Hispanic Heritage Month is officially celebrated in the United States from September 15 to October 15! We're celebrating at Underbrush by highlighting some of our favorite contemporary Latine authors writing in one of our favorite genres–horror!
Here are 12 books our booksellers recommend:
Rekt by Alex Gonzalez
A grief-stricken young man finds himself falling deeper and deeper into depravity as he sinks deeper and deeper into a mysterious website on the dark web. This book is unsettling at every page and isn't afraid to confront some of the darkest sides of technology and humanity. This one is hard to look away from, even when you want to.
Asmodeus by Rita Indiana
Asmodeus was written by author and musician Rita Indiana and follows a once-famous Dominican rock star and the demon he made a deal with decades prior. Told through both prose and décimas, ten-line rhyming poems based in Latin American musical tradition, Asmodeus is part-thriller, part-supernatural horror and distinctively human.
An Immaculate Deception by Isabela Livino
You all know we are huge fans of Gothic fiction at Underbrush and An Immaculate Deception is quickly becoming one of our new favorites. Set in Brazil, this novel follows a young pregnant woman who makes a deal with the devil that goes very, very wrong.
PS: This one may or may not be an upcoming Horror Book Club pick... 👀
Muñeca by Cynthia Gómez
Another gothic pick! Muñeca is a queer, gothic that blurs the line between horror and romance is the best way possible. Set in 1968 Oakland, this slender little novel follows a young woman who is convinced the illness plaguing a young heiress is something more sinister than doctors might believe.
The Sleeping Sisters by Jennifer Givhan
The Sleeping Sisters is a retelling of Chicana-Indigenous mythology that has described as a Latina spin on Pan's Labyrinth. A solid blend of both thriller and horror, is beloved by so many of our favorite contemporary horror authors, which immediately landed it on all of our TBRs.
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez
Trust us, there's a reason this book has won so many awards and is a top 10 book for several of our Underbrush bookseller. Our Share of Night is one of the most poignant examples of grief horror, but it's so much more than that. Covering everything from queer identity to Argentinian history to familial legacies, there's no leaving once this one grabs you in its clutches.
The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas
This most recent book from staff-favorite author Isabel Cañas reminded us of exactly why we love her. Dark, unsettling, and deeply romantic, The Possession of Alba Díaz is a historical gothic novel about a demonic presence in a Mexican silver mine and the young woman it wants to possess. No one, and we mean no one, writes yearning like Isabel Cañas and this book is no different.
PS: Make sure to preorder Cañas' upcoming release, The House of Gardenias (9.29.26).
You Should Have Been Nicer to My Mom by Vincent Tirado
A family is trapped together after the passing of the family patriarch, whose final words reveal that one of them might be the demon, "el bacà". Set over the course of a single night, You Should Have Been Nicer to My Mom pairs family drama with genuine, heart-pounding terror.
Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
Nothing makes our skin crawl like memories of reading this book for the first time. When a disease renders all animal meet poisonous to humans, the government sanctions the consumption of human beings. What follows is a gruesome, stomach-churning story about industrial farming, meat processing, and our own capacity for cruelty.
Lotería by Cynthia Pelayo
This short story collection draws its inspiration from the cards in the classic Mexican board game, Lotería, with each story is based in Latin American myth, folklore, or superstition. While many of the creatures included might be the stuff of fairytales, the storeis in this collection don't shy away from gory details–each one growing more terrifying than the last.
Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova
Another incredible piece of grief horror, Monstrilio is about a grieving mother who grows a creature from a piece of her deceased son's lung. There is so much to unpack about family, love, and identity in this monstrous little book. Yet, no matter how therapeutic that all might sound, there's a reason this one is fully classified as horror.
PS: Preorder the author's next book, Imps! (2.23.27)
