You Weren’t Meant To Be Human by Andrew Joseph White: A Powerful Story About Choice

Above all, this novel is horror that holds a mirror up to the lives of marginalized people in a hostile world, echoing the works of Stephen Graham Jones and Eric LaRocca.If you want more horror that is as personal as it is political, then keep an eye out for the release of You Weren’t Meant To Be Human on Sept 9th. 

You Weren’t Meant To Be Human by Andrew Joseph White: A Powerful Story About Choice

If you are at all familiar with Andrew Joseph White then you know each of his novels is both spine-chillingly brutal and deeply personal. His Young Adults works, each revolving around trans protagonists in thrillers, body horror and hauntings have earned him bestseller status and numerous accolades, the least of which is being included previously on this site among the best trans horror writers. He has been a must-read author for me for a while now and his adult debut is certainly no exception. 

In You Weren’t Meant To Be Human, festering hives of worms have taken root across rural West Virginia. In exchange for fresh meat and unquestioning loyalty, these hives offer a few, desperate, lonely souls something akin to salvation.

Crane is grateful. With the hive, he has been able to transition, to stop speaking, to live a life that doesn’t make him want to tear off his own skin. It even gave him Levi, another member of his hive’s followers – a brutal but handsome ex-Marine who treats Crane like a man. Mostly. But when he falls pregnant, and the hive insists he is to birth the child no matter the cost, Crane’s desperation to make it stop will fracture the community that saved him and spiral into shattering violence. 

This one has been pitched as Alien meets Midsommar and for good reason. It combines the terrors of both cult and alien invasion horror for unique terror with a fresh perspective. In some ways the world-building – for all its alien worms, their hives and the resulting cults – takes a backseat. Despite such a grand set-up this is a character driven novel which is its greatest strength (although I do find myself very curious about the worms and what they want).

Really, these world-building elements are a vehicle for the true horror: being a trans man, particularly an autistic trans man, in a world without abortion rights. Crane’s intersecting identities and how he internalises what’s happening around him are at the forefront. And White masterfully handles the challenges this can present with a character who doesn’t communicate in conventional ways. At no point is Crane’s intelligence or personhood in doubt to the reader. 

White doesn’t shy away from sex and blood (and sometimes both) now that he is writing for an older audience. The body horror of Hell Followed With Us, White’s first YA novel, is all grown up now, making for a wiser, meaner and bloodier devil of a book. It comes with extensive content warnings including pregnancy, suicidal ideation, unclear consent and domestic violence. Some seasoned horror readers may take this as a challenge but heed the warnings. White doesn’t simply glance upon these subjects here, he dives into their guts and comes up with fistfuls of the viscera. 

This is, of course, incredibly topical in today’s world with bodily autonomy, abortion and transition rights under constant attack across the US and increasingly in the UK. While the alien worms may not be real, too much of the horror in this book is. It is the life of real people right now in states where Roe v. Wade is already being rolled back. It is the lives of trans men who aren’t given adequate sex education or access to reproductive healthcare because of their transness.

And is the lives of non-speaking autistic people who may struggle to advocate for themselves or be dismissed when it comes to consent and bodily autonomy. That is what makes this so incredibly hard-hitting. 

White set out to write about reproductive abuse and the use of forced pregnancy as violence. This is horror from the inside out as you experience every aching change and moment of dysphoria through his blood-splattered prose. Crane is betrayed by his own biology, losing his grip on a body he fought so hard for. There is no escaping this form of violence because his body is the battlefield. And we feel every claustrophobic, traumatising minute of that alongside him.

This book being own-voices and inspired by the personal fears of the author lends it a degree of intimacy unexpected for its horrors. While these fears will be all too familiar to trans readers, many cis readers will never have previously considered how reproductive rights impact trans men. This book is sure to be bloody and eye-opening. 

In order to survive an ordeal so intense, both protagonist and reader need somewhere to focus our rage. The alien worms are a source of repulsion and fear but only something with a human face can be hateful enough for this… and that’s where Levi’s character truly comes in. No spoilers but this is a character who deserves the worst. 

Above all, this novel is horror that holds a mirror up to the lives of marginalized people in a hostile world, echoing the works of Stephen Graham Jones and Eric LaRocca.If you want more horror that is as personal as it is political, then keep an eye out for the release of You Weren’t Meant To Be Human on Sept 9th. 

You Weren’t Meant To Be Human by Andrew Joseph White

Alien meets Midsommar in this chilling debut adult novel from award-winning author Andrew Joseph White about identity, survival, and transformation amidst an alien invasion in rural West Virginia.

Festering masses of worms and flies have taken root in dark corners across Appalachia. In exchange for unwavering loyalty and fresh corpses, these hives offer a few struggling humans salvation. A fresh start. It’s an offer that none refuse.

Crane is grateful. Among his hive’s followers, Crane has found a chance to transition, to never speak again, to live a life that won’t destroy him. He even met Levi: a handsome ex-Marine and brutal killer who treats him like a real man, mostly. But when Levi gets Crane pregnant—and the hive demands the child’s birth, no matter the cost—Crane’s desperation to make it stop will drive the community that saved him into a devastating spiral that can only end in blood.

Horror Book Reviews on Ginger Nuts of Horror

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