Phil says the darkest book he's ever read is THE DINNER by Herbert Koch. For me, it would be THE ROOM. Close runnerups would be WINTER'S BONE and THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK.
Good choices. I'll have to think about that. A couple of Stuart MacBride's mysteries set in Aberdeen, Scotland come to mind. Stories like "Moonshine" in Gil Brewer's REDHEADS DIE QUICKLY collection are about as dark as you can get.
I might have to go with Jim Thompson's A HELL OF A WOMAN.
Down By The River Where The Dead Men Go by George Pelecanos was pretty dark. His "hero" Nick Stefanos overhears a murder as he's lying in the grass, too drunk to stand.
It's interesting how some of the best-written books are also some of the darkest. I suppose they have to be well-written to hold the reader's attention against a story where there is no redemption or even a sliver of light. I'd choose John Fowles's The Collector where not only does a very sympathetic kidnapping victim die but as the book ends you realize the kidnapper is already eyeing his next victim.
That was Pelecanos' third book, and he didn't really get noticed until King Suckerman, which was his 6th. The first three all feature Stefanos as the main character, and they're all good, though a little uneven.
WAITING FOR NOTHING. Prashant's suggestion of the Orwell isn't to be slighted, though Zamayitin's WE might be even more powerful thus. THE DEATH MACHINE/ROGUE MOON by Algis Budrys. The first chapter of A FOR ANYTHING by Damon Knight, which is thereafter frittered away in a bad imitation of a Heinlein juvenile. Several works by Cornell Woolrich.
GRIMHAVENis available to read at the library holding Willeford's papers. He wrote to kill off a character. It didn't work. How about BLOOD MERIDIAN, OUTER DARK, or CHILD OF GOD all by McCarthy. SUMMER HOUSE WITH SWIMMING POOL by Koch is pretty dark. I think Pop. 1280 by Jim Thompson is really great for its flashs of humor in the blood and muck.
Yeah, I went to look for it and found that out. I'lll add in Coetze's DISGRACE and O'Connor's A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND. DISGRACE may not have a happy word in it.
DARK PLACES by Gillian Flynn. Couldn't finish it. Writing was fine, but just too raw and too dark and too sad. Whew. Needed to go out in the sun after.
These 3 come to mind: BLOOD MERIDIAN is about evil consuming everything (good and evil), pitch blackness descends on the old west. KILLER INSIDE ME is quasi-sympathetic portrayal of a man rediscovering his repressed demon and the awful, bloody choices he makes. After reading LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN, I think I was wary of humanity for about a week.
Good choices. I'll have to think about that. A couple of Stuart MacBride's mysteries set in Aberdeen, Scotland come to mind. Stories like "Moonshine" in Gil Brewer's REDHEADS DIE QUICKLY collection are about as dark as you can get.
ReplyDeleteI might have to go with Jim Thompson's A HELL OF A WOMAN.
Jeff M.
Never easy to pick a 'most' anything. I'm thinking 'I Was Dora Suarez' or maybe 'Knockemstiff'.
ReplyDeleteAlways been afraid to read him! THE. Killer inside me sits on my shelf.
ReplyDeleteI think I would have to go with GREAT EXPECTATIONS. There's no redemption for Pip after his bad choices.
ReplyDeleteAnd I would add TESS and JUDE, THE OBSCURE. Even without bad choices, they had it rough.
ReplyDeleteBoth The Dinner and Room really are awfully dark. My vote though really does go to The Killer Inside Me...
ReplyDeleteThe Killer inside me works for me.
ReplyDeleteTHE ROAD is as bleak as it gets.
ReplyDeletePhil's runner-up.
ReplyDeleteAmerican Psycho.
ReplyDeleteBarbara says STONE ANGEL was very dark.
ReplyDeleteThe Margaret Laurence book? Love her books but they are dark!
ReplyDeleteThe movie scared me to death, Bob
I might have picked THE ROAD too but it was too dark to read at that time.
ReplyDeleteJeff M.
No, STONE ANGEL by Carol O'Connell.
ReplyDeleteHaven't read that one. I like her though but she is dark. THE CHALK GIRL is on my TBR.
ReplyDeleteIt's part of the Kathleen Mallory series.
ReplyDeleteDown By The River Where The Dead Men Go by George Pelecanos was pretty dark. His "hero" Nick Stefanos overhears a murder as he's lying in the grass, too drunk to stand.
ReplyDelete1984?
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how some of the best-written books are also some of the darkest. I suppose they have to be well-written to hold the reader's attention against a story where there is no redemption or even a sliver of light. I'd choose John Fowles's The Collector where not only does a very sympathetic kidnapping victim die but as the book ends you realize the kidnapper is already eyeing his next victim.
ReplyDeleteAll of Fowles stuff haunted me Especially THE MAGUS.
ReplyDeleteyou've got Grimhaven by Charles Willeford and then you've got everything else. In the everything else category, 1984 isn't a bad choice.
ReplyDeleteJourney to the End of Night by Celine or The Painted Bird by Kosinski.
ReplyDeleteWOW=have never read GRIMHAVEN. Never heard of it before. THE PAINTED BIRD sent me off to bed for a week.
ReplyDeleteThe PELECANOS is also new to me. Where have I been?
ReplyDeleteThat was Pelecanos' third book, and he didn't really get noticed until King Suckerman, which was his 6th. The first three all feature Stefanos as the main character, and they're all good, though a little uneven.
ReplyDeleteI find all of his books pretty dark and have only read one, I think. THE NIGHT GARDENER.
ReplyDeleteWAITING FOR NOTHING. Prashant's suggestion of the Orwell isn't to be slighted, though Zamayitin's WE might be even more powerful thus. THE DEATH MACHINE/ROGUE MOON by Algis Budrys. The first chapter of A FOR ANYTHING by Damon Knight, which is thereafter frittered away in a bad imitation of a Heinlein juvenile. Several works by Cornell Woolrich.
ReplyDeleteTHE PRICE OF SILENCE by Kate Wilhelm...which deals with the kind of thing Andrew Vachss does, only far less cartoonishly.
ReplyDeletePhil throws out An Orchid for Mrs. Blandish.
ReplyDeleteGRIMHAVENis available to read at the library holding Willeford's papers. He wrote to kill off a character. It didn't work. How about BLOOD MERIDIAN, OUTER DARK, or CHILD OF GOD all by McCarthy. SUMMER HOUSE WITH SWIMMING POOL by Koch is pretty dark. I think Pop. 1280 by Jim Thompson is really great for its flashs of humor in the blood and muck.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I went to look for it and found that out. I'lll add in Coetze's DISGRACE and O'Connor's A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND.
ReplyDeleteDISGRACE may not have a happy word in it.
That's No Orchids For Miss Blandish.
ReplyDeleteDARK PLACES by Gillian Flynn. Couldn't finish it. Writing was fine, but just too raw and too dark and too sad. Whew. Needed to go out in the sun after.
ReplyDeleteOh, I agree. Darker than GONE GIRL, which was pretty darn dark.
ReplyDeleteThese 3 come to mind: BLOOD MERIDIAN is about evil consuming everything (good and evil), pitch blackness descends on the old west. KILLER INSIDE ME is quasi-sympathetic portrayal of a man rediscovering his repressed demon and the awful, bloody choices he makes. After reading LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN, I think I was wary of humanity for about a week.
ReplyDelete