American Psycho.
I guess that's a pretty cliche answer and it's not disturbing per se, but some of the more graphic scenes of violence had me literally squirming around and grimacing as I read them. I've read that book three times now (one of my favorites, and Bret Easton Ellis is among my favorite writers) and, even though I know what's coming, it always has the same effect on me. Cringe-worthy, I guess, would be the best word.
Also, not the book as a whole, but this one scene in Less Than Zero, also by Ellis, where some of Clay's friends, who are all 18 or older, tie a twelve-year-old girl to a bed and they all take turns raping and molesting her. It's not described, but it's very explicitly implied and just the thought of anyone I know doing that--especially because I know a small handful of people who I could absolutely see doing such a thing--makes my stomach churn. That scene really bothered me a lot in a way that books or movies rarely do.
I've also always found The Bell Jar to be disturbing in a very subtle, haunting way.
I guess that's a pretty cliche answer and it's not disturbing per se, but some of the more graphic scenes of violence had me literally squirming around and grimacing as I read them. I've read that book three times now (one of my favorites, and Bret Easton Ellis is among my favorite writers) and, even though I know what's coming, it always has the same effect on me. Cringe-worthy, I guess, would be the best word.
Also, not the book as a whole, but this one scene in Less Than Zero, also by Ellis, where some of Clay's friends, who are all 18 or older, tie a twelve-year-old girl to a bed and they all take turns raping and molesting her. It's not described, but it's very explicitly implied and just the thought of anyone I know doing that--especially because I know a small handful of people who I could absolutely see doing such a thing--makes my stomach churn. That scene really bothered me a lot in a way that books or movies rarely do.
I've also always found The Bell Jar to be disturbing in a very subtle, haunting way.
June 13th, 2012 at 12:08pm