Apparently Massachusetts is Haunted
New Sub Genre of SFF Unlocked
I’ve always found it odd that there’s no Northern equivalent of Southern Gothic. Granted, the legacy of slavery in the Southern US states means that horror is much closer and easier to conjure. No argument from me there. Aside from Salem, there’s no ‘Northern’ cabal of haunted houses and horror tales. It’s entirely possible there is, and I haven’t come across it during my reading adventures because I hate being scared and generally avoid horror. But even Edgar Allen Poe’s stories were often situated in an elsewhere that’s not here. (And he was from Maryland.)
I mention this because New England still has so many old houses ripe for haunting. There is still country and woods where malevolent beings and distressed ghosts can skulk. There’s as much of a strong tie to place in New England as anywhere in the south (just ask the Transcendentalists) so why no horror tradition? Was Salem and witches all we were to ever get? And why do I care so much seeing as I don’t read horror?
February is Short Month Short Books month, as popularized by French BookTuber Audrey at Le Souffle Des Mots.
Unless you speak French, you will not understand a word of this video and that is fine. Just giving credit where credit is due. (Though if anyone can tell me how to turn of YouTube’s auto language dubbing that’d be great.)
Anyways, I was reading a lot of short novellas, and started to see an uncanny pattern emerging: novellas about haunted places in Massachusetts. More specifically, Western Mass, which again is hilarious to me.
Why Western Mass? Well, to be honest, I’m not entirely sure. I found this just as comical when ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ TV adaptation chose to set it’s titular house in Western Massachusetts.1 This was funny to me because: 1) the show was clearly not shot in Western Mass (it was filmed in Georgia) and 2) my immediate reaction to learning this fact was: well of course. Of course my home town/region is only notable when it’s the site of things being haunted and creepy. There’s no other reason to head out that way! (sarcasm. There’s the original Yankee Candle and Tanglewood and the Berkshires and so many cows.)
On the one hand, Western Mass is not as urban as Boston and Metro West. It’s much harder to notice supernatural hauntings when there is a lot of background noise; is that horn blaring a ghost or just someone mad at a jaywalker? In Boston, it’s most likely the latter. Ghosts have to be a bit more creative in city spaces, whereas in the country it’s easier to spook someone.
If I think about it though, Western Mass does make sense. There’s lots of old farmhouses around, some from the 18th century, and many of those are also still working farms. I grew up near three. I just don’t recall hearing ghost stories about anywhere in Western Mass, unlike Salem, where there is a clear legacy of witches and supernatural elements. That relatively sparse history, though, makes it easier to come up with fictitious hauntings. There’s no historical record to adhere to. No legacy of witches to wrestle with. Just a lot of trees and woods and the free reign to design whatever ghost story you’d like.
But now I want to know: are there ghost stories that I’m missing out on? Are there more novellas that deal with Massachusetts hauntings? Is this the only way to deal with hauntings in New England, in short sweet bursts? (Though that would exclude the entirety of Stephen King’s cannon, so scratch that.) The investigation continues.
Haunt Sweet Home is a novella about a haunted home renovation show, and I was tickled to see that Western Mass was chosen as the newest setting for the show. Again: old houses. There is a legitimate market for these in Western Mass (see: oldhomesofwesternmass on Instagram.) Once I started seeing it, I couldn’t unsee it and now I have discovered a new subgenre: novellas about hauntings in Massachusetts. What are the odds? Especially when I bought these books without knowing much about them. So for your reading pleasure, here are my picks:
Novellas With Hauntings (mostly Massachusetts centric)
In order of most to least Western Massachusetts related.
Haunt Sweet Home, Sarah Pinsker
First of all, what a cover. Second of all, a nice tale about a young woman who feels adrift, finding her footing on a reality show about haunted houses being renovated. The houses aren’t haunted, that’s just the crew - but is it? Identified as Western Mass, but not enough place descriptions for me to be able to pinpoint an exact location. Doesn’t detract from the book, but this is my MO when reading books about Western Mass. Also not super scary if you’re concerned about that.
Odd Spirits, S.T. Gibson
It’s haunting in Boston time!!! With another great cover. This novella follows Rhys and Moira, a newlywed couple who find that something in their home is…off. Oh did I mention that they’re a sorcerer and a witch? And that they live in Jamaica Plain? And that this is technically the prequel to a series of books and I didn’t know that? I thought I was reading a standalone and them bam! new series I now have to read.2 While that’s my particular cross to bear, I enjoyed this book. There were some beautiful illustrations inside of my edition, which is one of the books I got in the UK. Also gotta hand it to S.T. Gibson for naming a main character Rhys after Sarah J. Maas. She’s got my respect for that alone.
When Among Crows, Veronica Roth
Ok this one technically takes place in Chicago but work with me here - I can make a Western Mass connection.
There’s a city in Western Mass called Chicopee, which has a large Polish population. Chicago also has a large Polish population. When Polish people immigrated to the US, and were ~presumably~ saying they wanted to go to Chicago, ‘Chi-ca’ with their accents, and many immigration officials thought they were saying Chicopee and sent them there. I am not making this up. It 100% sounds fake and I thought it was too the first time I heard it, until multiple family members and different community members confirmed its veracity.
Why does this matter? When Among Crows has to do with a whole lot of Polish people and Polish immigrants and their descendants. This is much less haunting and much more magical creatures trying to undo curses, but there is a haunted cinema involved so I think that counts. Also, another banger of a cover. Clearly, if you’re writing a fantasy/horror novella, your book cover must be picturesque. Otherwise you can’t sit with us.
Woodworm, Layla Martinez, translated from the Spanish by Annie McDermott and Sophie Hughes
Ok this one has absolutely nothing to do with Massachusetts, Western Mass or even the US, but there is a very haunted house here. In Spain, somewhere outside of Madrid, a young woman lives with her grandmother in a house that literally breathes. They’re trying to live their lives, and the house intervenes, refusing to let them forget the horrors of the past. There’s a dual perspective shift, and this book deals deeply with the themes of generational trauma and social mores. While not as fancy as the other covers, this one does have a lobster on it which is a seafood that is harvested in Massachusetts so….I’ll stop now.
Not a Novella, but still a Massachusetts Haunting
North Woods, Daniel Mason
I won’t go into much detail here, but I wrote a lot about this last July. The book is about a house, built during the Revolutionary period, and all of its inhabitants, human and animal alike. Given this, yes, there are ghosts. The book is set in Western Mass, and while not named so in the book, outside of Williamstown.
No New Books™️ Challenge
I cracked. Sooner than I thought I would, actually. I was going to hold out for that mystical 50 day mark, and then the tariffs were announced and I decided what’s the point of money and ended up buying a special edition of the newest Ali Hazelwood book, Deep End. Am I a romance reader? Not really but, LOOK AT IT.
Life is meaningless, things are nice, etc etc. But I went to a bookstore with a friend this weekend and didn’t buy any more books and that’s really what we should be celebrating here.
Last streak: 38 days (January 1st - February 6th)
Current streak: 4 days (February 8th - Present)
Mug Moment of the Week
If you were unaware, you’re not supposed to wear socks after having abdominal surgery. Well, more accurately, you, the person who was operated on, should not be putting on socks by yourself. It involves a whole lot of bending and twisting that is not great for incisions. So unless I’ve got someone around to help me put on socks, I have been omitting them from my daily outfit. Which is really unfortunate given that it’s winter in New England and prime wool sock weather. My friend Hannah was devastated to learn this particular facet of post-surgical recovery.
What in the world do socks have to do with mugs? - you, a reasonable person, asking right about now. Well, let me tell you. While finishing up some (belated) Christmas shopping a few weeks ago, I stopped by the bookstore across the street from my house. They have quite a good trinket selection. And they had this mug that CAME WITH SOCKS. Truly a wonderful combination.
Anyways, I’m now well enough that I can manage putting on socks with little difficulty, so it was time to celebrate with this mug-sock combo. It simply would not do to use this mug without its sock companions. Now the question is how am I going to store this mug because keeping socks in the kitchen doesn’t seem right. Life’s eternal questions…
Until next time.
https://www.vulture.com/2018/10/the-haunting-of-hill-house-recap-season-1-episode-8.html