The Sleep Experiment by Jeremy Bates the ending really threw me for a loop.
I also liked The Inmate by Frida McFadden.
I_want_chicken on
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Status_Pollution3776 on
Tender is the flesh
Magenta-Magica on
Pretty Girls & Crow Girl, wasn’t prepared for this much gore.
admaher2 on
The one that I really found disturbing was Pet Sematery by Stephen King. King has a introduction where he basically said he held on to it for a while before publishing because even he thought he may have crossed the line on that one.
CarlHvass on
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. Dark stuff indeed!
Find-Peace_ on
I have no mouth and I must scream by Harlan Ellison
Romulus555 on
The person who posted “Tender is the flesh” picked a strong one. Even stronger is “Johnny Get your gun”, you will cringe a bit, as is “The Troop” by Nick Cutter
Bremerlo on
If You Tell by Gregg Olsen. It’s a true story, but it doesn’t read like non fiction. I found it so disturbing that I quit reading halfway through and it honestly turned me off of reading for like a year.
msunnysideup on
second tender is the flesh, also the wasp factory really yucked me. the characters are doing awful thing but it was mostly the perspective of the narrator that just made me a bit queasy
MakosRetes2 on
A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
Gold-Judgment-6712 on
The Holy Bible
Aware-Visit-7519 on
A Child Called It by David Pelzer
johnsciarrino on
The Story of the Eye by George Bataille. It’s insanely explicit and perverse even by today’s standards which is crazy because it was written in 1928.
ConstantCool6017 on
Flowers in the attic
thesilver-man on
The girl next door by Jack Ketchum. Read when you are in agood mental state man.
The13thBeatle on
Earthlings: A NovelBook by Sayaka Murata
About midway through the book, you will think “Oh yeah, this is HELLA disturbing, must be why he suggested it.” And then by the time you finish the rest? You’ll realize that what you thought was the most disturbing part, feels vanilla and tame by comparison to the shit that happens in the last 30 pages.
okbutbooks on
In between dreams – Iman Verjee. A super disturbing novel that explores incest.
Ryoloz on
Tender is the Flesh.
Princess-Reader on
PAINTED BIRD
marzukazuka17 on
I’ve read a lot of transgressive fiction, and a lot of it was very disturbing, but the only book I’ve ever had to stop reading because of its content is Hogg by Samuel Delany. Lots of awful, violent, sexual stuff, told from the perspective of a 12 year old child who is by turns victim and accomplice, and only ever given the name “C***S*****” in the course of the narrative. I think there are lots of transgressive books that have like… Real lessons and morality in them. I think Hogg doesn’t. I think that’s the point, and because of that I wouldn’t recommend it in any circumstances other than this!
enlasnubess on
Tender is the flesh, by agustina bazterrica
Imaginary_Fee_507 on
Off Season by Jack Ketchum is rough.
Simibecks on
Tender is the Flesh, The Collector (John Fowles) and Lolita.
eat_vegetables on
Shocked to see no one mention Marquis de Sade; the word sadism was coined from his name based on his novels.
Per wiki
> Sade is best known for his libertine novels which combine graphic descriptions of sex and violence with long didactic passages in which his characters discuss the moral, religious, political and philosophical implications of their acts. **The characters engage in a range of acts including blasphemy, sexual intercourse, incest, sodomy, flagellation, coprophilia, necrophilia and the rape, torture and murder of adults and children.**
> Sade’s major libertine novels are The 120 Days of Sodom (written 1785, first published 1899), Justine (two versions, published 1791 and 1797–99), Philosophy in the Bedroom (a novel in dialogue, published 1795) and Juliette (published 1797–99).
downquark9009 on
Cows by Mathew Stokoe
Positive_Worker_3467 on
unhinged its a romance between a woman and a man/door
Firm-Wishbone-5128 on
torment by dylan page
NancyEstevezN on
Steven King’s Apt Pupil was very disturbing to me.
fileg on
The Collector, John Fowles
Subject_Molasses_234 on
Cruddy by Lynda Barry
sozh on
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Murakami gets pretty weird and dark.
DotCareful593 on
on the savage side by tiffany mcdaniel
Aggravating-Show-298 on
“The Devil All the Time” – Donald Ray Pollock
Devi_Moonbeam on
On the Beach by Nevil Shute would be right up there.
leowifethrowaway2022 on
Good morning, Monster
FrogWhore42069 on
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez
Temporary_Leading_71 on
The eye — Bataille
iamthepinkelephant on
The Hunger by Alma Katsu. It’s based on the true story of the Donner Party. If it was pure fiction it would be an okay book.
LittleFoxyLady on
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. We Need to Talk About Kevin.
bardmusiclive on
120 Days of Sodom, by Marquis de Sade
JoeWeydemeyer on
Frequent yet still unimaginable acts of genocide. Hypocritical and often horrific perspectives on slavery and the value of individual lives in different settings and times. All forms of familial crimes committed and justified in the most absurd way possible. A cult leader rises, and the story is all wrapped up with a truly toxic fever dream ending, with unreliable and contradictory narrators presiding over the text itself.
I am, of course, talking about The Bible.
surveyor2004 on
Four Hours in My Lai. The things they did to those people. Disturbing for sure.
46 Comments
Whispers and the Roars by K. Webster
Good Me Bad me by Ali Land
The Sleep Experiment by Jeremy Bates the ending really threw me for a loop.
I also liked The Inmate by Frida McFadden.
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Tender is the flesh
Pretty Girls & Crow Girl, wasn’t prepared for this much gore.
The one that I really found disturbing was Pet Sematery by Stephen King. King has a introduction where he basically said he held on to it for a while before publishing because even he thought he may have crossed the line on that one.
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. Dark stuff indeed!
I have no mouth and I must scream by Harlan Ellison
The person who posted “Tender is the flesh” picked a strong one. Even stronger is “Johnny Get your gun”, you will cringe a bit, as is “The Troop” by Nick Cutter
If You Tell by Gregg Olsen. It’s a true story, but it doesn’t read like non fiction. I found it so disturbing that I quit reading halfway through and it honestly turned me off of reading for like a year.
second tender is the flesh, also the wasp factory really yucked me. the characters are doing awful thing but it was mostly the perspective of the narrator that just made me a bit queasy
A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
The Holy Bible
A Child Called It by David Pelzer
The Story of the Eye by George Bataille. It’s insanely explicit and perverse even by today’s standards which is crazy because it was written in 1928.
Flowers in the attic
The girl next door by Jack Ketchum. Read when you are in agood mental state man.
Earthlings: A NovelBook by Sayaka Murata
About midway through the book, you will think “Oh yeah, this is HELLA disturbing, must be why he suggested it.” And then by the time you finish the rest? You’ll realize that what you thought was the most disturbing part, feels vanilla and tame by comparison to the shit that happens in the last 30 pages.
In between dreams – Iman Verjee. A super disturbing novel that explores incest.
Tender is the Flesh.
PAINTED BIRD
I’ve read a lot of transgressive fiction, and a lot of it was very disturbing, but the only book I’ve ever had to stop reading because of its content is Hogg by Samuel Delany. Lots of awful, violent, sexual stuff, told from the perspective of a 12 year old child who is by turns victim and accomplice, and only ever given the name “C***S*****” in the course of the narrative. I think there are lots of transgressive books that have like… Real lessons and morality in them. I think Hogg doesn’t. I think that’s the point, and because of that I wouldn’t recommend it in any circumstances other than this!
Tender is the flesh, by agustina bazterrica
Off Season by Jack Ketchum is rough.
Tender is the Flesh, The Collector (John Fowles) and Lolita.
Shocked to see no one mention Marquis de Sade; the word sadism was coined from his name based on his novels.
Per wiki
> Sade is best known for his libertine novels which combine graphic descriptions of sex and violence with long didactic passages in which his characters discuss the moral, religious, political and philosophical implications of their acts. **The characters engage in a range of acts including blasphemy, sexual intercourse, incest, sodomy, flagellation, coprophilia, necrophilia and the rape, torture and murder of adults and children.**
> Sade’s major libertine novels are The 120 Days of Sodom (written 1785, first published 1899), Justine (two versions, published 1791 and 1797–99), Philosophy in the Bedroom (a novel in dialogue, published 1795) and Juliette (published 1797–99).
Cows by Mathew Stokoe
unhinged its a romance between a woman and a man/door
torment by dylan page
Steven King’s Apt Pupil was very disturbing to me.
The Collector, John Fowles
Cruddy by Lynda Barry
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Murakami gets pretty weird and dark.
on the savage side by tiffany mcdaniel
“The Devil All the Time” – Donald Ray Pollock
On the Beach by Nevil Shute would be right up there.
Good morning, Monster
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez
The eye — Bataille
The Hunger by Alma Katsu. It’s based on the true story of the Donner Party. If it was pure fiction it would be an okay book.
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. We Need to Talk About Kevin.
120 Days of Sodom, by Marquis de Sade
Frequent yet still unimaginable acts of genocide. Hypocritical and often horrific perspectives on slavery and the value of individual lives in different settings and times. All forms of familial crimes committed and justified in the most absurd way possible. A cult leader rises, and the story is all wrapped up with a truly toxic fever dream ending, with unreliable and contradictory narrators presiding over the text itself.
I am, of course, talking about The Bible.
Four Hours in My Lai. The things they did to those people. Disturbing for sure.
The Bible.
Blood Meridian