Nicholas Selk’s Heinous Souls is not just another horror novel. It’s a story that digs deep into the fabric of human relationships, exploring themes of emotional abuse, family dysfunction, and the slow, creeping erosion of a person’s mental state. But it doesn’t stop there. The book seamlessly blends this family drama with supernatural elements, making for a thrilling ride that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Suppose you’ve wondered how psychological tension and horror coexist in a narrative. In that case, Heinous Souls offers a perfect example of how these genres can be married in a fresh and exciting way

At first glance, Heinous Souls might seem like a story about a troubled family. We meet Sebastian and his wife, April, living with April’s parents, Archie and Susannah. Right from the start, we get a sense that the family dynamics are far from normal. Archie’s cruel behavior and Susannah’s unsettling advances on Sebastian paint a picture of a family torn apart by psychological abuse, power plays, and an overwhelming sense of tension. The dysfunctional relationships set the stage for what feels like a ticking time bomb, with the family’s unraveling serving as a precursor to something much darker.

The beauty of Heinous Souls lies in how Selk takes this very real human conflict and weaves it into a supernatural narrative. Family drama in itself is often unsettling because of its relatability—most people can understand the discomfort of living with a toxic family member or the toll that emotional abuse takes on a person’s well-being. But in Heinous Souls, this already intense psychological pressure is amplified by unexplained, eerie occurrences that suggest the family’s dysfunction isn’t just a product of their behavior—it’s something that has stirred up forces far beyond their control.