I’m reading horror/mystery/thriller/Gothic novels for October. I loved the Gothic novels, but haven’t been impressed by the haunted house plotlines. E.g. I loved The Shining but the haunted hotel thing felt almost incidental. It’s a me thing but it doesn’t creep me out or hit me thematically. The House of the Fall of Usher was probably the best one, Tear by Erica McKeen played off the idea well too, but still, felt incidental.
HOWEVER!! I just got hit with a nasty case of COVID and I’m already feeling crazy stuck inside. Got me thinking that a “haunted” or otherwise spooky home story where the person(s) inside cannot leave because they are sick might be more interesting! Any ideas?
by justhereforbaking
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Iris Murdoch wrote a novel in the 70’s, about a young woman going as “companion” to a disabled woman, in a house by the sea. I don’t remember ghosts, but I think it was gothic and disturbing in some other way. The Unicorn.
then at the other end of her career she wrote The Time of the Angels, that really unsettled me. again, I can’t promise you ghosts, but I think there was something far less straightforward at play in that one.
Mexican Gothic might fit the bill
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher is a retelling of sorts of The Fall of the House of Usher, and was the first book that came to mind. I’d definitely check that one out especially since you liked the original.
For a very different take on a gothic haunted house novel, I just finished The Militia House by John Milas and I really enjoyed it. It doesn’t quite fit the bill of having a character that is sick who is confined to the house, but there’s such forced proximity with it being so close to the military base and the only structure within miles that there’s this inescapable quality to it which really hooked me in and might work for you.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is a classic that I reread every several years. So good!
Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey has that!