Top 10 Most Disturbing Novels
Published on September 29, 2008 - 290 Comments
Not everyone has the stomach for disturbing literature, but there is such a large amount of writing in the genre that everyone should give it at least one try. This list will help to introduce you to the darker side of novels - the disturbing, macabre, and oftentimes downright sick. The only rule to this list is that the book must be a work of fiction. If you think something has been left off the list, be sure to tell us in the comments.
Anyone who has read this book will appreciate its inclusion here; if for no other reason than the axe scene (in which the protagonist chops off one of his feet with an axe - this is the hobbling scene in the movie). That scene aside, the pages upon pages of descriptions of the pain suffered by the bedridden main character, coupled with the psychological torment as he tries to move through the house unnoticed, make this a much deserved entry.
In 18th century France, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, born with no scent of his own, but with with a supernatural ability to detect the scent of others is driven to murder in order to create the perfect perfume. The book is a bizarre tale, but it is also lyrical and hypnotic–almost a fairy tale of terror. The ending is utterly vile and if you like disturbing literature, that alone makes this book worth a read. You won’t be disappointed, I promise you.
Upon anonymous publication, this book so scandalized France that Napoleon ordered the arrest of the author, stating that the book was “the most abominable book ever engendered by the most depraved imagination”. The plot concerns Justine, who is presented with vice and abuse everywhere she turns. For example, she seeks refuge and confession in a monastery, but is forced to become a sex-slave to the monks, who subject her to countless orgies, rapes and other abuses. This is a must-read for anyone interested in French literature, the history of sadism, or disturbing literature.
This is one of the only books that I have not finished reading. I was so horrified by a scene early in the book (involving a dog, a bum, and a very sharp knife) that I could not go on. It was my first introduction to truly disturbing writing. I have since learnt to cope better and will, eventually, give this book another go. In the novel, people are sawed in half, gutted, sliced, diced and quartered in every imaginable form. What is striking about this novel’s violence is how emotionally unattached the protagonist is to it all, he has lost all feeling for anything but the thrill of the taboo. This book will change you.
The ‘Painted Bird’ is a holocaust novel that mentions the concentration camps only in passing, and rarely details the Nazis and their terrible work. This is the story of a young boy who gets separated from his parents when they send him to the (perceived) safety of the countryside when World War II breaks out in Eastern Europe. What happens to the boy - the things that are done to him, the things he sees and endures - is staggering. It’s a shocking description of hell on Earth. This book is a carnival of torture.
Straddling the borderlands between realism, fantasy and horror, “Geek Love” deals with the remarkable Binewski carnival family: Arturo the Aqua-Boy, born with flippers but no limbs; the musical Siamese twins Electra and Iphigenia; the telekinetic boy-wonder Chick; and the long-suffering Olympia, our narrator, who is a bald hump-backed albino dwarf. The story progresses through the family’s relatively innocent conception into much darker territory, primarily concerning Oly’s megalomaniac brother, Arty, and eventually culminates in a catastrophic event which claims the lives of all but a few Binewskis.
Kevin is a 15 year old mass murderer; a child who’s been emotionally unstable all his life. This book is written from the perspective of his mother, Eva. She, too, is emotionally disturbed. Shriver does do a creepily good job of highlighting all of the real school shootings that have taken place in America in the last few years, making We Need to Talk About Kevin not just disturbing in the far-off sense, but in the sense that although this particular story isn’t real, Eva could be any number of mothers in this country whose children have done the unthinkable.
The book is told entirely by Frank, a 17 year old who manages to sound perfectly sane and rational as he explains how he killed 3 people while he was still just a child or as he performs the rituals of the Wasp Factory (bizarre rituals that need to be read to be believed). The casualnes with which violent and unpleasant events are described is possibly more horrible than the events themselves and the irony that Frank considers himself the sanest person he knows is understated throughout. “I had been making the rounds of the Sacrifice Poles the day we heard my brother had escaped. I already knew something was going to happen; the Factory told me.”
I normally restrict these lists to one book per author. Today I am breaking that rule. Glamorama definitely needs to be on this list (along with the other Easton Ellis book, American Psycho) because of the gut churning violence depicted throughout the entire second half of the novel. There is a poisoning scene which you will never forget, a scene involving dismemberment (and described in every detail as is always the case with this author), and a plane crash. The book does have many elements of humor (for example, the main character, a male model, thinks that Global Warming is a type of shampoo) and I found it to be an enjoyable read, but it is definitely up there as one of the most disturbing books I have ever read.
Haunted is truly one disturbing but entertaining book of short stories. The first story is about a guy who loses some of his organs - it is the perfect example of “disturbing” literature. This is possibly the most blatantly twisted of Palahniuk’s novels; Haunted pushes the borders of what is considered socially acceptable. The book tells the story of 18 or so struggling writers who sign up for a “workshop” that involves being locked inside a dilapidated mansion for several days to develop story ideas. The chapters are the consequences of their brainstorming. One review sums up the gruesomeness of this book (and illustrates why it is item 1): “I thought that if I made it through story #1 (eating your way through your own prolapsed rectum) that I could get through anything, but I was wrong.”
Sources: Some synopses courtesy of Amazon and Librarything
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1. naiiii - September 30th, 2008 at 1:46 am
Nice list.!
2. I45 Start - September 30th, 2008 at 1:56 am
I loved Perfume, probably shouldn’t confess that
3. Juggz - September 30th, 2008 at 1:57 am
Kudos for including American Psycho!
4. jck1074 - September 30th, 2008 at 1:59 am
I only read number 10 and 7. so now i got 8 more books to read!
I had a teacher that claimed that Misery wasn’t really literature and she and I got in a huge fight because i think it’s written very well. i still really dislike her
5. ginger - September 30th, 2008 at 2:02 am
i really liked perfume too!
6. jfrater - September 30th, 2008 at 2:02 am
juggz: while I couldn’t finish the book, the film is one of my favorites. I am definitely going to buy my own copy of the book and give it another shot though
7. Maheahlaurus - September 30th, 2008 at 2:04 am
Yay, more books to read. Although I found Justine to be a trifle dull. But that’s probably my bias against De Sade coming out.
8. jfrater - September 30th, 2008 at 2:05 am
jck1074: wow - that is closed minded! What an awful teacher! Considering many comic books are now considered literature, you would think some slack could be cut for mainstream horrors!
9. Juggz - September 30th, 2008 at 2:11 am
Jamie: I must admit I only read the book because of the movie
10. jfrater - September 30th, 2008 at 2:15 am
juggz: hehe I only watched the movie for having read 2 chapters of the book
11. Phil - September 30th, 2008 at 2:21 am
Great more must reads, including another dodgy Easton Ellis, cheers.
12. downhighway61 - September 30th, 2008 at 2:27 am
I’ve only read Haunted actually.
After seeing what else was on the list I was surprised that something I’ve read was on the list.
I wish I had some more disturbing novels to add, but I’m not really of a fan of reading upsetting things.
13. Telboy - September 30th, 2008 at 2:28 am
Good list, but I was hoping (well, maybe hoping is the wrong wqord) to see The Naked Lunch on the list. I reaD it years ago and some of the scenes depicted are VERY disturbing.
14. Robert - September 30th, 2008 at 2:34 am
In Misery he only gets his ankles broken in the movie, in the novel she actually cuts off one of his feet with an axe
15. Denzell - September 30th, 2008 at 2:41 am
Man, this is so cool!
16. ringtailroxy - September 30th, 2008 at 2:43 am
yes,Robert! Annie actually hacks off his foot in grizzly detail. all the while he begs and pleads and then it’s gone, with little more than an iodine-stained lump remaining… but Annie explains the ‘hobbling’ procedure as well…
As far as disturbing books go, I’m not much of the reader of such things. “A Boy Called IT” was mortifying to me, because I was an abused child, but not to the extent that the author was. (My mother only strangled me with a piece of cloth… the author’s mother stabbed him with a knife)It was a sad book and it was all true…
rtr
17. Denzell - September 30th, 2008 at 2:47 am
Can anyone give me tips on how to describe very disturbing scenes very graphically? I’m currently writing a scary novel myself but I dunno how to describe scenes very disturbingly.
I swear that when I publish mine hopefully, it will be included in any one of the extensions to this list.
18. jfrater - September 30th, 2008 at 2:48 am
Robert - ah thanks for pointing that out - I saw the film more recently than the book so obviously got my wires crossed. I will rectify it first thing in the morning
Telboy: I didn’t consider naked lunch for this list because I enjoyed it so much and didn’t find it too disturbing. Eventually I read the other books Burroughs “cobbled” together from the drug fueled manuscript that gave birth to naked lunch. They are equally good!
19. jfrater - September 30th, 2008 at 2:52 am
denzell - I think that following the examples here would be a good start, but ultimately, being able to imagine the situations in great detail would be key
20. jfrater - September 30th, 2008 at 2:54 am
Ringtailroxy- I considered a boy called it - consider it item 11
21. Piper - September 30th, 2008 at 3:05 am
Wow, love the list and will be digging them all out at the local bookstore! Ha ha! Love these kinds of books, just have to look really hard for them I guess. Not read any of these, but will.
Know it’s probably nowhere near as disturbing as some of these novels but I loved the discriptions in Stephen King’s “Gerald’s Game”. Jessie (main character) is handcuffed to a bed in her cabin in the middle of no-where after a sex game goes wrong, scream as loud as she likes no-one can hear her. Excellent read.
22. Jackie - September 30th, 2008 at 3:11 am
I would think a boy called it would have been up there, it was so difficult to read, but after reading it, there seems to be much speculation over just how true it is. One brother confirms it, one denies it. If it really happened, it’s the most horrifying thing I’ve read, but some opponents of the book say some of the incidents he describes just simply aren’t possible.
23. Shirokuma - September 30th, 2008 at 3:21 am
It’s a shame many young people here in Germany don’t like The Perfume because they have to read it in school *sigh*
Though only a short story, there is Lily Franky’s “Death Penalty” perfectly fitting this list. A story about a future where any crime is punished by death penalty - only the gruesomeness of the procedure differs depending on your crime (or your lawyer). As for the disturbing part, the execution of a rapist is portrayed…
Oh, and… very nice list!
24. Arnaud - September 30th, 2008 at 3:35 am
I remember I read American Psycho on my way to work, in the subway, and I used to open the book just enough so that I could read it but no one could see over my shoulder what I was reading.
I was afraid I would be considered a psychopath myself for reading such weird litterature.
25. JT - September 30th, 2008 at 4:01 am
This is actually a really good list, I’ve read most of the stuff here.
Good call on Justine, but no 120 Days of Sodom? I would have put that at number one. Reading it is like being put through a never ending nightmare - it’s utterly unbelievable stuff.
American Psycho had some great torture and killing scenes, but I never finished it for a different reason - it BORED me to death. The first 100 pages, nothing happened except people going to clubs and describing their suits. I understand what Ellis was trying to do, but I just couldn’t bare such inanity so I gave up.
The Painted Bird was awesome.
Geek Love sounds interesting. I must pick it up.
The Wasp Factory was AWFUL. I had to read it for a Gothic Lit class, and while it showed some imagination (the killing scenes, the baby with the maggots in its head), it was still a stupid story, only enlivened by some fun dialogue between Frank and Eric. And the twist was stupid.
Haunted was awesome. I never really got into Palahnuik, but Guts, the Progeria story, and the amateur porn story were just brilliant. Oh, and the one about the journalist and his dog.
This list was also quite Westerncentric. Check out the works of Ryu Murakami if you want disturbing. Also Battle Royale, which was originally a novel.
26. rshady - September 30th, 2008 at 4:06 am
Heh, I wondered if that Chuck Palahniuk book would be on here, that first chapter is easily the most nasty thing I have ever read.
27. Ghidoran - September 30th, 2008 at 4:15 am
Freaky.
28. thirtytwo - September 30th, 2008 at 4:30 am
Hmm, I think I’ve just about compiled my christmas list.
29. knight_forked - September 30th, 2008 at 4:35 am
Nice list! The problem is that you cannot probably have a collection of these novels or else no one would date you for long enough…so, read them, burn them and keep the ashes in your wicked minds
30. Iain - September 30th, 2008 at 4:36 am
Here are a couple of extra suggestions
Michel Tournier - Le Roi des Aulnes (Eng Trans ‘The Ogre’)
- a convicted (but innocent) French child molester/P.O.W who kidnaps ‘Aryan’ children for the Nazis - this is an absolutely amazing novel.
D.M Thomas - The White Hotel - erotic fantasy, Freudian analysis and the massacre at Babi Yar (Nazi massacre of 30,000+ Jewish civilians ouside Kiev).
These are more emotionally disturbing that graphically violent.
31. kiwiboi - September 30th, 2008 at 4:44 am
I remember I read American Psycho on my way to work, in the subway, and I used to open the book just enough so that I could read it but no one could see over my shoulder what I was reading.
Arnaud - LOL. I did exactly the same thing. And, it was quite eerie…I’d get off the tube (subway) feeling kinda weird.
32. Kiribub - September 30th, 2008 at 4:45 am
Okay… just reading the -list- was disturbing to me. I guess I’m not cut out for books like these.
33. kiwiboi - September 30th, 2008 at 4:47 am
jfrater - I didn’t know you’d read The Painted Bird. My copy is probably still on our parents’ bookshelves! Excellent book. Kosinsky killed himself, I think (by that stage he was involved in movies, too).
34. cory - September 30th, 2008 at 4:47 am
i keep adding lists like these to my favourites on my computer so i can reference back to them to check them off or find another book but i have so many lists now i find myself reading more lists then books, alas, so many books and so little time to read them! nice list though
35. Shadow - September 30th, 2008 at 4:58 am
Robert - As an author myself, I have to ask… do you have a group of people set up to read your work and tell you what they think of it? Personally, I have close friends do that for me. I used to have my family do it… but after a few short stories, including one that has traumatized one of my sisters for life, none of them will even read my poetry for fear of what might happen to their minds. A good place to go to sharpen your skills is www.urbis.com . It’s free, takes all of a minute or two to sign up, and you’ll have strangers and professionals reviewing your work immediately.
As for the list - LOVED IT!! I think this will become part of my required reading list now.
36. Peri - September 30th, 2008 at 5:01 am
I’ve only read Misery–I’d forgotten about the foot-cutting bit, thanks for refreshing my memory!
37. astraya - September 30th, 2008 at 5:05 am
I haven’t read any of these books, and am not likely to. The most disturbing novel I’ve ever read is “The Summer of Katya” by Trevanian, best known for “The Eiger Sanction”. It is genteel, almost lyrical, but describes the complete disintegration of a human mind. If you like “disturbing” but don’t like “warped” I highly recommend it. If you have read it, please tell me. I haven’t encountered anyone else so far.
38. Shirook - September 30th, 2008 at 5:06 am
For all you fans of Chuck Palahniuk, there are two other authors that you need to check out. Craig Clevenger, who wrote the Contortionist’s Handbook and Dermophoria. Both are absolutely amazing, in the same twisted way as Palahniuk. The other author is Will Christopher Baer, who wrote the Phineous Poe series. No books have ever gotten under my skin like those.
39. romerozombie - September 30th, 2008 at 5:11 am
Misery’s great, I read it again after I’d finished it, the only book I’ve ever done that with. But I think The Stand would’ve been a better King novel to include. It’s full of paranormal elements, but it is about civilisation going to shit, and there are some disturbing sequences mentioned in passing (a little boy falls down a well, but no one can help him because 99% of the population has been killed off my a virus, so he’s left to die).
Also, Rage, written under King’s psyeudonym (sp?) Richard Bachman is quite bleak and disturbing, but enjoyable.
40. HarleQuin - September 30th, 2008 at 5:14 am
I’d loved the movie for years but I didn’t read “Misery” until I was in college. I read the hobbling scene sitting in the student center one day. It was bright, noisy and crowded but I was so terrified by what I was reading that I was shaking and someone I had never met asked me if I was okay. I still count it as one of the greatest books I’ve ever read. Unfortunately, that’s the only one on the list I’ve read. I work at a library so I’ll have to see how many of the others we have!
41. DamienKarras - September 30th, 2008 at 5:30 am
Ive read Chuck Palahniuk’s stuff. Fight Club was groundbreaking… however, I found after reading his Snuff and Haunted novels he seems to be running out of steam. Just because you have intimate trivial knowledge of what happens when a body decomposes or the meaning behind various prison tattoos doesnt make up for lack of plot.
Most disturbing Ive read of late? ‘Filth’ by Irvine Welsh. (the author of ‘Trainspotting’.) His corrupted protagonist in that story makes Harvey Keitel from the Bad Lieutenant look like Mr. Rogers.
42. Phil - September 30th, 2008 at 5:40 am
Yes, Filth! I’m not easily disturbed but that one did make me feel a bit crook.
43. tfisch - September 30th, 2008 at 5:42 am
What, no Dianetics?
Nice list.
44. DamienKarras - September 30th, 2008 at 6:00 am
Also, if you’re a WWII buff, ‘Ghost Soldiers’ by Hampton Sides was an amazing read. I’ve read my share of POW stories but this true story about the Bataan Death March and the real life prison break that follows was easily one of the most disturbing I’ve read in this genre.
Great list btw… but no classics? Clockwork Orange or 1984?
45. Poppy - September 30th, 2008 at 6:00 am
As i was reading this list i thought… at the end i’ll menton that haunted should have been on it. But there it is…right on number one! Finally im agreed with for a change!
46. Sean - September 30th, 2008 at 6:10 am
I was expecting to see “Johnny Got His Gun” by Dalton Trumbo on here. Its certainly the most upsetting book I’ve ever read. In fact, I havent read it in almost 10 years because of how depressed it made me.
47. Magda - September 30th, 2008 at 6:11 am
It’s funny that i’ve read The perfume and Justine the same week… i love both books but i haven’t managed to re-read Justine since. very disturbing but at the same time, a very good book. i’ll have to find the strength to read the other books on the list too.
48. AnotherEngine - September 30th, 2008 at 6:25 am
Cows by Matthew Stokoe (sp?) was probably the most disgusting book I’ve ever read. And frighteningly enough I’ve read a good few on this list. I thought The Wasp Factory was great. I don’t see what’s great about Palahniuk however. Most of his later stuff seems to shock for the sake of being shocking.
49. Brosiusjb - September 30th, 2008 at 6:25 am
I dont know why you restrict the list to only one book per author, if someone wrote 3 of the most disturbing books ever, then they should be here. Aside from that, a very entertaining book. For some reason the Wasp Factory sounds kinda cool/serial killer scary. I’ll be looking into it.
50. Brosiusjb - September 30th, 2008 at 6:27 am
rather a very entertaining list.
51. craig - September 30th, 2008 at 6:30 am
i think apt pupil should be in this list
52. Brosiusjb - September 30th, 2008 at 6:31 am
I hate to advocate watching a movie rendition rather than reading the book but I do think that I’m going to in the case of American Psycho. I got about half way into it and felt like I had spent far too much of my life in the world of the sick. Watching the movie takes around two hours, and it’s good, and your done. For me, it was number 1.
53. JustinE - September 30th, 2008 at 6:33 am
Pretty good list overall. Definitely a few books that should have been included were omitted however. I would have included at least one Cormac McCarthy book (Blood Meridian, Child of God, The Road) as well as Dennis Cooper’s Frisk. By far the most disgusting book I have ever read was Matthew Stokoe’s Cows.
54. Callie - September 30th, 2008 at 6:33 am
Jfrater:
I’d like to recommend another BEE book. Lunar Park is kind of different than anything he’s done but it’s by far the creepiest I’ve read by him. There’s a scene involving a Furby toy and the main characters dog that will no doubt give you the heebie jeebies. He’s one of my favorite writers though- I just can’t believe some people can put words togther like that.
Also, Go Ask Alice is incredible. It’s supposedly the diary of a young girl, written as she starts doing “harmless” drugs and detailing her rapid descent into a drug fueled hell. It’s come under speculation that it’s fiction but even if it is, it’s quite disturbing to read- I had to put it down a few times.
55. Magnolia - September 30th, 2008 at 6:36 am
Great list, but I was surprised that Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” was left out.
56. James - September 30th, 2008 at 6:39 am
I am in the process of reading American Psycho, and to be fair, although I enjoy reading I have found this book to be a challenge. So far it has taken just over a month, and I’m only three quarters of the way through! On several occasions I have considered giving up and getting back to Feist, although I have never given up on a book no matter how dire it is. The constant extensive descripitions of every item of clothing each character in the book is wearing becomes tedious, although I do agree with JT that these referances are warrented to put the tedium of the main characters life into context, I have found this book to be more of a chore than a pleasure.
57. Bigwig Rabbit - September 30th, 2008 at 6:45 am
Hannibal, by Thomas Harris?
The Necroscope Series by Brian Lumley?
Gulag, By Anne Applebaum…Oh, wait! That’s non-fiction. Perhaps another list is needed.
58. TiffanyH - September 30th, 2008 at 6:46 am
as soon as i saw the title of this list i knew that “Haunted” would be on it. after i read Saint Gut-Free’s story i walked around in a daze…utterly amazed and disturbed.
59. Iambeaker - September 30th, 2008 at 6:50 am
What about any of the books about Michael Slade??? In his books, there are twisted psychological serial killers, like a serial killer that is trying to mimic Jack the Rippers killings in modern day Canada. Plus there is one story (I forget which one) when a bunch of boys bury this other kid alive, and you read it and it sticks with your for a long time. Plus the dog killing scene in Swastika, will make your stomach sick for days.
60. The Dread Pirate Bob - September 30th, 2008 at 6:59 am
Wow, we must have completely different I deas of disturbing, I thought Haunted was incredibly boring, then again I HATE Chuck Palahniuk’s smarmy writing style and only read it because I was on a long plane ride and had finished a good book and swapped with my travel companion.
I just picked up Geek Love on the reccomendation of a friend and look forward to reading it. The list does give me a few more books to look for as i’ve only read a few of these though
61. Iâran - September 30th, 2008 at 7:05 am
Great list! I’ve read four of these (and agree that they are incredibly disturbing), but now it seems I can add a few more books to my “to-read-soon” list.
62. MT - September 30th, 2008 at 7:13 am
I need to read more books. I love this list.
63. Lauren - September 30th, 2008 at 7:36 am
YAY! New books to read!
64. kiwiboi - September 30th, 2008 at 7:40 am
Gulag, By Anne Applebaum
Bigwig Rabbit - readable though Gulag is, I thought it merely resembled a collation of much of what I had read on the topic by other writers.
But if you enjoyed Gulag, let me suggest Dolgun (by Patrick Dolgun); a young American citizen with a Russian father who was sent to the camps after being arrested on the streets of Moscow. He was a civilian worker at the US Embassy in Moscow and ended up spending years in the gulag system.
I studied Russian at university and, out of interest, have read dozens of books over the years dealing with the gulag; Dolgun is, head and shoulders, the best IMHO.
65. segue - September 30th, 2008 at 7:42 am
Well, a fine list.
I worked for several years for the So. CA. Mystery Writers of America. I met several of the authors listed above, and have read some of theeir books (well, skimmed…I’m not a huge mystery fan, though some mystery writers I make an exception for!). I just can’t read the horribly graphic, disturbing tales.
I used to be able to. Not any longer.
Some great writers on the list, Jamie! So for those so inclined, I’d say they probably can’t miss on most of the books.
66. kiwiboi - September 30th, 2008 at 7:45 am
oops, Dolgun was actually written by Patrick Watson (Canadian journo/author).
There’s info on Dolgun himself here :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Dolgun
67. Dandelion - September 30th, 2008 at 7:52 am
I haven’t actually read Perfume but I loved the movie. I think I would love the book even more.
68. teacherman - September 30th, 2008 at 8:05 am
Anyone read “Perv-A Love Story” ?
69. warningdontreadthis - September 30th, 2008 at 8:08 am
I love the littreture lists, keep’em comin’
70. Alana M - September 30th, 2008 at 8:08 am
Ack I read Geek Love about 12 years ago and totally forgot about it. Thanks for bringing it up again! Painted Bird sounds interesting though.
71. Breaux - September 30th, 2008 at 8:25 am
First time commenter. I have read all the lists and enjoy both the lists and the comments. Surprising lack of trolls on this site. Very welcome change. I would like to plug my own writing here. I have a book entitled “Killing Janus” which was published in 2006. Not a lot of sales yet, but the reviews indicate that maybe this is the audience I have been seeking. Kirkus Reviews stated the following, “Gardner’s vigorous, pulpy prose and well-wrought action scenes somewhat redeem his shameless wallowing in pornographic violence.”
I apologize if this plug is inappropriate for this forum, but I think I have written a really good book. All reviews have been positive, but I do not have an agent and it’s a tough racket to break in to. Killing Janus is available on Amazon.com.
72. tassadar - September 30th, 2008 at 8:25 am
Before Hannibal Lecter and Silence of the Lambs, there was Thomas Bishop in “By Reason of Insanity”. I was looking for this book for almost 5 years, it was out of print, but i can assure you it was worth the waiting. Thomas Bishop is The Serial Killer.
73. jhoyce07 - September 30th, 2008 at 8:30 am
i like this one JFrater.ü will read one of those in a moment..ü
74. rolltide - September 30th, 2008 at 8:33 am
I was surprised Clive Barker wasn’t mentioned - he gives pleasure/pain a whole new meaning!
75. Cat - September 30th, 2008 at 8:34 am
I just finished American Psycho yesterday. It was tremendous, and the movie is a dreadful, distorted representation of an amazing novel. Read the book! One I might have added to this list is “Drawing Blood” by Poppy Z. Bright, because although a book like that might be an obvious choice for such a list as this, “Drawing Blood” is just…different, and disturbing in a whole host of ways.
76. Kelsi - September 30th, 2008 at 9:00 am
The Sluts is by far the most disturbing piece of literature I have ever come across. Check it out.
77. Jackie R - September 30th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Callie: I read “Go Ask Alice” when I was in high school. It was definitely a great read and somewhat sad but I’m not sure it should be on a most disturbing list.
I feel like all of Chuck Palahnuik’s books are disturbing. I DID read story #1 from Haunted because my brother made me and it was VERY disturbing. I never read the rest…I did read his book “Diary” which was really twisted.
One of the most disturbing books I have read that would be on my top 10 would be “The Long Walk” by Richard Bachman (aka Stephen King). It’s about an annual walking race where 100 boys enter and the prize is anything they want. Basically the winner is the last person left standing…everyone else dies either from being shot or from sheer starvation and exhaustion. (A competitor would get shot if they went to slow or have stopped three times.) What’s so disturbing about it is that it’s talked about so nonchalantly as if it’s no big deal that all of these people are dying, and the whole town comes out to watch, as if it were a regular old marathon!
78. Brans - September 30th, 2008 at 9:02 am
In the author’s notes at the end of Haunted, Chuck talks about that first story, Guts. When he reads it out loud to audiences, at least one person will inevitably faint. It’s that disturbing. But for me, the most disturbing thing about Haunted is that the cover of the book (at least the one shown on here) glows in the frickin’ dark! It was on the nightstand when I woke up in the middle of the night and it scared the $#% out of me!
79. SF - September 30th, 2008 at 9:16 am
Some books that I think are disturbing:
Dr. Adder by K. W. Jeter
- extreme violence, pervert sex and cyberpunk
Crash by J. G. Ballard
- car accidents are sex
After the Flood by P. C. Jersild
- world after nuclear war
80. Callie - September 30th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Cat:
Really? American Psycho is one of the very few movies that I thinik is as good as the book. To Kill A Mockingbird and The Princess Bride round out the top three for me. The Rules Of Attraction was a pretty bad movie based on a kick ass book- also by Bret Easton Elis. I believe there were talks about making a Glamorama movie, too, but I think those may have died out.
Jackie:
I think someone would have caused a fuss if they let us read that book in high school! There’s a specific scene I’m thinking of, in which the titular character and a friend are repeatedly drugged and raped over a period of days and then turned out on the street that I found particularly disturbing, and also one in which the girl is forced into prostitution for drugs and describes her client in detail and what he wants her to do. Considering she’s only about 15, it’s definitely unpleasant.
81. Shibari Hime - September 30th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Im glad to see several books on here I have read. I was very pleased to see the the Marquis was not forgotten! I’ve read most his works since first discovering thier lurid and vile talkes at the age of 11. Yea watch your kids in public libraries they can wander to the wrong section like I did! ^_^
82. Shibari Hime - September 30th, 2008 at 9:35 am
I meant vile tales not viles talkes….. sorry
^_^
Shibari Hime out
83. grubthrower - September 30th, 2008 at 9:49 am
I admit that some of those books are mildly disturbing. And if the list author can’t finish one of them, he’ll no doubt not make it past the first ten pages of what is truly the most twisted book ever written:
Hogg, by noted science fiction author Samuel R. Delaney
But this one certainly ain’t science fiction. It’s the “adventures” of a sexually perverted adolescent boy who gets sort of adopted by an older man (Hogg).
Seems that Hogg, who is fat, smelly, with disgusting feet and pee-stained pants, makes his living as a rapist-for-hire. I firmly believe that “Chip” Delaney wrote this novel solely to see if he could get the sickest book ever written published. The rape scenes are as brutal as possible, making the forced prostitution of family members seem mild in comparison. Even the consensual sex is ghastly — almost unimaginably so.
It takes a strong, stable personality just to be able to read this thing without going insane — but your hands will shake nonetheless… at the very least.
Note: while there is plenty of both gay and straight sex taking place, don’t make the mistake of thinking of this book as “erotica” because everything is so perverted that I am tempted to label the novel as “horror”… but in reality there simply is no genre for perversion of this magnitude.
84. Sarah - September 30th, 2008 at 9:52 am
YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!! I would have DIED if Haunted wasn’t on this list! I made my boss read ‘Guts’ and she almost killed me.
I’m such a freak- at 15 I can read those books and not be scared by them whatsoever. Just more intrigued.
85. SuperHero3 - September 30th, 2008 at 10:13 am
I don’t know what is more scary. The descriptions of these books or the Authors whos minds could actually imagine this horrifying stuff. The dark side of the brain is a hellish place.
86. dustin - September 30th, 2008 at 10:17 am
i was expecting a clockwork orange, but after reading the list i understand why it was left off lol
87. DK - September 30th, 2008 at 10:18 am
Ah JFrater…giving me more books to read than I’ll be able to finish in a lifetime…
The only one here I’ve read is Misery, but I will likely try to read all the others at some point. I have finally decided to make a text document (Notepad, woo!) listing books I want to get, instead of relying on myself to come back to certain lists. So far I have 25…
I’ll also agree with Craig (comment 51) that Apt Pupil is worthy of this list, however I think Misery deserves it more, and Apt Pupil isn’t a “novel” it’s somewhere between short story & novel, but I did found it very disturbing.
88. Ghostship - September 30th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Jackie R-
I read The Long Walk, because my girlfriend loved that book, but I really disliked it. Yeah, it’s a little disturbing, but the never-changing environment and setting bored me.
I’m glad someone pointed out that in the book Misery he get his foot actually cut off. Then let’s not forget about when she cuts off his thumb with a turkey knife…
I’ve never read justine, but I saw the movie. Yeah, it’s pretty bad, but as someone mentioned, 120 Days Of Sodom is waaay worse. I couldn’t even finish it.
Smae with The Painted Bird, I started reading it and had to stop, I just couldn’t handle it.
Another note-worthy (but not top 10-worthy) is Hells Angels by Hunter Thompson. It’s an entertaining read, but can be very graphic at times.
I’d also like to mention Pet Semetary by King, if you haven’t read the book, it puts the movie to shame (as per usual)
89. ericdraven26 - September 30th, 2008 at 10:31 am
when i read the title of the list, i expected to see either “the pearl” or else “of mice and men” but these are much more disturbing than either one of those, and i now learned of 10 new books i need to read.
90. Idreno - September 30th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Great list. I’ve not read anything presented, but of course I’ve seen both movies, Misery and American Psycho.
The only 2 books that come to my mind as being twisted and disturbing are Doris Lessing’s “The Fifth Child” which we had to read for 12th grade AP English and a book which I truly loved but was so revolted by to even attempt reading a second time, Anne Rice’s “Violin.”
“Violin” is just psychotic. It was captivating, but I remember there was a passage in the middle of the book that was so revolting and my sensibilities were so offended that I literally threw the book across the room and damned it…Only to pick it back up again and finish reading it! I tried some years later to read it again, and I was so distraught trying to get through the opening chapters again I have put it down and I don’t think I can go back to it, but it’s worth the 1st read!
91. Dan - September 30th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Let’s Go Play At The Johnsons by Mendel Johnson is pretty disturbing. A group of kids tie up, rape and torture their young babysitter for kicks.
92. Dan - September 30th, 2008 at 10:37 am
I meant Let’s Go Play At The Adams!
93. Ms.Abigail - September 30th, 2008 at 10:42 am
American Psycho is terrible, dont finish reading it. I literaly threw up and had terrible anxiety attacks because i actually finished it.
Haunted was also very disturbing. I adore Chuck Palahnuik novels but this one… Cant say I enjoyed it.
94. lightningclash - September 30th, 2008 at 10:45 am
The road by Cormack McCarthy sent shivers up my spine. It takes place in a world that is entirely possible and makes you really think about how human nature itself would change in a world of complete anarchy. It’s a perfect book for anyone who has a kid, as it follows a father and son through a post-apocolyptic nightmare. No disemboweling or eating prolapsed rectums here because that’s just a buncha psychopaths who moonlight as writers putting out stories like that.
95. Ben - September 30th, 2008 at 10:46 am
I don’t think whoever wrote this list read Misery…his foots chopped off in the book.
96. DK - September 30th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Ben, I don’t think you read the comments, the listwriter acknowledged the mistake, and will be correcting it.
97. Ernmas - September 30th, 2008 at 10:54 am
I never could make it through Haunted, it wasn’t that it was too gory, it was just the topic of the gore and the way it was written. I am a voracious reader, but had issues getting into the rhythm of the writer. He lost me along the way too many times. Same thing happened when reading Violin by Anne Rice. It took me a month to finish a book I should have read in 2 days!
I’ll have to check out Justine, though, sounds interesting. Stephen King - I own/have read all his works. One of my favorites of his was The Longest Walk, written as Richard Bachman.
98. smurff - September 30th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Nice list - have not read the comments yet just come in from work. 8-00pm. right now, I look forward to this list everyday.
Thanks guys.
99. Ren - September 30th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Good list. Now I wanna read American Psycho and Haunted. I’ve never read a Chuck Palahniuk book but I’ve always wanted to because of Fight Club. I’ll be about to buy one in the book store and I look at the price and it is like $15 for a small paperback so I put it back.
100. ryanh - September 30th, 2008 at 11:07 am
The minute I saw the title of this list, I immediately thought of Haunted, especially the story “Guts.” I didn’t think it would be on the list, but I’m glad it is. It was one of the most disturbing pieces of literature I’ve ever read.
101. Tj - September 30th, 2008 at 11:16 am
no Edward lee? Try reading Flesh Gothic. Hes an author that doesn’t like to hold back anything but his work is really scattered, in that the quality level really shifts in his work. Flesh gothic is my favorite and the Backwoods is very good too. He also has a movie that is complete called “HEADer” that is having trouble finding a distribution deal, but I’ve heard it’s both awesome and vomit inducing.
102. jfrater - September 30th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Okay - the error in item 10 is now fixed.
103. Suskis - September 30th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Loved Perfume so much that I got my nick from Suskind’s name. I din’t find it disturbing. It was just amazing.
104. kofeelite - September 30th, 2008 at 11:25 am
“American Psycho” is the most violent, pornographic novel I’ve ever read-and I read a lot. “Less than Zero” by Ellis also had some really disturbing scenes. Love these lists J, but I’d need three lifetimes to get through all these books!
105. jfrater - September 30th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Callie (54): I have read Lunar Park - I loved it! There is just something about BEE writing that really strikes a chord with me. In fact, Lunar Park was probably my favorite of his so far (though the Informers was pretty good too - they are making that in to a movie!) He should have a new book out in two years - he is already working on it.
106. Cedestra - September 30th, 2008 at 11:36 am
I was actually thinking about the mind of these writers, too, and realized it must be easier to think up and write these stories than to read them. If it comes from your mind, it’s not disturbing, is it? You’re just very creative. And you only need some information to springboard your ideas. I suppose a lot of the “disturbing” qualities of these books would be tying it in and writing it, not just it itself.
I’ve actually never read anything on this list, except the story mentioned in Haunted was read to me by a friend. Kind of reminded me of that urban legend about the mud shrimp/lobster woman.
Thanks for this list, Jamie. I may check out a couple of them.
107. cparker - September 30th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Umm I guess this list omits the short stories of Poe. Because he should be number one, his language was creepy. I havent read these but I doubt the words and language used is not as erie as Poe.
108. DK - September 30th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
cparker: there is an entire list on this site dedicated to Poe, check it out under the List Archives if you haven’t read it yet!
109. Ernie - September 30th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
great list, i’ve read almost all these books at some point or another. The book Battle Royale should be put in some where, a story about a middle school class who is gassed than brought to a island where they a have to kill each other with in 3 days untill one is left. It’s written really well and if ppl like the books on the list than they will like this book as well
110. DK - September 30th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Oh, and I just want to amend my previous statement…I took my Notepad list, and plugged it into Amazon, now I have a wishlist
111. joebecca - September 30th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
great list!!
I have to agree with American Psycho. There were certain parts that i would actually GAG and have to put it down. It took me a few tries to get through it. The part you talk about, with the dog and the bum, thats not even the worst of it!!
another one that i really think disturbed me alot was another King book, but a lesser known. it’s called Gerald’s Game. If you haven’t picked it up, i suggest it. Freaking creepy!!
112. Jackie R - September 30th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Callie: Oh no I think you misunderstood me, I didn’t have to read it FOR high school, I just happened to be in high school when I read it (just trying to give a roundabout age of when I read it I guess). Haha that WOULD be disturbing for teachers to make us read….also I don’t deny that there were disturbing parts to the book, and the whole book is extremely sad and terrible…I guess I just meant I couldn’t see it ‘on par’ with any of these books listed here as most disturbing.
Ghostship: oh that’s a shame that you didn’t like the book, but I’m glad to hear that someone else read it and it’s nice to hear another perspective and view on the book
lightningclash: My boyfriend read that book The Road and said he hated it and it was very very boring and that NOTHING happens so I probably won’t read it…he didn’t think it was disturbing at all
113. Callie - September 30th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Jackie:
Ha! miscommunication at it’s finest. I see your point. All these memories of Bret Easton Ellis novels have made me visit his website and reminded me how truely disturbing (but somehow oh so good) his books are. I think Go Ask Alice does pale in comparison. Also, if it WAS true, it doesn’t deserve a place on a novels list.
I’m not a huge Stephen King fan, something about his writing makes it hard for me to immerse myself, but I’ll see if I can check out The Longest Walk..I have to disagree with your bf though- not sure it should be on the list, as I didn’t find it that disturbing, but I thought The Road was an amazing story.
114. molly - September 30th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
thats funny i read misery not too long ago, but i dont remember it being all that disturbing.
american psycho is one of my favorite movies, but i havent gotten around to reading the book yet..
115. Evita Lolita - September 30th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
If you like disturbing novels and can understand french, I strongly suggest Aliss by Patrick Sénécal. It is a twisted version of Alice in Wonderland full of sex, drugs and violence. Anything by Patrick Sénécal is disturbing, really. He is a very popular author here in Quebec.
116. Dr.Diogenes - September 30th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
American Psycho is to me a play on the term “ad nauseam” and the word “nausea”. So it’s like that but a mangling of “written” into “wrought” (as being pounded into shape) so we have “Nausea Wrought”. This then can turn into “Nausea Rot” The mundane mixed with horror and the repetition of “consumer emptiness”
Over and over the book(narrator) repeats itself. and then there’s bursts of blood. then back to the grey of 1980’s product facades of perfection.
Ah, Geek Love. It’s been years sence I read that. I thought of a fictional Diane Arbus existing in that book. Dunn is a gifted writer and I found the afterward insightful and honest. The story itself is a beaut. About family. This would make an awesome film, but I can’t think of who could do it. Only a mixture of different directors.
The only other thing I’ve come across by Dunn is the amazing introduction to a book more disturbing than any fiction. A Homicide Detective’s Scrapbook. Very disturbing and weird collection of crime scene photos.
There are some additions or suggestion I could add, but I will read more here and perhaps include later.
Cheerio chaps!
117. Michelle - September 30th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
I just read a novel called Word Made Flesh by Jack Oconnell, and it was disturbing to say the least. Its a cops and robbers story but with a very strange sci fi/fantasy twist. The story of the pogroms and the Grinder, ack. Also, what about some Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian is creepy as hell. Some of the scenes in the Road sent chills down my spine.
118. Stacie - September 30th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
“We need to talk about Kevin” is a FANTASTIC book and very though provoking (I was a high school teacher when I read it). Nice list!
119. 803cpkeenan - September 30th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
The song Scentless Apprentice, by the American grunge band Nirvana, was inspired by Perfume. It appears on their 1993 album In Utero. The band’s singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain often described the novel as one of his favorite books. FROM WIKIPEDIA
120. Thewalkingdude - September 30th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
I am probably a little biased towards Stephen King, but parts of his writings are quite disturbing. The Stand as a whole is not all that bad, but what really got me was the chapter that depicted the government response to the accusations that they started the superflu. Also, his short stories “Cain Rose Up” and “Survivor Type” are very creepy. Cain Rose Up was inspired by the Texas A+M bell tower shootings. I first read that during a lockdown drill at my high school, and couldn’t stop shaking for a while afterwords. Survivor type is about a man who is shipwrecked on an island, and literally has to eat himself to survive. It’s told from a first person view and gets progressively more incoherent as you go on.
121. jhm - September 30th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I have to read these,I’ve heard that The Girl
Next Door by Jack Ketchum is the most disturbing, look it up. Misery for no particular reason is one of the few stephen king books i have not read.
122. Tyree - September 30th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
In my opinion, Pet Semetary is a far more disturbing book by Stephen King–one that he even had reservations about publishing.
Also, I was surprised not to see Battle Royale on this list. It’s a book about a government experiment that puts high school students on an island and forces them to kill each other. It’s one of my favorite books, but I know a lot of people who haven’t been able to finish it.
123. Angryfeet - September 30th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Hmm, great list but I really think ‘Haunted’ doesn’t deserve a spot on here. I’m a fan of some of Chuck Palahniuk’s work, but honestly ‘Haunted’ wasn’t that disturbing… it was just a bit gory and boring. His writing was certainly not as good as in previous works with ‘Haunted’, either. I agree with the comment that said ‘The Road’ should have been on here - remember, disturbing does not equal graphic/gory. I would have liked to see at least one book on here that was disturbing without the use of lots of graphically written violence, and I think ‘The Road’ would fit very nicely. Otherwise, good job and good choices!
124. Metalwrath - September 30th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
I think Kafka’s The Metamorphosis was truly the most disturbing book I’ve ever read. I mean the author must have been truly insane to come up with a storyline like that!
125. besk - September 30th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Awesome list, definitely will have to go through and read some of these. But ‘Exquisite Corpse’ by Poppy Z. Brite, will make most people put it down to take a breathe. I warn it is not for people who are the faint of heart. It is very similar to the story of Jeffrey Dahmer.
126. playyahplay - September 30th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
I didnt read all the posts but ‘Gerald’s Game’ is far more messed up than misery and the ‘Books of Blood’ by clive Barker r greatness.
127. sho nuff - September 30th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
haunted! i LOVED it! short stories woven into one LONG freak fest……
128. jake ryder - September 30th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Sadly I have only read Misery and Justine. i found Pet Semetary to be more disturbing than Misery though.
129. David G - September 30th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
It’s a great list! I agree with every book on there.
however, I’d like to suggest another book. Aliss, by Patrick Sénécal. It’s in french, and contains lots of quebecois slang, though, so not everyone would be able to understand it. It’s a twisted take on Alice in Wonderland, but which happens in a Montréal neibourghood which you can only access from the subway (the equivalent of the rabbit hole). What’s interesting in this book, if you forget the fact that the neibourghood is completely isolated and can’t be found easily, it’s how realistic it is. there’s no ghosts or creatures or whatever, just weird customs and people. And in this book’s wonderland, there is no limits. Nothing is considered immoral, and logic doesn’t seem to existe.
This book is very, very disturbing. You actually feel somewhat sick when you read it, since the author makes it easy to understand how the main character feels. It’s really a hard read, but you get sucked in nonetheless.
definitively worth reading.
130. Amyss - September 30th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
OH , I must add two that completely and utterly gave me the ultimate mindf***k….House of Leaves by Danielewski is just nearly unexplainable, it changed me and there is no monster, all psychological, but still I slept with the lights on and had nightmares.
Also,Cormac McCarthy’s most disturbing and nightmarish book is by far “Blood Meridian” (I swear, are the only books of his people read -or know from the MOVIES- The Road and No Country for Old Men??) Anyway, Blood Meridian was so nightmarish, it made me fear the imagination that came up with it. And it is not not just “ooo I’ll be super gross for the sake of being super gross!” like Easton Ellis, his writing is goosebump-inducing good, and terrifying without being in the horror genre. Truly a master
131. Amyss - September 30th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
And Jake Ryder, I totally agree with you, Pet Semetary is much more terrifying that ANY other King’s - I think it is since I have a 3 babies and the thought of losing one, and digging one up….**trembling** that is just terror porn right there.
132. Dr.D - September 30th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
The thing is, Amyss, Mcarthy says he spent his research time on actual artifacts of discriptive details of the time and people he depicted. Blood Meridian is his magnum opus and now that he is suddenly know in a much larger context it’ll take time for the muddy waters to reiside. I wanna read more, but at the right time.
“Child of God” is a good short one, like “the road”. small and fare, but like Murikami, touches of poetic lucidity and moments of disturbing details. Although Child of God is maybe more lyrical.
Oh, please descibe what happens in House of Leaves. I started it from a library borrowing(geez, almost ten years ago), and stopped midway. I liked the triple story experiment, along with the labarynth(sp?) of literary games. I think I got up to the rough explorer being brought in and, along with his team, becoming “lost” . It’s been a while.
Tell me Amyss, the loose story, as it was this way in which i first picked it up.
I remember reading a year later or so, a review by the guy that wrote Lowlife and him dissing it, but my curriosty has been reinstated.
133. Dr.D - September 30th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
P.S. I meant to say Murakami’s “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle”
I don’t know, maybe not the best to bring up as comparision
134. kat87 - September 30th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
awesome list! I’ve read a couple of these books. Of all the King books ive read, im not sure Misery would be the most disturbing, but wow, all great reads. I’m excited to do some Amazon shopping now! Easton Ellis and Chuck P. are so much fun to read. great list!
135. Vera Lynn - September 30th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
10. Misery. The suspense alone made me nuts. 15 pages to describe ten minutes. I had to skip ahead.
5. Geek Love. I read this years ago and never forgot it. How they TRIED to have abnormal children through whatever means to keep the act going.
4. Reminds me of “Give a Boy a Gun.”
1. Haunted. I have had this book for over a year and cannot make it past where they are picked up at the very beginning. It doesn’t entice me. Maybe I’ll give it another shot. We’ll see.
136. Becca - September 30th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
I knew something was off when I read the review of Haunted. It’s just a little note, but there definitely aren’t 8 characters. It’s 19, I believe. Even the second time I read it I had to keep a little notebook with brief character descriptions so I could keep theme all straight.
137. Vera Lynn - September 30th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Ringtailroxy (16)That book broke my heart. I read it once and will never read it again. And I am so very sorry that you suffered at the hands of a monster. There are no words I can say to think I could understand what you went through. I can only acknowledge your strength and perseverence to endure. A trauma like that rarely goes unpunished. What goes around comes around.
138. Vera Lynn - September 30th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Piper (21)Gerald’s Game Where her skin is peeled off like a glove is an image in my mind forever.
Dan (91) Sounds like fun!
139. Bacon - September 30th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
I just finished reading Pet Sematery by Stephen King (Yeah, it’s a little late) and I have to admit that it’s pretty disturbing. Not just the resurrections of the cat and the main character’s family, but the situation with Rachel Creed’s sister, Zelda. The way in which Zelda’s spinal menengitis is described horrified me.
140. Amyss - September 30th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Dr D….I would love to have a House of Leaves talk with you - and hopefully inspire you to pick it up again? Are you on yahoo? Or gmail?
One other book that had everything going for it and just TOTALLY BOTCHED the ending was “Shadow of the Wind”. There should be a book list of amazing, life changing, fantastic books that just totally RUINED IT with a stupid ending *cough Stephen King*
141. The Only Sane One - September 30th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Good list and comments, but I’m surprised at what some posters consider “disturbing” novels, especially after reading the list. I mean, people mentioned Steinbeck, Morrison’s “Beloved,” and Kafka on here. These books are so tame that they’re read in public high schools across the US, where stuffy parents and administrators almost always keep any “objectionable” content out of the classroom. These belong in a completely different league, and I hope that whoever offered those suggestions reads some of the books on this list.
142. YES!! - September 30th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
I was waiting for a Chuck Palahniuk novel on this list and was pleased to see Haunted at #1. Probably one of the most disturbing books by this author and the first story is agreeably the worst.
143. jfrater - September 30th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Becca: thanks for pointing that out - it was 18 - I left off the ‘1′ accidentally
It is now corrected.
144. mikerodz - September 30th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
I am not sure the author of this list read all 10 of these books. If he does,I wonder if his mind is working normally… Just kidding.
145. Vera Lynn - September 30th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Amyss (140) I have said it before but it bears repeating. S. King is one of my all time fave authors hands down and away. He is also the best at blowing the ending. He builds these incredible stories then just drops the ball. He should have a contest. Who can rewrite a better ending to one of his stories. Now that could be good reading!
146. dr.d - September 30th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Amyss: I have no yahoo or gmail. Does that make me a doofus?
“Shadow of the Wind” eh? I may have heard that title or skimmed across it somewheres.
See, I suppose I am not interested in re-reading Leaves of Grass, as so much as, being able to pick it up where I left off, more or less, under the same sense of mindset. The person who described it to me had done so in such a way that sparked my imagination enough to allow for the onset of what occured in the begining to take hold. Maybe some things are best left unfinished, but i still wonder if possibilities are beyond my own measure of experience told and if 10 years pause could not be restarted like an old reliable truck.
147. Delilah - September 30th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
The only one I’ve read of these is Haunted, which I own and love. I picked it up in a airport for a 8 hour plane ride with no idea what it was about. Don’t think i’ve ever been that surprised before. I got halfway through Guts before I had to put it down and compose myself. I spent the rest of the trip keeping the book almost closed so no one else could read it over my shoulder. I think the nightmare box and the hot potting stories were the most disturbing, I was honestly afraid of water for a while there.
148. Mom424 - September 30th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Excellent List Jamie. All worthy inclusions. And more to add to my book list.
I agree with the mention of Pet Semetary, one of the few books I have had to put down. As soon as I could forsee the kid gettin’ smucked, I bailed. Someone mentioned that it may just have something to do with maternal instinct.
Apt Pupil scared the crap out of me. I could understand how obsession could turn to emulation too easily. Very disturbing.
Whoever mentioned the Michael Slade books is correct. They are extremely graphic, disembowelment by suction is one of the scenes that sticks in my head. They are actually very well researched, the stories are great, but they suffer from some of the worst editing I have ever seen. Far too much repetition of phrase and some very tortured syntax. Whoever publishes these should hire me to edit them.
149. Interregnum - September 30th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
I think Stephen King’s “Needful Things” should be on here, even though “Misery”’s already there. It’s about a sort of demon who opens a shop in a small town that drives people mad with greed and desire for the objects he sells. Plenty of people die in horrific ways, and there’s a good chunk of animal and child killing thrown in there too.
150. Kevin - September 30th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Two previous commenters mentioned “120 Days of Sodom” (by the Marquis de Sade). I’ve never read his “Justine” which is in this list, but I read “120 Days of Sodom” over 20 years ago and it was pretty nauseating, though I finished it.
If I remember correctly, it was really an unfinished book - only the first 30 days of debauchery were completed, and the remaining 90 days were each outlined in a paragraph or two. Thus the condensed list of all the escalating sex, violence, mutilation and murder was that much more disgusting, being rattled off as a brief list. I’m not sure whether we’re better off or not that the Marquis never finished the book….
151. Chris G - September 30th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Good list, although Chuck Palahniuk is among the most overrated living writers.
The most disturbing books I’ve read are probably those by Hubert Selby Jr. Two of his books have been made into films: ‘Last Exit to Brooklyn’ and ‘Requiem for a Dream’. These are his two LEAST disturbing novels. The rest of his books are essentially unfilmable due to their content. And unlike Ellis or Palahniuk, he doesn’t rely on violence and gore for his shocks.
152. Corey - September 30th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
I hate “Haunted”. It’s far from disturbing, in my opinion. It’s just a collection of bad ideas that try too hard to be gross. Other than that, great list. I’ll have to check out the ones I haven’t read. I wanted to mention “The Lottery”. I know it’s a short story, but it’s the only story that’s ever legitimately creeped me out.
153. Leslie - September 30th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
I love this list! I’ve read “Misery” and “Geek Love” and now i want to read the rest. I suggest Harlan Ellison’s “Deathbird Stories” and “Way Past Cool” by Jess Mowry
154. toddles - October 1st, 2008 at 12:53 am
Haven’t seen any comment on Poppy Z. Brite’s “Exquisite Corpse”. Lent it to a friend who then - purposefully - left it on a train somewhere between Cape Town and Jozi due to it being (in his own words) the most depraved and filthy book he’s ever attempted to read. Bloody marvelous!
155. xdr - October 1st, 2008 at 2:07 am
The 120 days of sodom, which is not so much a story as a torture/perversion/pornographic orgie. Really disturbing.
150. Kevin: yes but he left that bit with the pregnant lady and her fetus. I skipped pages….
156. coops - October 1st, 2008 at 2:29 am
First time commenter. Good list but I thought I would add a couple of writers, James Herbert,my choice to read would be the rats or spear, and anything by Shaun Hutson
157. xo Holly Homicide xo - October 1st, 2008 at 3:02 am
I am thoroughly pleased that Haunted made it onto this list. I am a huge Chuck Palahnuik fan… and this book actually made me throw up AND pass out. It is seriously THAT intense. Also probably one of the most creative books I’ve ever read.
Kudos on the rest of the list as well.
158. Zen Poet - October 1st, 2008 at 5:02 am
This is a great list and i have only not read two of them. The only other books i can think of that truly disturbed me were “The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things” and “Sarah” by J.T. Leroy. The former they made a movie of not too long ago, but though it was well acted, they butchered the story into being mediocre. There is also a LOT of controversy about the author thats interesting to check out. Also let not forget almost everything E.A. Poe ever wrote for disturbing.
159. Tenebrae - October 1st, 2008 at 6:27 am
“The Consumer” by Michael Gira is disturbing - bordering on absolutely grotesque. I’m sure some of you folks would love it.
160. FelixMG - October 1st, 2008 at 6:47 am
Random acts of Hatred is by far the most disturbing book i’ve ever read. It is a collection of short stories dealing with the most gruesome and disturbing situations you could ever imagine. It’s sickening just to think about it.
161. TweTwe - October 1st, 2008 at 6:58 am
I’d put forward ‘Mysterious Skin’ by Scott Heim. For me it doesn’t get much more disturbing than sexual abuse of 8 year olds - and one of them loving it.
162. Cambrex101 - October 1st, 2008 at 7:54 am
Oh, geez. Is number 1 in Haunted “Guts”?
I read Fight Club and thought it was pretty good, and heard about Guts, so read it online.
I literally thought I was going to throw up.
I couldn’t stop thinking about it and kept feeling woozy throughout the next couple days.
It sickened and disturbed me so much that I was shaking and was totally out of it.
And I couldn’t eat or talk to people, or even think about reading anything.
It took me a really long time to get through it because I kept stopping, and taking deep breaths as to not faint or something.
That was my first experience with disturbing literature, and I was 15 (it was only a few months ago).
Eugh. I hate that story.
163. BrotherMan - October 1st, 2008 at 8:13 am
I also have yet to finish reading American Psycho. It is not the fact of how violent and cold blooded the main character is, but the difficulty in reading all of the meticulous and often times mundane descriptions of the environment and everything from clothes to food, etc. Ellis is a very descriptive writer indeed. I am about half way through the book and since I am now on the look out for something else to read I may just pick it back up and finish it finally.
164. paulyt - October 1st, 2008 at 8:50 am
Since you said “only fiction” the following doesn’t count but I found it deeply disturbing, it’s a true story. The book is called “Someone Else’s Daughter” It’s about the murder of Anita Cobby. What they did to that poor girl is so horrifying that the area where it happened (and where I happen to live) has held it’s reputation as a dangerous place to be since it happened back in 1986.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anita_Cobby
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.....s_Daughter
http://www.thecrimeweb.com/mur....._cobby.htm
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Someon.....0732909163
http://www.trutv.com/library/c.....bby/1.html
165. segue - October 1st, 2008 at 9:35 am
rtr: I had to actually go back and find your comment to reread it.
MY GOD! You mentioned such a horrid fact in such a casual way that I totally overlooked it the first time through.
Vera Lynn’s comment made me go back and check. I know I can trust her judgment, so it wasn’t a question of it being too hard, I knew you had been through something horrible. I knew you needed to know yo