prison, Compton flees from London to New Orleans, where he meets Jay Byrne, who thinks in much the same ways that he does. This story also follows Tran, a young Vietnamese-American and homeless boy, and his ex-lover, Luke Ransom, who is dying of AIDS. All of their paths align in one fateful and bloody night. While being a gross and disturbing read, this book is also an intellectually stimulating novel that explores the dark corners of the human mind.
This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham
The only young-adult recommendation on this list, this book is the easiest to consume (pun totally intended). Far less graphic and violent than its predecessors, This Delicious Death is set in a world where, three years prior, the melting of the Arctic permafrost released an unknown pathogen into the atmosphere, transforming some, through a process called the Hollowing, into cannibals. Scientists were forced to come up with a synthetic version of human flesh to assuage the cannibalistic tendencies.
Zoey, Celeste, Valeria, and Jasmine were all affected by the Hollowing. As a last hurrah, before they graduate, the four friends attend a music festival in the desert, where they discover that someone is drugging cannibals, turning them feral. Soon, it becomes clear that no one is safe from the others.
Each of these books leans into the dark and horrifying side of the horror genre, and it’s probably best that you don’t read any of them while eating. Have you read any of these? Discuss them with us on our socials!
Looking for other horror trope recommendations? We’ve got you covered!
If you’re interested in the movie Bones and All, read all about it here!
