Which are the most disturbing books you've read?

[flamebat]

Following on from the film thread, many people said that American Psycho was worse as a book than a film, so wondered about other books.

For me, has got to be American Psycho

I read one as a child all about children who died before being christened or something too which upset me lots... Don't remember the name though - Tilly maybe?

Pet Semetary

complicity by iain banks

Enduring Love by Ian McEwan, The Vigin Suicides and Middlesex, all distrubing but not in a 'horror' sort of way.

Ten Thousand Sorrows by Elizabeth Kim

Definitley American Psycho - deeply disturbing book but I really enjoyed the film, it seemed less "real" than the book somehow.

Ian McEwan Concrete Garden

and various of his short stories

(The) Fifth Child by can't think at the moment

The Woman Who Walked Into Doors Roddy Doyle

Asylum Patrick McGrath

Memories of my ghost brother Heinz Fenkl

Monkey's Uncle, The Dream Mistress Jenny Diski

The Yellow Wallpaper

The Healer Greg Hollingshead

novel wriiten in Glaswegian with a lot of f words by the blind narrator

The Treatment by Mo Hayder...had a little thread about this earlier...I won't even tell you what's so bad about it because it's really, really horrid and might offend someone. Good book though!

Zippi - The fifth Child is by Doris Lessing and is very disturbing indeed. Remember finishing it and wishing I'd never started it!

I'm afraid I go in for acute mental disturbance

I'd forgotten about good old Ian McEwan - that guy has got a worrying imagination.

Cement Garden and The Comfort of Strangers are both bleurgh ones.

Definitely, definitely American Psycho .... hideous, nasty book. I felt almost unclean after reading it!

oops it is cement garden isn't it

anyone know the scottish one?

James Kelman - How late it was how late - is that the one zippi?

Brilliant that's right Dinosaur

Agree that the Fifth Child was v. scary

A child called it, and the ones that followed

Clive Barker - Weaverworld

American Psycho - I felt like I should be arrested for reading it on the tube...

Wasp Factory - Ian McEwan - is that the one zippi?

Sara Payne - a Mother's story. Very upsetting.

Under the skin by Michel Faber - am reading it at the moment, only about a third through it, but can't shake off a strong and distinct feeling of unease. Never had this before with a book, very powerful. Almost too apprehensive to read on.

I read The Fifth Child when pregnant with dd Has not affected her however TBH I didn't find it that convincing - I went onto it from The Good Terrorist, also by Doris Lessing, which I did really enjoy - a much better book IMO.

Train spotting, a very very disturbing book and quite different to the film.

Wasp Factory is by Iain Banks.

For me it has to be Filth by Irvine Welsh. Yuck. I loved Trainspotting, read it before the film, but I never thought it was that different really.

Also Flowers in the Attic.

hi wee sadie i totally agree