Many people believe that all the best spooky books that make use of horror are scary and written in an eerie and unsettling way, but it is not so. Horror is written to be a place for the readers and the author to connect and introspect fear, trauma, anxiety, and phobias in their conscious and subconscious minds in their spatial environment. Once people understand why something is scary, it’s like a hot knife on butter.
Books, in general, have a lot to offer apart from the vocabulary front: you get to read someone’s life experience, learn about different ventures, and whatnot? So why limit yourself to just one genre and be devoid of the knowledge? With that, here are five spooky books for adults (in no chronological order) you can read in 2021, which are bound to leave you flabbergasted!
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Contents
5 Spooky Books To Read In 2023
Here’s my handpicked list of best spooky books for you!
The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
“The Silent Companions” is one of the creepy books. The story presents itself to be more creepy than haunted. Elise, the protagonist, is afraid of wood in her new apartment. Weird, isn’t it? That’s where things get going. The author creates a sense of deep, penetrating fear that takes a while to get used to. You may wake up in the middle of the night and stare at your wooden work with a daunting feeling. Elise finds a humanoid figurine in the attic, which seems to be a little odd. She also discovers the previous owner of the House, Annie’s diary, who calls the humanoid her ‘Silent Companion.’
According to Annie, you can lock up the figurine in the almirah and forget about it. However, the Silent Companion doesn’t like being locked up. It starts breathing life. Soon, more figurines appear as the events unfold. Eerie noises, dust, along other cliché horror elements, this book is a must-read for people who enjoy thrillers and suspense. The book is sure to open a new dimension.
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Pet Sematary by Stephen King
Pet Sematary is one of the spooky books one must read. Coming from Stephen King, who is known as the perpetrator and at the top of the pyramid of suspense thrillers and the horror genre. According to King, he has done a lot of weird things to the characters in his books. The rumour here is that he thinks he went a little overboard with this book.
He sees this work of his as morbid and troubling. In the story, the protagonist’s cat gets killed but somehow gets resurrected with a different personality. Unnatural events follow, which make the main character remember his past and find a connection. This splendid masterpiece will leave you awestruck!
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You by Caroline Kepnes
‘You’ is the debut novel of Caroline Kepnes. This spooky book tells a story about mental issues, irresistible passion, and social life. It is a must-read for 2023 as it brings to the limelight the idea of mental health and social media.
A stalker working at his best is the main theme of the novel. ‘You’ is one of Suspense Magazine’s best books of 2014. Showtime optioned comparing to Gone Girl, American Psycho, and Misery . A must-read on this list of spooky books.
The Dwelling by Susie Moloney
What’s your idea of the right House? Not sure? Read this sharp yet scary book and find out how you can find a good house on the planet. The storyline has some supernatural elements added, which makes the reader glued to the book. This is one of the adult horror books with ghostly seductions and violent confrontations, to name a few.
The House is a character in itself, breathing and seeing people who come and live by. Although beautiful, the House envelopes a mysterious aura around it. Read this thriller for slowing down your time.
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The Call by Peadar O’Guilin
Nessa, a disabled girl, is the main character of the story. She has Polio, and thus, the author sets up the idea of his main character with the inability to maneuver fast. She presents herself as this rebel girl who struggles her way in society due to her disability. The book presents to us a world of constant loss, struggle, and turmoil, thus making it one of the creepy books for adults. Coming to the plot, Nessa and her mates attend a college that was their survival kit supposedly.
This leads them to a new place/dimension, referred to as ‘Grey Lands.’ Ireland, standing at its death, breeds creatures that hunt Nessa and her friends. The book also highlights male superiority and thus establishes the idea of feminism. Every adolescent, at some point, is called to the Grey Land, where they’ll have to flee, fight, and hide for survival. For them, the ordeal lasts a little over a day. Nessa and her friends anxiously watch back home. It’s all over in three minutes. Hardly anyone survives. Some people find it very relatable to ‘The Hunger Games,’ but it is dark, and most characters encounter gruesome scenarios. The call is enchanting, compelling, and utterly horrifying. The complex plot and compelling story engage the reader, making it an absolute must-read on this list of spooky books.
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Conclusion
So, this was my list of best spooky books you should read in 2023. I hope you would buy at least one book from my list. Also I await your much-valued feedback. Let me also know how you loved this article in the comments section below!
Founder of TheWhuffieFactor. Marketing Professional / Avid book lover. When not absorbed in the latest rib tickling thriller, Tara loves food, but cooks very badly, enjoys random interactions with strangers, and otherwise spends far too much time reading. She lives in the USA, with her sister and an adorable dog, Basket.