Books that demand full attention from the reader is a testament to the imagery an author provides.
And when a book is written well, regardless of the genre, it's hard to put it down.
But not every tome is a page-turner because the reader wants to find out how a murder mystery is solved or if a hopelessly romantic protagonist winds up with their true love.
Curious to hear of some of the most unsettling literary works out there, Redditor umuhwait asked:
"What's the most f'ked up piece of literature you've read?"
Books relating to social commentary gave these Redditors the heebie jeebies.
"Storm Of Steel"
"Its kind of f'ked up in a different way but Storm Of Steel by Ernst Junger. Its a WW1 Memoir of a German soldier who volunteered at the start of the war at the age of 19."
"The amount of sh*t this guy went through is insane from gas attacks, watching half his company get blown up by an artillery shell to witnessing the guy you were just having a casual conversation with get shot in the head by a sniper."
"He fought through the entire war and while and the entire memoir is shockingly impersonal, and at times quite dry (especially the first quarter). but the lack prose only adds to the impact of events, for example despite the lack of any attempt to create suspense or excitement, Junger's description of entering the battle of the Somme was one of the most chilling and enthralling moments I have ever read. They feel so, real."
"I find this book so fascinating because it has no agenda and makes no appeal to ones Pathos, it is simply a presentation of events and what he thought of them, people call this book pro war because it does not denounce war, but it seems that this book is neither pro war or against war, it simply is and that's what makes it so fascinating."
– [deleted]
"The Jungle"
"The Jungle by Upton Sinclair"
– LondonIsBoss
"It was supposed to be about the plight of the working class. The conditions food was manufactured under was just an example of how tough their lives were. But while he meant to help bring about a socialist revolution, Middle class and rich people focused on what effected them, the condition of the food."
"There's a reason people learn about the book, but don't read it, in High School. Reading it might make socialists as it was intended to. Can't have anything interfering with the capitalism is the best system narrative. Upton Sinclair said something to the effect of he meant to hit America in the Heart, and instead he hit it in the stomach."
– SnipesCC
"Dark Remedy"
"How about a nonfiction book that would give most people nightmares?"
"'Dark Remedy', which came out around 2000. It's about the history of thalidomide, which interestingly was starting to make a comeback around that time as a cancer treatment. It was co-authored by the son of Yul Brynner, who used that drug to treat a rare autoimmune disorder after nothing else worked."
– notthesedays
Sensually unsettling might be how these Redditors decribe their disturbing reading experiences.
"The 120 Days of Sodom"
"I would say The 120 Days of Sodom."
"In college I pretended I was into some f'ked up stuff and just wanted to prove how cool I was, so I read like that. I wish actual brain bleach was a thing."
– DTownForever
Erotically Unnerving
"Perfume: the Story of a Murderer. Not as f'ked up as some of the other stuff out there, but pretty f'ked up still."
"Very well written though."
"Oh Lolita as well. Also f'ked up but incredibly well written."
– VerisimilarPLS
"Naked Lunch"
"Everyone here needs to read Naked Lunch by Burroughs. There’s a scene where two typewriters grow genitalia and have sex with each other. And that’s like the 10th weirdest part of the novel."
– Salton5ea
The following novels had traumatizing effects on young adults.
"Flowers In The Attic"
"Flowers in the Attic by V. C. Andrews"
– macaronsforeveryone
"Why the f'k did every girl I knew in middle school read this book at some point????? Why did the adults around us act like it was fine??? It's such a f'ked up book and idk why but at least where I'm from it was treated like a (secret) rite of womanhood. No one really talked about it but somehow everyone was expected to read it."
– CoyoteWee
"You"
"There was a novel i read in high school called 'You' can't remember the author but it was also second person and had some similar themes. But its definitely more toned down then what you just described. It was a young adult novel and occasionally it just pops into my head because it was so damb good."
"EDIT: Charles Benoit!"
"11 years and I finally remember the authors f'king name! Chuck Donut!"
– StartingOutCalmerNow
"Johnny Got His Gun"
"Johnny got his gun by dalton trumbo."
"i just can’t, tbh. it’s royally f'ed. a guy gets super f'ked up world war 1, and he’s basically unable to talk or hear (communicate in general with anyone), and his entire face and arms are gone. his only wish is to die, but he can’t communicate it to anyone, so he’s sort of just stuck in a bed wanting to die but unable to do it."
– letruffle
"American Psycho"
"American Psycho. Rats going in places they shouldn't be at, if you ask me."
– luKenchi99
"Literally read it over and over. The gore and violence ( poor kid at the zoo) was the part that was easy to read , coming from a Stephen King background. It was the inane descriptions of all his clothes and the sheer pretentiousness that was tough to wade through."
– AnonymousBat42
One novel I picked up was because the master of horror, Stephen King, recommended it.
It's called The Ruins by Scott Smith and is about flesh-eating vines that kill off each of the young tourists who are stuck at the site of an ancient ruin.
It is very well written, but the horrors depicted in the novel as each victim meets their gruesome demise were some of the most sickening things I have ever read. Yet, I couldn't put it down.
You should read it.
