It is October, and Halloween is rapidly approaching. While the weather in Goleta remains blandly temperate, residents can still embrace the spooky spirit of Halloween through their choice of literature. Here are three chilling novels to read this month.
3. “If We Were Villains” by M. L. Rio
It is common to hear about the dark academia aesthetic on social media. This subculture revolves around themes of classical architecture and arts in higher education. “If We Were Villains” is a prime example of the dark academia novel.
The opening of the book introduces the main character, a convict named Oliver Marks. Flash back to 10 years prior, and he is one of seven student actors studying Shakespeare at the Dellecher Classical Conservatory. In the midst of this isolated society of involuted relationships, the lines between acting and reality begin to blur. Then, in the actors’ fourth and final year, tragedy strikes. Marks is arrested for murder and sentenced to 10 years in prison. But what really happened?
In my opinion, the beauty of this book is the character’s obsession with Shakespeare. It is fitting that his story becomes a Shakespearean tragedy of its own. Along the way, it examines themes of hatred, revenge, betrayal, and love.
Dr. Olivia Happel-Block, the head of the English department at Dos Pueblos High School, read “If We Were Villains” in a book club last fall. She said that she enjoyed the book and found the characters compelling.
“I thought that [the inclusion of Shakespeare] was a really nice touch,” Happel-Block said. “It was almost like it was just enough Shakespeare to give you that sense of Shakespeare without having to actually read a Shakespeare play … It’ll be interesting to see if they ever turn [it] into a movie or a limited series. I think it could do really well as a limited series.”
2. “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt
I hold the firm belief that “The Secret History” is one of the most magnetic novels I have ever and will ever read in my lifetime. That being said, it is also very long and morbid. If that sounds unappealing, then I wouldn’t read it.
On the other hand, if these attributes sound tolerable, or even intriguing, then I would read this book. Considered by many a “modern classic,” “The Secret History” was the debut novel of author Donna Tartt and an instant bestseller. It sold out before it even hit stores and went on to receive widespread praise. Michiko Katutani from the New York Times wrote that “The Secret History” was a “remarkably powerful novel [and] a ferociously well-paced entertainment … Forceful, cerebral, and impeccably controlled.”
At the same time, the novel has been subject to controversy. Julian Wray from the Michigan Daily described it as “insufferable” with “people [who] are not people.”
“I think part of why it’s so renowned is sticker shock,” Julia Lovan (11) said. “So I think that needs to be taken into account.”
The plot follows a younger version of the narrator, Richard Papen. After leaving behind his family home in California, he relocates to Hampden College where he majors in Greek. There, he meets five other students immersed in an elitist society of their own making. Papen is unwittingly absorbed into their circle – then horrified, as eccentricity turns to evil.
The distinguishing features of “The Secret History” are primarily its prose and characters. The former is so lyrical and haunting that it lends a surreal quality to the book.
”It feels kind of like a fever dream,” Lovan said.
While the characters are not exactly likable, their flawed intensity carries a macabre sort of appeal. The terror of this novel is, in my opinion, part of its magnetism. In the words of Papen, the unwitting narrator, “Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it.”
“The Secret History” is entrancing in its terror, and, ultimately, its vision.
1. “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn
Before “Gone Girl” was a critically-acclaimed movie, it was a critically-acclaimed book. Widely praised as one of the best crime novels in the modern age, “Gone Girl” topped the charts as a #1 New York Times Bestseller, was heralded as one of “The 100 best books of the 21st century” by The Guardian, and celebrated as one of the “Most Influential Books” of the decade by CNN.
The appeal of “Gone Girl” is evident within the first few chapters. The plot is fierce, the characters are dark, and the language is gripping. Rebecca Bucher, a school counselor at DPHS, said that she really liked the novel.
“It was definitely a suspenseful book,” Bucher said. “I never really knew what was going to happen, or what was the real truth, or who was telling the truth … I think the characters were really well thought out.”
At the heart of the novel is Nick Dunne, a married man ravaged on his fifth anniversary by the mysterious disappearance of his wife, Amy Dunne. The relationship between these two characters is nearly as dynamic as the reader’s relationship with them – shock, anger, and sympathy play out in equal measure, over and over again.
“It hooked me really quickly,” said Bucher. “I recommend it.”
“Gone Girl” is especially relevant now, more than ever, as it addresses the role of modern feminism and the media’s portrayal of victimhood. Both of these are critical components of the #MeToo movement, a campaign that revolves around social awareness of sexual violence and abuse.
