Every now and then I enter the creepy zone. I’ll find myself in the mood for darkness and I’ll read a number of twisty tales in close succession. Maybe it’s because these sorts of books remind me that all is not peachy in the world? Maybe it’s because they make my own life feel so sweet? Maybe it’s because I’m a psychopath. I don’t know!
Here are my most recent disturbing reads and my quick thoughts about each:
Goat Mountain by David Vann
WARNING. This book is not for the faint of heart. The story takes off right at the start. There’s no waiting around for the big happening. It happens and you spend the rest of the book wondering why. WHY? Goat Mountain is painful, beautiful, and shocking.
Closed Doors by Lisa O’Donnell
Seeing a tragedy through the eyes of a child might be depressing to some readers. I found it refreshing. O’Donnell lets us experience a traumatic event in an original way by showing us what Michael sees and hears. Children are both smarter and more innocent than we give them credit for. Closed Doors is a fantastic coming of age story with a tragic bent that shows just how clever children can be.
Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch
This is another winner from Herman Koch, who also wrote the deliciously tense The Dinner. He writes characters that you want to hate but can’t help feel a niggling bit of empathy for. He writes characters that do things the rest of us only fantasize about doing on our darkest days. This wasn’t an easy read but it was an absolutely worthy one.
Do you enjoy the darker side of literature? Is there a spine-chilling book you consider a must-read? Tell me about it in the comments!
The Relentless Reader 