On this Bookling, we’re reading Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum, just in time for Halloween, a tale of intimacy, body horror, poverty, diseases, possession, infidelity, and identity. Your hosts are Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), and you can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and …

Good horror is scary, but great horror is tender. It does not always speak at a scream, but tells you, very softly but very firmly, what is about to happen. It does not gloat, but likewise does not flinch. It is—inevitable. I wish that all novellas were as inevitable as Helpmeet, the exquisite new offering …