Weave Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Flowers in the attic by Virginia Andrews Thinking about it now at the grand age of 35, I find it very disturbing, the part with the brother and sister (ewwww), my friend at school loved the books, read the whole series and she thought it was really romantic:roll: but I have two brothers, so again ~ ewwwwww. We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver Disturbing because of Kevin and even more disturbing because of Kevin's Mother, Eva. There was a very fine line between feeling sympathy for Eva and actually being able to care about her, to me, it was a mother and son's need for love on a very disturbing level. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood No change there, it still disturbs me but it is one of my favourite books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyf Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 I've read quite a few that have disturbed me: Still She Haunts Me by Katie Roiphe The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing. And one, Ghost (I think that was what it was called-maybe Ghost House) by Peter Straub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Flowers in the attic by Virginia Andrews Thinking about it now at the grand age of 35, I find it very disturbing, the part with the brother and sister (ewwww), my friend at school loved the books, read the whole series and she thought it was really romantic:roll: but I have two brothers, so again ~ ewwwwww. We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver Disturbing because of Kevin and even more disturbing because of Kevin's Mother, Eva. There was a very fine line between feeling sympathy for Eva and actually being able to care about her, to me, it was a mother and son's need for love on a very disturbing level. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood No change there, it still disturbs me but it is one of my favourite books. I've read Flowers in the Attic and agree, very disturbing, but I'm hoping to read them again soon, as it's been years since I last read the series. I have We Need To Talk About Kevin on my TBR and was recommended Handmaid's Tale, no clue what it's about though. I recently read The Treatment, and agree, it's certainly one I wont be reading again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenwood Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 The Pilo Family Circus - some really nasty /just plain weird stuff in there, but still riveting, it stays with you long after.... if you didn't have coulrophobia before, you will afterwards. And agree with Louiseog about The Treatment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mister.g Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 Having just started to read Haunted 'Guts' is the first story that's ever stopped me in my tracks - i had to put it down for a couple of minutes before picking it back up and continuing. I found myself clenching as i was reading. I'd heard about its notoriety but wasn't honestly prepared for the actual subject being written about so graphically. I've progressed beyond that now and am quite enjoying the rest of the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawr Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 Haha Guts strikes again! Join the club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genevieve Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 William Golding and Claudia Durst Johnson wrote each a book that still disturbs me, much, very much. Golding wrote Lord of the Flies, we had to do a paper on it, and I felt like I was having a breaking down of my nerves as I read it. Truly upsetting. We had also to read To Kill A Mockingbird by Johnson and that too made me churn in my stomach.Who gives the right to decide that any person or race must be treated less than animals? I shivered and shook when I read it and so many of the characters just upset me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrysalis_stage Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 I have both flowers in the attic and the treatment to read - on my bookshelf. I have to admit I took home (stole) the flowers in the attic book from a holiday home in spain I went to when I was 11 years old but never got around to finishing it. :) ( I have a vague memory of my mum saying take a book if you like your allowed but I'm not sure if I made that up in my head to get rid of the guilt...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busy91 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov was a bit disturbing to me. The whole pedephelia thing, doesn't work for me in a book (that and incest). The Long Walk by Stephen King was another book, that disturbed me. The terror of such a thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawr Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 I think i'll take what i said in the Shakespeare thread and nominate 'Othello' as a pretty disturbing story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 I've just found Guts online - seemed kinda pointless, and not particularly disturbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geebs Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 I dont know how it happened but for some reason i started reading this book and basically in the middle of it this guy turned into a dog. Yeah like a real dog and had sex with another dog. And it went into great detail how he had dog sex and how it felt. I threw the book out of window and had a shower since i felt so dirty and violated Seriously disturbing with capital D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawr Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 What kind of plot is that LOL crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 That does just sound weird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mister.g Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 I dont know how it happened but for some reason i started reading this book and basically in the middle of it this guy turned into a dog. Yeah like a real dog and had sex with another dog. And it went into great detail how he had dog sex and how it felt. I threw the book out of window and had a shower since i felt so dirty and violated Seriously disturbing with capital D. I would imagine it would feel pretty..............furry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mister.g Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 I've just found Guts online - seemed kinda pointless, and not particularly disturbing. I think taken out of context of the book it does seem pretty pointless and gratitious however being currently around half way through the book it's become clear that the character who wrote that story is a bit of a pervert in general and looking to ever push the envelope to obtain sexual gratification. The entire book isn't the same and is in fact shaping up to be pretty good. I'll try to review it more comprehensively when i've finished it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookBee8 Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I dont know how it happened but for some reason i started reading this book and basically in the middle of it this guy turned into a dog. Yeah like a real dog and had sex with another dog. And it went into great detail how he had dog sex and how it felt. I threw the book out of window and had a shower since i felt so dirty and violated Seriously disturbing with capital D. Surely that has to win the prize for most disturbing?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawr Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I'd like to know what could possibly top that! edit: ...actually, no wait Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionen Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 *tries to forget what Geebs said* >_< A few other people mentioned this book, Lord of the Flies by William Golding. The book contains so many terrible things but I especially remember the part about the boar being killed and my teacher explaining that it symbolizes rape. What a lovely story about little boys on an island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitegold Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 The End of Alice by A.M. Homes was disturbing. It about a pedophile and his letter correspondence with a 19 year old girl who is interested in young boys. http://www.amazon.com/End-Alice-M-Homes/dp/0684827107 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 I couldn't finish Stephen King's "Dolores Clairborne" - about a mother's renvenge when she finally discovers her daughter has been abused by the father. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binary_Digit Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 The Road by Cormac McCarthy is quite possibly the most disturbing book I have ever read. Seeing The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood listed so many times got me to thinking. I think that for a book to be truly disturbing, the reader must identify with the protagonist of the novel. For me, a new father, the heart-wrenching tale of a father and son striving to survive in a post-apocalyptic hell-on-earth was painful. Thinking about my son's future through the prism of such merciless cruelty was incredibly difficult for me. With that in mind, it seems very logical to me that women would be disturbed by Atwood's dystopia, and the objectification and hardship that Offred endures. As a child, I found Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes to be painfully disturbing and heart-breaking, and the move Memento was terribly disturbing for the same reasons. To think that my intellect, or memory, could be lost is more frightening to me than any Stephen King novel (and I've read them all) could ever hope to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 I'm gonna have to look up some of the books mentioned in this thread. I've never found any book disturbing! (Unless disturbingly badly written like Pig Island counts.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionen Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Roxi, I'm doing the opposite by using this thread to make a list of books I never want to read. I haven't added every single book to my list because some of them sound disturbing but still worth reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 I wish a book would disturb me. I fear I may be dead inside. No but seriously, ever since I wanted to read The Exorcist as a kid, I was adamant books would never scare/disturb me. And not one ever has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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