A continuation of a previous list that can be found HERE, chronicling some of my favorite novels (Adult or YA, no juvenile fiction) that I have read throughout my life. I really like memoirs, but they will go in a separate post because I’ve decided to limit this list to fiction.–
- ‘The Wasp Factory’ by Iain Banks
This book is royally fucked up, but I love it. It’s narrated by the (highly unreliable) Frank Caldhaume, a demented 16-year-old psychopath who lives on an island with his weak, physically disabled father, who might be almost as twisted as he is, and spends his days committing violence against the living things that inhabit the island. It’s kind of a hard book to describe, but I’d suggest you check it out, although it’s not for the easily offended.
2. ‘God’s Own Country’ by Ross Raisin
This book has some definite similarities to ‘The Butcher Boy’ by Patrick McCabe, but I love them both. ‘God’s Own Country’ is another book in the ‘unreliable narrator/main characters who are just fucked up’ subgenre, centering around a boy in love with the natural world who wanders the Yorkshire countryside looking for mischief to get into who is also a glib, twisted sexual predator. It is unrelentingly bleak, but written in a unique and fascinating style.
3. ‘Electricity’ by Ray Robinson
Another really unique narrator (I seem to have a weakness those, don’t I?), Lily Evans, the protagonist of ‘Electricity,’ is an epileptic woman struggling with memories of an abusive upbringing and searching for her long-lost, mentally unstable brother through the confusing and disorienting streets of London. Lily is a fascinating and one-of-a-kind character and I’m hoping for a sequel to this one, since the novel left off on a somewhat ambiguous note.
4. ‘The Lovely Bones’ by Alice Sebold
This was my favorite book when I was about fifteen, and it still has a special place in my heart. It is obviously disturbing, centering around the rape and murder of a fourteen-year-old girl, but it’s also beautifully written and has moments of joy amongst all the darkness and the suffering of the girl, Susie Salmon, and her family. I also highly recommend Alice Sebold’s memoir ‘Lucky’, it was an eye-opening experience for me and an all-around great book.
5. ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ by Stephen Chbosky
This is one of my favorite young adult books, I love how personal it feels. No glibness, no unnecessary sarcasm (which is abundant in the YA genre,) it’s raw and it just feels very real. It is written in the form of a series of letters to an unknown person from Charlie, a naïve, depressed young man, struggling with his own share of issues and looking for guidance. The Perks of Being a Wallflower tackles issues like bullying, sexual abuse, and homosexuality in a unique, sensitive way. Incidentally, I got my copy of this book from a used bookstore in North Carolina, and there’s a personal inscription, written in pen, on the inside cover. Somehow I think Charlie would have liked that.
Keep an eye out for Part 3!! 🙂
Sarah's Corner 