Controversial/unnerving books. Recommendations?

[JasonVoorhees]

Hi all

Been browsing the good old World Wide Web this chilly Saturday evening while my LO is with her dad, and came across an article regarding the most "traumatizing books people have ever read". Basically books that stick with you forever, due to their disturbing content.

I'm an avid reader and pretty bored of mainstream novels. Read a few weird books in my time and recently bought Lolita (a literary classic, so I've heard). WIBU to ask your experiences and/or recommendations?

Looking forward to your replies, hopefully some of you Mumsnetters are as weird as me.

I've just read The Mixed Martial Artist by Lanta Brown. It's a really fucked up love story and quite disturbing in parts with some of the most creative sex scenes I've ever read!

The end of Alice is another. Couldn't get through that.

A Little Life haunted me.

Wetlands grossed me out www.amazon.co.uk/Wetlands-Charlotte-Roche/dp/0007307616?tag=mumsnetforu03-21 and American Psycho was such a tough and revolting read for me I actually had to keep putting it down. It was part of my uni course so I just had to keep going!

@Enb76 I also read King Rat about 25 years ago and yes I still think about it! Have you read Shogun yet? That was absolutely brilliant. I didn't enjoy Tai Pan quite as much tho.

The Death House by Sarah Pinborough
The Wasp Factory by Ian Banks

I enjoyed most of these, especially The Wasp Factory. I don't think anyone has mentioned The Dinner by Herman Koch, which I found unsettling.

Just ordered The Wasp Factory, thank you!

I also recommend Mo Hayder - Tokyo and The Treatment are the ones that stick with me.

Great thread. I've not heard of lots of these but hope to give some a try.

Mine are
Haunted - Chuck Palahniuk
American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis
The Tin Drum - Gunter Grass
Cement Garden - Ian McEwan

My absolute darling. I stuck with it but it creeped me out so much how a man raping his daughter was romanticised.

Wild Thing by Joolz Denby, very disturbing.

The Fish Girl by Mirandi Riwoe
Beautiful and important but oh so sad. We read it in my book club and had a fantastic discussion, so I'm not sorry I read it. However, it made me truly upset.

Let's Go Play at the Adams'

Julie Myerson - Something Might Happen and The Stopped Heart. Parents’ worst nightmares.

Had to mention ‘The Wasp Factory’ too. That book has haunted me for years. I must read it again.

‘Push me, Pull me’

I read it as a teen. It’s about a girl who is sexually abused by her mum’s boyfriend.

If you liked American psycho, try 'how to kill your friends' by John Niven. It left me very unsettled and I gave it to a charity shop after I'd read it as I wanted it out of the house!

Another one for HAUNTED Chuck Palaniuk - OMG!! The story about the boy in the swimming pool, if you like calamari, you'll probably NEVER eat it again...

Also PERFUME... And Under The Skin - agree with pp, NOTHING like the film - so much more sinister/unnerving

The Red Pony - Steinbeck
Kes
Lolita

To echo so many other posters 'the road' -harrowing, and 'The lovely bones' also extremely haunting and harrowing
I will definitely be looking up many of the recommendations on this thread🙏

I read the Flowers In The Attic series as a teen. It really stuck with me. Very good reads though.

The Power.

Following so that I can save the suggestions.

I read Let's Go Play At The Adams in the early 80s. It's still the most disturbing thing I've ever read.

I really enjoyed the Wasp Factory.
Just tried to read The Underground Railway by Colson Whitehead, but couldn't get past the graphic execution descriptions.

Now It’s Time To Say Goodbye
By Dale Peck

I read this years ago and some of it still come back to haunt me. Not an easy read but it is a book that will definitely unnerve and stay with you.

Oh following. I feel the same way OP.

Trigger warning contain abuse and rape.

4 that have stuck with me through countless readings are:

Hush: Sandra Raine

Salve Girl: Sarah Forsyth (true story though so extra hard hitting)

Nameless: Joe Conlan

A Version of the Truth: BP Walter.

All reads which stayed with me for weeks after and I have re read time and time again.

The Dinner by Herman Koch. Sorry if it’s akready been mentioned.

Will second or third We Need To Talk About Kevin, bloody brilliant