Books that disturb you?

[TheMasterNotMargarita]

I don't mean books that are obviously horror genre or thriller type or misery-lit.
I just finished A Handmaid's Tales and it gave me the heebie jeebies. Everyone under the regime having their place. Not knowing who you could talk to about anything. Chilling.

I was also quite freaked out by The Midwich Cuckoos and scared myself with Rebecca.

Any others had a similar effect on you?

I loved Never Trust A Rabbit by Jeremy Dyson. A few of the stories in there stayed with me.

Also one I can't remember the name of. It's one of Stephen King's short stories in Everything's Eventual or From A Buick 8 about a stone in a stone circle that can only be seen through a lens and drives those who find it mad.
Really stayed with me that one.

Cat's Cradle (Kurt Vonnegut)

Valis (Philip K Dick)

Yes, Perfume was very creepy but its one of my favourites. I really liked A Little Life too but it was just so sad.
Lots of others I haven't read that I will add to my list.

We Need to Talk About Kevin. The sort of novel you need a good shower afterwards to wash yourself clean.

Gerald's Game by Stephen King. Although I know that that is obviously in the horror genre, it wasn't the out and out horror aspects of it that creeped me out but the thought of being trapped in that scenario - what would you do?

"It's a good life" by Jerome Bixby

The Island of Dr Moreau by H G Wells. Even re-reading I have a growing sense of horror as I go on.
For outright horror, Salems Lot gives me sleepless nights every time.

Somewhere south of midnight. Author unknown as I've lent it out.

Redannie118 that sounds awful. Why do they do that?

I was going to say 'We need to talk about Kevin' too. How having a child can go so wrong.

Yes please! I work in social care so I would not want to read it!! Too much like work :(

We Need To Talk About Kevin nearly put me off having kids!

Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel. It's about a small-time spirit medium doing the seedy outer London circuit of function rooms and 'Psychic Fayres' in the late 1990s, and you spend the entire novel wondering whether the spirits who haunt her are 'real' or the displaced signs of trauma left over from a horrifically abusive childhood. Chilling and brilliantly-written.

I'm the King of the Castle by Susan Hill, who also wrote the Woman in Black. Chilling story of childhood jealousy and rivalry.

Place marking

Redannie that book sounds truly disturbing!
I can't read any books on child abuse since becoming a mum, pre kids I read a piece of cake and that haunted me for ages

House of leaves gave me the willies. Bought it on the recommendation of a previous thread like this.

Also second we need to talk about Kevin. Thought I would hate that book but read it on honeymoon and loved it. DH read it too and we spent the last week talking about it!

Let's Go Play at the Adams.

Never babysit overnight after reading this. Ever.

Half a yellow sun by chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

The ending still haunts me 7-8 years from when last read it. I watched the movie and it didn't have the same feeling the book gave and it doesn't have the effect the book has.

The Dice Man by Luke Reinhart - had me in tears and I think I only managed the first 2 chapters and threw the awful thing on the fire. It's about a psychiatrist who begins to live his life by the roll of the dice. Sounds interesting, until the first thing the 'dice' tell him to do is rape his neighbour. Hideous. That book sh*t me right up.

There was another book I read which I have a feeling is quite well known, but I can't remember the title or author. It's about a young girl who is abducted and murdered (horrible). The story is from her POV in the afterlife, watching her family cope with the tragedy and grow up. It was a really hard read, very moving - I read most of it through tears.

Definitely agree with ...kevin and *Handmaids Tale.
My contribution to this thread is When the wind blows by Raymond Briggs.

I read it when I was about 14/15 and it has stayed with me. In fact, as soon as I saw the thread title I thought of it. It's a story told about an everyday, average, retired couple who are getting ready for (the possibility of) nuclear war but they really don't get it.
They're good citizens who follow the governments advice to the letter but it doesn't help them in the slightest.

Heartbreaking and chilling in the extreme!

Mrsg was it The lovely Bones?

If so then I agree. Awful book! One read was more than enough.

Black yes that was it! One read is plenty 😢

Every Last One

Just sad and surprising