THESE BODIES AIN'T BROKEN

Reimagining a genre that’s often known for representing characters with disabilities as villains, this horror anthology reveals the power held within disabled bodies.

Encompassing a wide variety of subgenres, including dystopian, gothic, and body horror, this volume offers readers stories exclusively written by disabled authors. Some characters’ conditions are explicitly named, like Type 1 diabetes in “Ravenous” by Carly Nugent, the story of Linden, a white-presenting Australian 18-year-old who’s unhappy about her family’s move to Vancouver Island, Canada. There she’s greeted by a tree monster, who gives off the sweet scent of ketoacidosis. Some narratives reflect the experiences of nonwhite characters, like Thai American Monti from Pintip Dunn’s “What This Locket Holds,” who has fibromyalgia, and neurodivergent Maitreyi from “Us, of the Water” by Anandi, which has a historical South Asian setting. Other protagonists live with the ramifications of diagnoses that affect multiple body systems. In editor Dyer’s “The Weepers and Washerwomen of Loch Lomond,” Bianca, a Scottish girl who reads white, impersonates her twin. She’s been diagnosed with several diseases, including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, POTS, and mast cell activation syndrome, and plans to join a mysterious kickboxing tournament. Each entry closes with an informative author’s note that deepens readers’ understanding of the story, its creator, and the disabilities that appear. The contributors include popular authors, such as K. Ancrum and Lillie Lainoff, as well as newer voices whom readers will enjoy discovering.

Authentic and broadly diverse representation enhances this uniformly strong collection.