The most disturbing work of fiction that you have ever read

[Ravenwood]

Has anyone mentioned The Wasp Factory? A friend lent me all of Ian Banks' books but insisted I start with TWF, and I nearly gave up on him! (I did enjoy the other books when I got to them)

The description of the child in the hospital.....

 

Also, I've mentioned this one on another thread - The Pilo Family Circus. Scary clowns.... and one is in love with a plant..

[shaka1909]

OMG the wasp factory! i had forgot all bout, just thinking about bits of it makes me cringe. Has anyone read Skallagrig(sp) by william horwood i think?, been that long since i read it!. Its about people with pysichal and learning disabilities living in an institution. i am a nurse for people with learning disabilities and some of the content in the book made me glad that i wasnt part of it back then! A brilliant book i loved it but the abuse scenes very uncomfortable reading.

[Mac]

OMG the wasp factory! i had forgot all bout, just thinking about bits of it makes me cringe. Has anyone read Skallagrig(sp) by william horwood i think?, been that long since i read it!. Its about people with pysichal and learning disabilities living in an institution. i am a nurse for people with learning disabilities and some of the content in the book made me glad that i wasnt part of it back then! A brilliant book i loved it but the abuse scenes very uncomfortable reading.

I work with learning disabilities and found the book Weathercock by Glen Duncan most disturbing, probably more so because of my job. The Wasp Factory I thought was marvellous. Can't get enough of Iain Banks. What a dude!

[chesilbeach]

I don't think I've ever read anything that's disturbed me. I know I'm no good with horror or graphic violent crime, and I steer clear of the "misery memoir" books as well. I think I'm too much of a scaredy cat to read anything that will frighten me (that goes for films and TV as well), as I'm notorious for nightmares about things that have scared me - I had three sleepless nights after someone just told me the plot of the film "Seven", and I don't even want to talk about the horror that filled me after hearing about "The Blair Witch Project"! How pathetic am I?

[Nollaig]

I don't think any book will ever disturb me.

 

Actually there was one tiny bit in The Exorcist that bothered me:

 

 

After Regan does her infamous spider-walk down the stairs, the movie scene ends. But in the book, she goes right into the kitchen, and her mum sees her, but the secretary doesn't. The secretary doesn't notice her, still upside down on all fours, until she like, licks her ankle. Then, while the mother is calling the doctor, Regan stays like that and follows the secretary anywhere she moves.

 

 

Now, the movie terrified me, but Regan was basically never free in it, she never really left the bedroom. The fact that she did that time in the book really disturbed me, and now I keep thinking about her sneaking along behind me like that. *shudder*

[Rawr]

Oh i noticed that too Roxi. Also, i was going to further comment on that book. Parts of it are really disturbing me as much as the movie. Like the bit where she says, before the possession really takes hold, 'you're gonna die up there' or something to the astronaut guy, that's really disturbing.

[Nollaig]

Things like that don't disturb me at all lol.

[Rawr]

Well, i found it disturbing because it's the way she just turns up out of nowhere at this gathering of people and says something as unexpected in a 'lifeless' voice, having actually seen that scene acted out with Linda Blair doesn't help lmao.

[Abbiee]

I think that 'Abomination' is a disturbing book

but couldnt put it down (:

[Smay]

The most disturbing book i've read was by George Bataille - Story of the Eye. While he's explaining his philosophy, he does this in such a disturbing story about explicit content, which i will not describe here. I was reading this book on my way to school in the subway and just couldn't stop blushing.

So, not a good book to read when you're young and undamaged.

 

But besides that i also have to go with Tokyo from Mo Hayder. Everything she writes is so scary!

[leah86]

I read, a few months back, a book called Tell Me Why, Mummy by Dave Thomas. An autobiography of a young man who was abused, both sexually and physically by his mother from a very young age. I'm not really sure why i picked this book up from the library as its not my usual type of book, i find far too upsetting to read,I think I find it more so since having my daughter. I totaly understand that unfortunatly this sort of thing happens to a lot of people and its a sad fact of life, but something about this book really left me feeling uneasy for a long time after i had finished it.

[Nicola]

I read, a few months back, a book called Tell Me Why, Mummy by Dave Thomas. An autobiography of a young man who was abused, both sexually and physically by his mother from a very young age. I'm not really sure why i picked this book up from the library as its not my usual type of book, i find far too upsetting to read,I think I find it more so since having my daughter. I totaly understand that unfortunatly this sort of thing happens to a lot of people and its a sad fact of life, but something about this book really left me feeling uneasy for a long time after i had finished it.

 

I can't read these sorts of books at all.....they're just too upsetting! I read A Child Called It a few years ago and it was harrowing to say the least!

[RingwoodTree]

Amercian Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.

Only book I've been unable to finish, and the only book I've ever thrown in the bin! Nasty piece of junk...IMO

[whitegold]

the holy trinity of distopias

1984, brave new world and farenheit 451

 

I have yet to read Brave New World but 1984 and Farenheit 451 are AMAZING books:smile2:

BNW is on my TBR list.

[bethany725]

Disturbing, for me, are books like the one I read a few years back about a woman who's second husband abused her very young daughter - making her march around their mobile home's living room repeating the alphabet over & over & every time she made a mistake he would beat her. Eventually he killed her, starved her to death, then put her body in a sail bag, filled it with bricks & threw her overboard in the middle of a lake. That is disturbing!

 

I just found this thread again after a while, so I am WAY behind, but I had to comment on this.. because Jay-zus that sounds disturbing, Ceinwenn. I seriously don't think I could read that. I could barely make it through your description.

[rwemad]

Amercian Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.

Only book I've been unable to finish, and the only book I've ever thrown in the bin! Nasty piece of junk...IMO

 

Ahhhhhhh I struggled with it but once I perservered and finished it, I thought it was a great book....... not a 'nice' book and yes... it is a very disturbing book... but a great book none the less.

[Natty]

Amercian Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.

Only book I've been unable to finish, and the only book I've ever thrown in the bin! Nasty piece of junk...IMO

 

 

Agreed. I wanted to read it because I fell asleep when I was watching the film (it was on super late). However, it was just far too disturbing and suddenly, I wasn't interested. Horrible.

 

x

[Jo-Bridge]

I found Beloved by Toni Morrison one of the most disturbing books I've read. The idea of a mother being driven to kill their own child rather than risk them becomming a slave. I also found the "School teacher" one of the most disturbing characters I've ever come across

[Readwine]

Most disturbing for me has been A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. It was very good but an emotionally exhausting book to get through.

But for the Grace of God go I.

[RCee]

Without a dout the most disturbing book for me was Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind. I stopped reading it with just 30 pages to left I was so disturbed by it. I kind of regret that now and wish I had actually finished it. I read it a few years before the movie and haven't watched that either.

[sadya]

Right now for me the most disturbing read is this thread, just before going to sleep! I was too curious not to read this thread and see what the books were about.

[Christie]

Misery - Stephen King - I finished it but my imagination nearly stopped me.

 

I have to agree! Misery left me with nightmares of a crazed Annie Wilkes with an axe and a 'n' less typewriter! Haha! But I have also read an autobiography called 'One Morning In July' about a Police Officer who was one of the first men on the scene of the London Bombings!

[Nicola]

Misery left me with nightmares of a crazed Annie Wilkes with an axe and a 'n' less typewriter! Haha!

 

Me too!! Although I'm considering adopting her plan when I run out of Jeffrey Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme Series!

Edited May 15, 2009 by Nicola

[BattyOldMaid]

On,Off by Colleen McCullough, it left me feeling disturbed that if would be murderers read it they would know how to beat the system and not get caught. And it disturbed me to think of how easy it is to kill someone if you're at the right place.

 

It took me ages for me to 'get over it'. I wouldn't read it again.

[BookJumper]

With books - you can always tone your imagination down!

I'm the opposite; I find that no movie director can present me with images more disturbing than those I can conjure up in my mind under the influence of skilful writing...