The Remedy is the Disease by Leticia Urieta
The Remedy is the Disease is a collection of experimental speculative and horror stories by Leticia Urieta. Weighing in at 166 pages, it released on May 15, 2026 by Undertaker Books.
The stories in this collection center around living with chronic pain and illness, emotional trauma, and how society treats individuals dealing with these issues. It’s body horror, but not entirely in the way I usually label it. The body horror here is what it is like to live with chronic medical issues and how you feel like your body is betraying you, not to mention the way society or older generations view you, your physical abilities and your choices.
Many of the stories touch on mother and daughter relationships. I enjoyed how they varied, each one bringing a fresh perspective in each tale. Not to mention, there is a varying of ages in the stories, too, so it hits on many facets of the characters’ lives and can be relatable. The issues that pop up are moments that many readers will be able to understand or will be able to reminisce about a moment in their own lives and feel a commonality with the characters.
Perhaps the truest horror in these stories is how realistic they are. The characters experience loss of control in their lives, guilt and anger from being subjected to situations where they were inhibited from giving consent, judgment from family, friends, and society, the violation of being infected, and having to suffer in silence. These are heavy issues, and the stories share the characters’ experiences with raw emotion.
Speaking of which, kudos to Urieta for being so vulnerable and honest in her non-fiction essay at the end of the book. It’s a fantastic way to wrap up the collection, and it gives readers another way to reflect on what they’ve read and understand how and why these stories were influenced into existence.
Urieta also includes a list of speculative works that inspired The Remedy is the Disease. I was quite excited to see Lakewood by Megan Giddings. I’ve been fortunate enough to enroll in a handful of classes and workshops Giddings taught through Indiana University, as well as her fiction workshop at the IU Writers’ Conference. Urieta couldn’t have chosen a better book to mention! I encourage you to check out the entire list.
It doesn’t stop there, though. There is also a writing activity offered up for readers to do if they so desire that will truly bring the book full circle. I loved finding that.
I always enjoy sharing my favorite pieces in a collection. These are my top 5 stories in order of appearance with some of the comments I jotted down after each story.
“It Comes in Waves” - Fantastic! What a journey of thoughts. The memories make this story pop and the end is perfect. Healing is not always cut and dry.
“Travel Guide to a Dying Body” - The blog and comment layout makes this story intriguing. It made me think about influencers today and how people exploit others for their own gain. The humor and nonchalant attitude of the main character makes this sci-fi tale seem like everyday life.
“That Red Smile” - I love this story! Wow. Parental love truly brings this story to life.
“This Night World” - Interesting story about folklore merging with the current world as well as expectations forced upon women of younger generations and the judgment women of all ages experience.
“But What if Your Baby Grows Up to Be a Werewolf?” - Great story about life choices and how they’re interpreted in today’s social climate. Love the parallels to the main characters and humanity.
I recommend this collection. Not only are all of the stories entertaining, but it offers true insight into what women and people with disabilities regularly experience. I look forward to checking out more of Urieta’s work.
Need more Leticia Urieta?
Get to know Leticia Urieta:
Leticia Urieta (she/her/hers) is Tejana writer from Austin, TX. Leticia is a graduate of Agnes Scott College with a BA in English/Creative Writing and holds an MFA in Fiction writing from Texas State University.
She works as teaching artist for adults and youth and offers a variety of workshops for all ages. Leticia is also a freelance writer and editor who writes a variety of articles and reviews, as well as supporting other writers and creatives to develop their own projects.
***Taken from Leticia Urieta’s website
Get to know Undertaker Books:
At Undertaker Books, our mission is to provide publishing services to indie authors worldwide, spotlighting new and unique voices within the realm of horror fiction. We strive to offer a seamless publishing journey from submission to publication while providing valuable feedback every step of the way.
We believe in collaboration between authors, publishers, editors, and designers to bring diverse voices to the forefront of the horror genre. Our passion lies in creating a long-lasting partnership with authors by focusing on the “less is more” concept: quality releases, not the quantity of them.
Undertaker Books is not limited to any specific theme or subgenre. Instead, we are dedicated to innovative storytelling and embracing the myriad voices that contribute to horror literature. To our readers, we hope to bring you stories you’ll take to your grave.
***Taken from the Undertaker Books website
