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The Haar

The Haar

Book · Horror books · 103 mentions · 2 subreddits · discussed in r/horrorlit, r/BookRecommendations

Reddit take

AI summary of the Reddit excerpts below — not a quote

The Haar is a highly-regarded horror novella frequently described as a blend of John Carpenter's The Thing, Lovecraftian atmosphere, and The Golden Girls. It follows an elderly woman in a small shore town who befriends a sea monster to protect her home from developers, earning praise for its unique protagonist and visceral body horror.

Pros

  • Compelling and tragic elderly female main character
  • Effective blend of 80s creature-feature vibes and Lovecraftian horror
  • Strong atmosphere and vivid setting descriptions
  • Highly praised audiobook narration
  • Memorable and creative body horror sequences

Cons

  • Pacing is described as slow by some readers
  • Graphic 'gross-out' content may be too intense for sensitive readers
  • Minor criticisms regarding the realism of the antagonist's actions

Caveats

  • Opinions on the intensity of the gore are mixed; some find it heavy splatterpunk while others consider it relatively tame
  • Includes a polarizing and graphic scene involving construction workers

Best for

  • Fans of body horror and creature features like The Thing
  • Readers looking for horror stories with unconventional, older protagonists
  • Fans of Lovecraftian themes and atmospheric settings

Avoid if

  • You are sensitive to graphic body horror or 'gross-out' elements
  • You prefer fast-paced, action-heavy thrillers over atmospheric novellas

This summary uses balanced time weighting with about a 122-month half-life. The evidence is drawn from a consistent stream of mentions in horror-focused communities with a median age of approximately 400 days.

Sentiment

93 positive (90%) · 9 mixed (9%) · 1 negative (1%)

Trust + time weighted score: +87% · raw score 89%

What redditors said (10 of 103)

Disagree re: The Haar
negative · u/K****y · r/horrorlit · comment · Sep 3, 2026 · open on Reddit ↗
The haar is exactly what you want
positive · u/i****a · r/horrorlit · comment · Jun 9, 2026 · open on Reddit ↗
The Haar, David Sodergren.
positive · u/r****a · r/horrorlit · comment · Dec 21, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
Parent context: The Haar by David Sodagren. Reply: Read The Haar and enjoyed it! Felt like an 80s horror flick.
positive · u/N****s · r/horrorlit · comment · Jan 1, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
The Haar was pretty good. I quite enjoyed it.
positive · u/t****h · r/horrorlit · comment · Jan 23, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
Some other well narrated books I'd recommend would include The Haar by David Sodergren
positive · u/M****5 · r/horrorlit · comment · Aug 26, 2026 · open on Reddit ↗
If anyone reading this post is a H.P lovecraft fan, do yourself a favour and give "The Haar" a go. Great descriptions of body horror. "The thing" meets "colour out of space" vibes with a well written aged female mc.
positive · u/_****_ · r/horrorlit · Nov 12, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
I really liked the audiobook for The Haar by David Sodergren!
positive · u/y****s · r/horrorlit · comment · Sep 6, 2026 · open on Reddit ↗
I'd recommend The Haar - fast paced and decently short but with lots of plot!
positive · u/S****s · r/horrorlit · comment · Aug 26, 2026 · open on Reddit ↗
The story is fantastic, as is the narrator. The main character is an elderly woman and Sodergren writes women really well, imo as having been raised as one.
positive · u/d****e · r/horrorlit · comment · Aug 20, 2026 · open on Reddit ↗

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