6 Dark Humour Reading Recommendations
Here are five darkly humorous books that I have read and one that I have written. Click on the links to read the reviews.
Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk
Haunted is a series of short stories, in which the author explores 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)
The Blade Artist by Irvine Welsh
The complex and manipulative protagonist, sordid characters and squalid descriptions will appeal to fans of the Transgressive genre.
My Review: Reformed Scottish ex-con Jim Francis (formerly Franco Begbie) is now a successful sculptor living the dream in sunny California with his former prison art therapist now trophy wife …(more)
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
This satire of the yuppies culture of the 1980s adroitly explores the mind of a psychopath and questions the very essence of capitalist culture.
My Review: American Psycho is a highly controversial novel that brought its author Bret Easton Ellis instant fame. The book is written from the perspective of a young Wall Street financier …(more)
The Butcher by Nathan Burrows
This aptly named book is set in the English county of Norfolk. Topics comprise swine, cannibalism and illegal migrants.
My Review: Frank Pinch is a butcher, his brother Tom a pig farmer. The siblings have a problem. Their dilapidated family farm is struggling financially and under threat of closure due to …(more)
Knockemstiff by Donald Ray Pollock
Knockemstiff is a transgressive compilation of short stories. Topics include drugs, drinking, disease and sexual degeneracy.
My Review: These interlinked short stories are set in ‘The Holler’; an impoverished part of Knockemstiff, a real-life Ohioan backwater. ‘The Holler’s’ air is permanently imbued with the stench of …(more)
Tomorrow’s World: Darkly Humorous Tales by Guy Portman
The book’s subjects encompass manic capitalism, extreme celebrity worship, virtual reality and a grotesquely ageing population.
Daily Squib Review: There’s something about the future that scares the shit out of people a lot, maybe it’s simply the thought of the unknown that affects us with such fear. What possible delights await us in …(more)
