Jump to content

The most disturbing work of fiction that you have ever read


Oblomov

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 454
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I read that and then had a sudden image of a book creeping down from a shelf in the dead of night, sneaking up to your sleeping form and going "Boo!" in a high pitched heliumesque voice! :D

 

Don't say that, they could scare me much more subtley - they're all on a shelf over my bed, they could just collapse on me! DON'T GIVE THEM IDEAS!

 

I must try American Psycho, see if it disturbs me. I doubt it though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cell, Stephen King

 

I could not even finish it but it played on my mind for months.

 

I had to give it to my sister in the end cos I did not even want it in the house.

 

I completely understand. It really resonated with me and has stuck with me since I read it.

I also agree with the posters who mentioned American Psycho - what an amazing powerful book. I couldn't put it down!

 

I'd also mention We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. One of my favourite books of all time, it raises some very interesting points and questions. The beginning was a little hard to get through, but the story really picked up from when Kevin was around toddler-age. You could sense the mother;s frustration. The end made me cry.

 

Also, The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum. It was simply bone-chilling, the fact that, unlike Stephen King who I've often seen Ketchum compared to, the antagonists didn't have anything to do with the supernatural. It was the simple story of how humans can be so unhinged. Terrifying and brilliant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cell, Stephen King

 

I could not even finish it but it played on my mind for months.

 

I had to give it to my sister in the end cos I did not even want it in the house.

 

 

OK, i am reading this next, i've been putting it off but that has swung it

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In my opinion King has many more disturbing novels than Cell, it is a good book but definitely not one of his hard hitting shockers. Perhaps because of the technology being so relevant to modern society it seems more rounded and aggressive than other tales though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cell, Stephen King

 

I could not even finish it but it played on my mind for months.

 

I had to give it to my sister in the end cos I did not even want it in the house.

Really? I read it partially, couldn't finish it, was kind of bored with it. How much can you read about people bashing in other people's heads really? I got annoyed with the chaos. Though I read the wikipedia article on it, and think I might have quit too soon.. still not too fascinated with the whole book though. Only picked it up in the first place cause it was apocalyptic. But it wasn't that disturbing, the bit I read at least.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've read this book and didn't find it that disturbing, maybe that's just because I'm immune to the scary stuff now, I don't know.

 

@ Univerze, it's not too bad once you get into it, maybe try again?

 

In truth I can't think of any books that truly disturbed me, not in recent years anyway. I remember when I was younger there was a Goosebumps book about ventrilaquist dummies that freaked me out but I've never liked them anyway!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another one for American Psycho and there were pages of Irvine Welsh's Glue that made me skip over.

 

I couldn't actually finish that book and I'm usually quite resilient when it comes to disturbing fiction :welcome: Yack!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You thought Cell was disturbing, try Desperation by King :D

 

 

I did read that a few years ago and did find it quite disturbing. I will never learn cos I did pick up and read a few more of his books after that. Have to say though the other one that stayed with me for a few weeks after was Misery. I watched the film years ago, think I was in my teens and loved it but when I read the book for the first time a few years ago, scared the life out of me. That was one sick lady!!!

 

His older books were definitely the best!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

American Psycho by Bret Easton ellis is probably the most horrific book I have ever read....

The reviews speak for themselves....

 

Patrick Bateman is twenty-six and works on Wall Street; he is handsome, sophisticated, charming and intelligent. He is also a psychopath. Taking us to a head-on collision with America

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Simply because of the nature of the books (computer users being murdered because of their computer use), the 2 most disturbing books I have read are The Blue Nowhere & The Broken Window. Both are by Jeffery Deaver & scared the bejesus out of me because what happened in the books could soooooo easily happen in real life! So much so that I completely stopped using loyalty cards of ANY variety!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk has probably disturbed me the most out of all books I've read, if only for the story "Guts". Consequently, it is my favorite book from Palahniuk.

 

1984 really got to me as well, and I didn't actually read it. My English teacher would thoroughly explain all our assigned reading books, so being the lazy procrastinator I am, I never ended up reading any of them through. Nevertheless, hearing the events of this book caused a few sleepless nights.

 

I have a feeling I'll be able to add House of Leaves to this as well once I finish it - I'm not even far into it and it's already terrifying me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

for me it was Messiah by Boris Starling, the one which was made into a TV programme.

 

The really upsetting thing about it was the way the viewpoint changes as the book progresses.

It starts by describing the murder scene in a rather clinical way as found by the main character, who is a detective. then, later on in the book the view point switches to the murderer's mind whilst committing the act. this in itself was rather disturbing, but the worst part was when the viewpoint switched again, horrendously to that of the victim, starting when they wake up in the murderer's lair, and the realisation of what is about to happen, and the thoughts they are having as the murder is committed.

 

The author lets no thought be omitted, and the true horror is unavoidable when you are placed inside the victim's mind.

 

I had to put the book down a few times and take deep breaths.

 

I found it far more disturbing than any supernatural horror, as i was forced to contemplate that these things really do go on in the real world. :D

I shant be reading any of his books again!! Brilliantly descriptive writer but not my idea of an enjoyable read.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

American Psycho is one of my very favourite books ever, and also one of the most disturbing I have ever read. It's the only book I wasn't able to read in bed, because I found it too scary!

 

The Handmaid's Tale is also extremely disturbing in an entirely different way. Another of my all time favourites. In fact, looking at my list of favourite books, I notice that a fair few of them could be classed as disturbing - don't know what that says about me!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...