October 2025
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    Hi! I'm doing some research on women in horror novels and I want to know if anyone has any suggestions.

    I'm looking for a woman main character who does something against traditional gender roles and/or has criminal behavior.

    Preferably published within the last 30 years or so. The more recent, the better.

    Books I've read that fit what I'm looking for:

    Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

    A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers

    Thank you!

    by incorrigible_tabby

    7 Comments

    1. Street_Breakfast_844 on

      I just finished The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires which focused quite a bit on violating gender roles and did feature some illegal acts, though not very taboo ones

    2. MushroomAdjacent on

      * The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim 
      * The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw
      * Maeve Fly by CJ Leede

    3. ScallopedTomatoes on

      *Bunny* by Mona Awad

      *Eileen* by Ottessa Moshfegh

      *What Hunger* by Catherine Dang

      *The Eyes Are the Best Part* by Monika Kim

    4. I loved N0S4A2 by joe hill. They made a series of it, but I haven’t seen it, so I don’t know if it’s accurate or otherwise good.

      The woman in this book, we meet as a child who finds herself able to cross great distances when she rides her bike over a certain bridge. The villain of the story finds this out and she is captured. She escapes, but ends up doing drugs later on to deal with repressed trauma from that incident and family issues. After her son gets caught up in the villain’s plans, she has to revisit some of that past to rescue him.

    5. These are my favorite types of books! I’d suggest:

      Lone Women by Victor LaValle

      Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zheng by Kylie Lee Baker

      My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

      Slewfoot by Brom

    6. Background-Book2801 on

      Tampa by Alissa Nutting. Be aware that many people find it too upsetting/revolting to finish. It’s almost too well done and it made me feel a literally a little queasy. It’s a genderbent Lolita and the writer cites American Psycho as an influence. 

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