My Top 6 Most Disturbing Books
This week’s post is dedicated to the 6 most disturbing books I have ever read. Click on the links to read my reviews.
6 – Haunted
Haunted is a series of short stories, in which the author succeeds in not only horrifying his readers, but also skilfully exploring a variety of themes, including the media-obsessed nature of society.
My Review: Haunted is about a group of writers, who have been assembled by the conniving Mr Whittier to attend a writers group. The location of the retreat is in an isolated theatre with no access … (more)
5 – In Cold Blood
Capote’s seminal work is a blend of narrative and journalism. Its vivid characters and detailed descriptions allow the reader to be transported back in time to the location of a horrifying crime.
My Review: The story reconstructs the real life murders of a Kansas farmer, his wife and teenaged children. The Clutters, as they are referred to in the book, are a popular family who reside near the town of …(more)
4 – American Psycho
American Psycho is a satire of the yuppies culture of the 1980s. The book caused outrage when it was published due to its explicit violent and sexual content, as well as its perceived misogynistic elements.
My Review: American Psycho is a highly controversial novel that brought its young author Bret Easton Ellis instant fame. The book is written from the perspective of a young Wall Street financier, Patrick Bateman …(more)
3 – Lolita
The book is about a man’s infatuation with a twelve-year-old girl. Lolita was regarded as so scandalous that it was rejected by a number of major publishers before its eventual publication in 1955.
My Review: The protagonist, Humbert Humbert, is an intellectual with an all-consuming craving for young girls, or nymphets as he refers to them. After his wife leaves him for …(more)
2 – Newspaper Diapers
What this book lacks in length it more than compensates for in disturbing, child abuse themed content. This harrowing work is one of the darkest books I have read to date.
My Review: Newspaper Diapers consists of a series of loosely connected vignettes about child abuse and group homes being recounted by various perverse and narcissistic narrators …(more)
1 – The Killer Inside Me
The Killer Inside Me is a suspenseful and unrelentingly bleak first person narrative about a psychopath. It is the most disturbing work of fiction this reader has ever read.
My Review: Twenty-nine-year-old Lou Ford is a Deputy Sheriff from the West Texas town of Central City. Lou, who is in a long-term relationship with childhood sweetheart Amy Stanton …(more
Cool topic for a blog post Guy. Some fantastic books on here. Maybe the darkly humorous ones have influenced your writing. Looking forward to Sepultura.
Yes Trina, there are some ‘fantastic’ books here. I suspect that the darkly humorous ones did influence my writing, and perhaps some of the others too in their own way.
I read “The Killer Inside Me” a few years ago and it it still one of the “best” books I have read. Dark and disturbing. I think I’ll be adding the other 5 of these to my reading list.
‘The Killer Inside Me’ is certainly disturbing Alyson. Happy reading.