Hopefully a little more niche than most requests – books with a demented protagonist

*Filth* by Irvine Welsh is a must! You know the tired old trope of the dodgy cop? This takes it to 11. Absolutely unapologetic masterpiece in which Welsh knows what he wants and pushes as far as he can. You really see his skill and natural talent for the topic coming out; it’s the book he was born to write. I guess a lot of his other works will fit your request too. I suspect (but haven’t yet read) *The Blade Artist* might be an interesting one for you.

Definitely try *And The Ass Saw the Angel* by Nick Cave. You’ll see a lot of similarities with *Child of God*. Cave’s other novel, *The Death of Bunny Munro*, has a wonderfully messed-up protagonist/narrator, moreso than in *And the Ass Saw the Angel*, but is not quite as effective a piece of writing.

There are also a few short stories by Roald Dahl. ‘The Visitor’ is the first one, followed by ‘Bitch’ and the novel, *My Uncle Oswald*. You’ll probably appreciate the first of these mostly as an intro to the other two. The way in which he approaches his subject – illicit sex in particular, but also what would now probably qualify as rape – in the latter two, with humour and charm, is perhaps going to be of interest to you.

*Chopper* by Mark Brandon Read might work too. It’s autobiographical, written when Read was in prison, detailing his life stealing from/killing criminals. The way in which he writes, his use of language, etc. creates a kind of charm that encourages you to accept his criminality.

*Antkind* by Charlie Kaufmann is also an interesting read, although the protagonist there is … Off the charts. In fact, the whole book is off the charts.

*Ablutions* by Patrick DeWitt gives you a scheming alcoholic bartender. Not easy to find, but a fascinating, interesting book. It’s strangely funny and horrible at once.

*The Wasp Factory* by Iain Banks and *American Psycho* and *Glamorama* by Bret Easton Ellis probably belong on the list, although the protagonists are messed up in very different ways.

For a few less extreme examples, try *The White Tiger* by Aravind Adiga, *Breakfast with the Borgias*, *Lights Out in Wonderland* and even maybe *Vernon God Little* by DBC Pierre. It’s hard to say the protagonists are necessarily demented, but they all offer something a little different to more standard fare.

{{Tampa by Alissa Nutting}}