Guest Post by Caroline Wolff
Obsession is the perfect fodder for psychological thrillers. The conventional method of fiction dictates that every character has to want something—“even if it’s only a glass of water,” according to Kurt Vonnegut. A character with a fixation magnifies that idea, resulting in engrossing stories that challenge the reader to interrogate what’s real and what’s a figment of the protagonist’s imagination.
This is certainly the case in my novel, The Wayside, which follows Kate Cleary, a mother grieving the sudden death of her twenty-year-old son, Jake. Although Jake’s death is ruled a suicide, Kate finds evidence suggesting that other players might have been involved in his death. She takes it upon herself to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death, dragging her ever deeper into a spiral of obsession.
Death, food, art, sex…there is so much for a character to obsess over, according to the novels below—all resulting in delicious, propulsive, and thought-provoking reads.
The Turnout by Megan Abbott
I can’t think of a better environment for a book about obsession than an elite ballet school. The Turnout follows two sisters, Dara and Marie Durant, who, along with Dara’s husband (and former star student) Charlie, run the dance studio their late mother founded. The studio is in disrepair, resulting in a sudden fire that partially destroys the building. Soon after, a mysterious contractor, Derek, comes along and convinces the sisters to gut renovate the place. Marie falls under Derek’s thrall, becoming sexually fixated and emotionally dependent on him as he worms his way deeper into the family’s complex dynamic. I love Abbott’s unflinching descriptions of the often-grotesque toll rigorous ballet can take on the body, which heightens the unsettling atmosphere.
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Milk Fed by Melissa Broder
By night, twenty-something Rachel is an aspiring comedian; by day, she works at a vapid talent agency in LA. She also contends with an eating disorder that dominates all of her thoughts and relationships. On one of her tightly controlled outings to a frozen yogurt shop, Rachel meets Miriam, who’s working behind the counter. Miriam is everything Rachel isn’t—she unabashedly indulges in her cravings and enjoys food with abandon. Rachel soon becomes enamored with Miriam, adopting her uninhibited attitude toward food and inducting Miriam into a world of sexual liberation. Milk Fed explores obsession and consumption in its myriad forms, from the aesthetic to the romantic. I think that Broder is one of the funniest writers working today, and her humor injects some welcome levity into otherwise heavy subjects.
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Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Another perfect setting for a novel about obsession? The publishing industry. Athena Liu is a literary darling and an object of unbearable envy for her friend, June Hayward, a fellow young writer whose debut novel didn’t garner the acclaim she’d hoped for. With her shiny MFA, multi-figure book deal, and newly minted TV deal, Athena represents everything June yearns for but can’t quite achieve for herself. Then Athena dies in a freak choking accident, which June bears witness to…and then proceeds to steal Athena’s manuscript—a sweeping epic about Chinese workers who were drafted into service in World War I—right off her dead friend’s desk. June cleans up the draft, passes it off as her own, and publishes it with resounding success. But she’s quickly knocked down a few pegs when she’s skewered online for cultural appropriation (June is white, and Athena was Chinese). She then panics as she scrambles to hide the fact that her brilliant new novel is not, in fact, her novel.
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A Novel Obsession by Caitlin Barasch
Here’s another delicious send-up of the literary world. This follows Naomi, an aspiring writer who’s desperate to find a premise for a novel but keeps coming up empty. She finally thinks she’s found her subject when she starts dating a new guy, Caleb—but that idea evolves when Caleb’s ex, Rosemary, re-enters his life. As it turns out, Rosemary and Naomi have a lot in common, which Naomi thinks could make an even better idea for (she’s sure) her soon-to-be-bestselling debut. Some light internet sleuthing turns into full-fledged stalking, and Naomi soon loses her handle on what’s real and what’s fiction. Of course this one explores an obsession with “the ex,” but I also love how it portrays the psyche of a young writer obsessed with the idea of Getting Published.
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Mrs. March by Virginia Feito
This stylish noir delves into the psyche of a wealthy 1950s Manhattan housewife—perfect material for psychological horror, as far as I’m concerned. The title character is the wife of an acclaimed novelist, whose newest book centers on a female protagonist who is depicted with unsparing viciousness—and everyone knows she’s based on Mrs. March herself. It’s a thrill to behold Mrs. March’s rapid unraveling as she becomes increasingly paranoid about how she is being perceived, based on her fictional avatar. Be prepared for the big twist. Years after reading it, that final, haunting image still lives rent-free in my head.
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My Husband by Maud Ventura
As the title implies, the narrator of My Husband is…obsessed with her husband. He dominates her every thought, even more so than her two children, and when he fails to return the obsessive behavior she begins to fixate on the idea that he’s having an affair with another woman. This is a perfect example of the “unreliable narrator” trope, such that we, the readers, toggle between believing more in the husband’s manipulation and hers at any given moment. Stay for the satisfying, revelatory twist.
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The Vegetarian by Han Kang
It’s hard to pin down this shape-shifting, genre-bending tale. Broadly, it follows Yeong-hye, an otherwise ordinary young woman who is plagued with violent, grotesque nightmares that lead her to denounce eating meat. This choice alienates her ultra-traditional husband and extended family, who attempt to wrest control over Yeong-hye’s diet (and, by extension, her moral agenda) in increasingly violating ways—which only leads Yeong-hye to commit more deeply to her beliefs. Body horror, psychological thriller, and allegory collide to deliver a story that’ll make you question your own reality.
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None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
The title says it all: this propulsive thriller is a clinic in unreliable narration. While celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at a local pub, Alix Summers, the glamorous host of a popular true-crime series, meets Josie Fair—who also happens to be celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. When Alix and Josie’s paths collide yet again, Alix invites her “birthday twin” on her show to share what Josie has promised is a juicy tale about her secret past. Josie definitely delivers, but she also ingratiates herself into Alix’s life as her behavior becomes increasingly erratic. This was by far my favorite thriller of 2023, and I recommend it every chance I get.
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The Wayside by Caroline Wolff
After Jake’s death is ruled as a suicide, Kate will stop at nothing to prove her son did not take his own life. After falling into the investigation headfirst, Kate gets more and more fixated on discovering Jake’s secrets until she stumbles upon something that threatens to shatter her to pieces.
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