My Dark Vanessa

"My Dark Vanessa. I’ve read it so many times. It's about a teacher who grooms a student and how she is both repelled and drawn to him, which is exactly how I feel about the book. Wonderful writing and a fantastic book but I can’t shake it."

rawnerve1975

This is one of those books that makes you set it down after you've read the last page, stare at the wall, and think.

The 120 Days of Sodom

"The 120 Days of Sodom. Heard about it, had to check it out. It's messed up."

[deleted]

That's putting it midly. The film adaptation, Salo, is simultaneously one of the most fascinating and revolting movies I've ever seen.

Flowers in the Attic

"Flowers in the Attic. The extra weird bit is how often V.C Andrews writes about incest, not even just in the Flowers in the Attic series. So many of her other novels feature incest as a main theme."

MrNissanCube

This whole book series consumed me. The series was riveting. Not the best written stuff by any stretch, but riveting nonetheless.

Running with Scissors

"Running with Scissors. I found it on my older brothers bookshelf in middle school and remember finishing it feeling very unsettled. Read it about 20 more times, bizarre as it was I enjoyed Burroughs' storytelling."

TheStonedVampire

The movie was a trip, too! Almost forgot it existed.

The Girl Next Door

"The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum, a novel based on the unbelievably horrific real life case of Sylvia Likens. (The info on this is soul-crushingly depressing, so fair warning before you click.)"

LadySyggerik

That entire book messed with my head... and don't get me started on the movie. The movie is so horrific. Well made and captures the horror of the case very well, but wow.

A Scanner Darkly

"A Scanner Darkly. The bit where they try and work out how many gears are on the bike is one of the best drug sequences ever put to paper."

MessaniacalGacy

I would absolutely describe this book as "trippy." Sooo trippy. Sometimes I wonder if I've even read it; it's in a class of its own and probably does not exist in time or space.

Finnegans Wake

"Finnegans Wake. It’s widely regarded as the most difficult read in English literature. I adore Joyce and his incredible lunacy, but never felt any better for reading Finnegans. It’s a masterpiece of wordplay that no one should be subjected to."

TheAndorran

You see, I worked my way through Ulysses once upon a time and I have to tell you that I don't dare attempt this book. At least, not any time soon.

Johnny Got His Gun

"Johnny Got His Gun. This is my ultimate terrifying book of all time."

almostherelazy

This book haunts my dreams. As you can imagine, it's horrifying. The movie is something else.

The Road

"The Road. Reading that when my son was a toddler was a terrible, TERRIBLE idea."

vidarino

Probably one of the more depressing books I've read – and I wrote a report about it in high school!

The Kite Runner

"The Kite Runner. For anyone wanting to know what Afghanistan was like before the Taliban and as they took control, this is a powerful read."

JQuest575

I read this years ago and it stunned me. Definitely worth revisiting again, methinks.

Of course, there are countless books out there that will mess with your head, whether the content is disturbing or because they take you on a wild and trippy ride.

Compare, for instance, the experience of reading American Psycho versus reading just about anything by Kurt Vonnegut. Worthwhile reading in many respects, but some things never leave you.

Have some opinions or recommendations of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!