Kosoko Jackson

Image: The Brown Bookshelf

Kosoko Jackson steps into adult horror with The Macabre, a chilling tale of legacy, obsession, and the dark power of art.

Best known for his YA fiction, Jackson brings his sharp character work and emotional depth to this eerie, atmospheric debut for adult readers.

At the centre is Elijah Brooks, a struggling artist who returns home after the death of his estranged father (a painter whose final works were rumoured to be cursed). As Elijah sorts through the abandoned studio and unfinished canvases, strange things begin to happen. Whispers in the dark. Paintings that seem to shift. People who vanish after viewing the art.

The novel explores the way grief distorts perception and how generational trauma seeps into blood and brushstroke alike. Jackson layers gothic suspense with magical realism, creating a story that is both terrifying and tender. The Macabre is less about jump scares and more about the quiet horror of inheritance: what we keep, what we bury, and what refuses to stay hidden.

With lush prose and a creeping sense of dread, Jackson invites readers into a world where creation can destroy. And some legacies demand blood.

Recommended if you like: Tananarive Due, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Victor LaValle, and Mariana Enriquez.