There’s nothing scarier than uncertainty, especially when the thing you’re questioning is reality. The horror genre has tapped into this fear, producing iconic unreliable narrators and chilling descent-into-madness storylines. When done right, these tales feel like watching Alice tumble into the rabbit hole and drift through a surreal wonderland, but with much darker twists and turns along the way. Let’s take a look at some books that capture the Alice in Wonderland feel while sending chills down our spines.
Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of death, drugs, and grief. Additionally, all of the books in this article contain topics that may be triggering. Please read the TWs prior to purchasing.
Bunny by Mona Awad
Trigger Warning: This book contains triggering topics such as drugs, murder, and body horror. Please read the full list of TWs before purchasing.
Bunny by Mona Awad follows Samantha, an MFA student, and her entanglement with a hyper feminine clique of girls from her university. As Samantha becomes more integrated with the group, reality and fiction blend into a delicious spiral of pink lace, cupcakes, and bunnies. This satirical novel has it all: an unreliable narrator, startling plot twists, and an eerie feminine aesthetic that’ll have you scrambling to make a Pinterest board. I leave you with a quote that sums up the cult-like, trippy essence of Bunny.
“Or is it our amazingly empathic hive mind that we make by hugging so that we become one of those animals with a brain and heart in each tentacle that connects to a bigger, cosmic heart-brain that is like a shared, all-seeing third eye? Who knows? Who cares?”
Mona Awad, Bunny
A Touch of Jen by Beth Morgan
Trigger Warning: This book contains triggering topics such as eating disorders, stalking, and body horror. Please read the full list of TWs before purchasing.
A Touch of Jen tells the story of Remy and Alicia, a couple who really only connect over their infatuation with their former co-worker Jen. Their lives take a surreal, chaotic, and horrifying twist when they’re invited to vacation with Jen. The book’s dark comedy pairs deliciously with its psychedelic horror aspects. Beware: this is an intense and weird read you won’t be able to put down.
“Alicia says that maybe she should print out a photo of Jen’s face and tape it over her own while they have sex. ‘I could cut little holes in the eyes.’”
Beth Morgan, A Touch of Jen
Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Chapman
Trigger Warning: This book contains triggering topics such as drugs, gore, and hallucinations. Please read the full list of TWs before purchasing.
Ghost Eaters is a gothic horror that centers around a drug called Ghost that allows consumers to see the dead. After struggling to accept the loss of her ex-boyfriend, Erin decides to take the drug for closure. The consequences that arise make for a chilling, reality-bending tale. Expect the lines between physical and mental to get really blurry in this one.
“‘You’re the one who’s haunted,’ Tobias said. ‘Ghost just lets you see who’s haunting you.’”
Clay McLeod Chapman, Ghost Eaters
I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
Trigger Warning: This book contains triggering topics such as suicide, gore, and body horror. Please read the full list of TWs before purchasing.
Iain Reid’s debut novel focuses on a woman who contemplates ending her relationship with her boyfriend as they road trip to meet his parents. The journey leads them down a disorienting path. There isn’t much else to say about this novel because it’s one of those books that is best experienced firsthand with no prior knowledge of it. You’ll be thinking about this book long after you’re done reading it.
“Sometimes a thought is closer to truth, to reality, than an action. You can say anything, you can do anything, but you can’t fake a thought.”
Iain Reid, I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Boy Parts by Eliza Clark
Trigger Warning: This book contains triggering topics such as rape, abuse, and gore. Please read the full list of TWs before purchasing.
Eliza Clark’s debut novel follows Irina, a photographer who shoots explicit pictures of men from the female gaze, as her mental turmoil spirals into a bizarre horror. As the novel progresses, we see how Irina’s dark past influences her present self. Not only does this novel offer great frights for horror fans, but it also demonstrates relevant, feminist themes such as consent, power, and gender roles. This book is ideal for horror enthusiasts who crave social commentary with their thrills.
“I explain to him that nothing matters, and nothing lasts. Everyone forgets, and everything disappears. The things you do, the things you are; it’s all nothing. Would anyone miss you, if you went away? Would anyone look for you? Would anyone listen, or even care, if I hurt you?”
Eliza Clark, Boy Parts
We hope you enjoy these trippy and terrifying books! Just be careful not to fall too far down the rabbit holes they have to offer…
Interested in horror recommendations? Check out this article!
For even more recommendations, browse our Spine-chilling Horror Novels Not for the Faint of Heart collection on bookshop.org!
