“Fat Forward” is a term used when referencing books of any genre that feature positive representations of fat folx.
The list below features horror and horror-adjacent books that have positive representations of fat characters. All defy the harmful stereotypes within horror specifically (i.e., fat characters getting killed/tortured, fat characters made to be the “gross out” factor, fat characters who are miserable and depressed due to their body size, fat characters being the villains, etc.)
This is incredibly important to me, and I have asked the community for their book recommendations to include in this database.
I will continue to update the database on a regular basis.
Horror-Adjacent Genres Include
- Young Adult Horror/Anything Horror-Adjacent
- Romance (Primarily Dark Romance)
- Thrillers
- Mystery/Suspense
- Sci-Fi
Have a fat forward horror book/author recommendation?
| Book Title | Author | Sub-Genre/ Themes/ Other Rep | Links | Recommended By |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Long Time Dead | Samara Breger | Historical Vampire Romance, Lesbian Rep, Gothic | A Long Time Dead by Samara Breger | Goodreads | Brytania (PaperbackGhosts) |
A Game in Yellow | Hailey Piper | Cosmic Horror, Erotica, Queer Rep | A Game in Yellow by Hailey Piper | Goodreads | Brytania (PaperbackGhosts) |
| Hallowed Be Her Flesh | Emryn Bird | Cosmic Horror, Monster Romance, Autistic Rep, Asexual Rep, Sapphic, Mixed-Race Rep | Hallowed Be Her Flesh by Emryn Bird | Goodreads | |
| Defilement and Other Stories | Jesse Nolan Bailey | Short Stories, Horror, Adult, Revenge Trope, Black MC, POC MC/SC, Middle Eastern MC/SC, Asexual MC, Gay MC, Lesbian SC, Sapphic MC, Sapphic Relationship MCs, Depression MC, Amputee MC, Asthma MC, Muslim MC, Plus Size MC | Defilement and Other Stories by Jesse Nolan Bailey | Goodreads | Instagram/X/TikTok @bladelikesbooks |
| Bound in Flesh: An Anthology of Trans Body Horror | Edited by Lor Gislason | Indie Published, Anthology, Horror, Adult, Own Voices, Gay Author, Sapphic MC/Author, Queer MC, Bisexual Author, Trans FTM MC/SC/Author, Trans MTF MC/Author, GenderFluid Author, NonBinary Author, Transmasculine Author, Autistic Author, NeuroDivergent Author, Physically Disabled Author, MC uses Colostamy Bag, Plus Size MC/Author | Bound in Flesh: An Anthology of Trans Body Horror by Lor Gislason | Goodreads | Instagram/X/TikTok @bladelikesbooks |
| Delicious Monsters | Liselle Sambury | Traditionally Published, Novel, Horror/Thriller, YA, Tropes – Dual Timeline, Multi-POV. Black Canadian FMC, Black Trinidadian Canadian Author/FMC, Pansexual Author, Plus Size FMC | Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury | Goodreads | Instagram/X/TikTok @bladelikesbooks |
| Honeybloods (Honeybloods #1) | I. S. Belle | Self-Published, Novella, Horror/Romance, YA, White American MCs, White New Zealander Author, Bisexual MC, Lesbian MC, Plus Size MC *Fat MC is written as the most attractive in the school and is a very confident person | Honeybloods (Honeybloods #1) by I.S. Belle | Goodreads | Instagram/X/TikTok @bladelikesbooks |
| Honeybites (Honeybloods #2) | I.S. Belle | Self-Published, Novella, Horror/Romance, YA, White American MCs, White New Zealander Author, Bisexual MC, Lesbian MC, Plus Size MC, Depressed MC *Fat MC is written as the most attractive in the school and is a very confident person | Honeybites (Honeybloods #2) by I.S. Belle | Goodreads | Instagram/X/TikTok @bladelikesbooks |
| Honeycraves (Honeybloods #3) | I.S. Belle | Self-Published, Novella, Horror/Romance, YA, White American MCs, White New Zealander Author, Bisexual MC, Lesbian MC, Plus Size MC, Mentally Ill MC, MC with a heavy focus on her addiction *Fat MC is written as the most attractive in the school and is a very confident person | Honeycraves (Honeybloods #3) by I.S. Belle | Goodreads | Instagram/X/TikTok @bladelikesbooks |
| Bad in the Blood | Matteo L. Cerilli | A YA fantasy/ mystery, fat, mentally ill (coding for BPD, Depression, CPTSD), neurodivergent (coding for ADHD, Autism), Vietnamese and Nigerian-coded characters, Italian-coded immigrant characters, *Everyone is queer (trans normative world, nonbinary love interest, prominent sapphic relationship) | Bad in the Blood by Matteo L. Cerilli | Goodreads | Instagram – @matteolcerilli |
| Girls of Little Hope | Sam Beckbessinger & Dale Halvorsen | 90s Horror, Young Adult, Feminist, Queer, Thriller, Mystery, Halloween | Girls of Little Hope by Sam Beckbessinger | Goodreads |
Glossary of Terms
Alphabetized (Still in Progress)
- ADHD = Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Asexual = experiencing no sexual feelings or desires; not feeling sexual attraction to anyone:
- BPD = Borderline Personality Disorder
- CPTSD/C-PTSD = Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Lesbian = The sexual orientation of women (or women-identifying individuals) who are attracted to other women
- MC = Main Character
- Own Voices = Own Voices is a movement! It started as a hashtag by Corinne Duyvis to identify diverse books written by members of the same group. Diverse books mirror our world, with a special focus on amplified stories about historically excluded identities and groups of people. By reading Own Voices books, we ensure that we enjoy good and rich stories about diverse characters written from authors who share that same identity.
- POC = Person of Color
- POV = Point of View
- SC = Secondary or Side Character
- Sapphic = Sapphic refers to women (or women-identifying individuals) who are attracted to other women. It is an umbrella term that encompasses lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, and queer women. It also includes trans and nonbinary mascs or femmes who are attracted to women.
- (From: What does sapphic mean? – INTO)
- Trans/Transgender: An aspect of gender identity where individuals’ gender experience doesn’t align with the sex assigned to them at birth. Transgender individuals may identify with a gender different from the one typically associated with their biological or physical characteristics.
- Trans FTM = Transgender (Female-to-Male)
- Trans MTF = Transgender (Male-to-Female)
- Trans Normative World = Refers to a book setting or narrative where that is free from the influence of traditional gender norms and expectations.
- Trope = A trope might be a type of character, a familiar plot twist, a theme, or even a setup like “a small town with a big secret.”
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