Many people read for escapism, but many readers worldwide are big fans of dark books as they provide a kick that a simple rom-com may not give. These books are unique to their premises.
This article will give you our top 10 books with a darker theme only for daring reads.
#1 Animal by Lisa Taddeo
About the book
Title: Animal
Author: Lisa Taddeo
Publisher: Avid Reader Press / Simon Schuster
Pages: 336
Goodreads Rating: 3.72/5
Joan has spent a lifetime enduring the cruel acts of men. But when one of them commits a shocking act of violence in front of her, she flees New York City in search of Alice, the only person alive who can help her make sense of her past. In the sweltering hills above Los Angeles, Joan unravels the horrific event she witnessed as a child that has haunted her every waking moment while finally forging the power to strike back.
Why do we recommend this book?
This heartbreaking, gripping, astonishing masterpiece depicts female rage at its rawest and visceral exploration of the fallout from a male-dominated society.
To buy Animal by Lisa Taddeo now:
#2 Bird by Noy Holland
About the book
Title: Bird
Author: Noy Holland
Publisher: Counterpoint
Pages: 176
Goodreads Rating: 3.42/5
This is a novel about the persistence of longing in which the twin lives of the title character blur and overlap. Bird puts her child on the bus for school and passes the day with her baby. Interwoven into the passage of the day are phone calls from a promiscuous, unmarried friend and Bird’s recollection of the feral, reckless love she knew as a young woman. It’s a day infused with fear and longing, an exploration of how the past shapes and dislodges the present. Currently, Bird cares for her husband, infant, and older child. But at the same time, Bird inhabits this rehabilitated domestic life, and she re-lives an unshakable passion: she slummed and wandered—part-time junkie, tourist of the low life—a life of tantalizing peril. “This can’t last,” Bird thought, and it was true.
Why do we recommend this book?
Noy Holland’s writing is lyrical, fired by a heightened eroticism in which every sight and auditory sensation is charged with arousal. The writing in this book – Noy Holland’s first novel — is fearless in depicting sexual appetite and obsessive love. It sheds light on the terror of abandonment and the terrible knowledge that we are helpless to protect ourselves and the people we most love.
To buy Bird by Noy Holland now:
#3 Carrie by Stephen King
About the book
Title: Carrie
Author: Stephen King
Publisher: Pocket Books
Pages: 253
Goodreads Rating: 3.98/5
A modern classic, Carrie introduced a distinctive new voice in American fiction—Stephen King. The story of a misunderstood high school girl Carrie White, her extraordinary telekinetic powers, and her violent rampage of revenge remains one of the most barrier-breaking and shocking books of all time.
Why do we recommend this book?
A modern classic by the master of the horror genre, Stephen King, is the epitome of dark books. This could easily be considered groundbreaking, innovative, and as promising as any of his other dark books.
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#4 Crosshairs by Catherine Hernandez
About the book
Title: Crosshairs
Author: Catherine Hernandez
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 272
Goodreads Rating: 3.95/5
The author of the acclaimed novel “Scarborough” weaves an unforgettable dystopian tale about the near future where a queer Black performer and his allies join forces to rise when an oppressive regime gathers those deemed “Other” into concentration camps.
Set in a terrifyingly familiar near future, with massive floods leading to rampant homelessness and devastation, a government-sanctioned regime called The Boots seizes on the opportunity to round up communities of color and people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ into labor camps. In the shadows, a new hero emerges.
Why do we recommend this book?
With her signature “raw yet beautiful, disturbing yet hopeful” (Booklist) prose, Catherine Hernandez creates a frightening vision of the future because it is possible. A cautionary tale filled with fierce and vibrant characters, Crosshairs explores the universal desire to thrive, love, and be loved for being your true self.
To buy Crosshairs by Catherine Hernandez now:
#5 Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
About the book
Title: Geek Love
Author: Katherine Dunn
Publisher: Random House Vintage
Pages: 348
Goodreads Rating: 3.96/5
This is the unforgettable story of the Binewskis, a circus-geek family whose matriarch and patriarch have bred their own exhibit of human oddities with the help of amphetamines, arsenic, and radioisotopes.
Their offsprings include Arturo the Aquaboy, who has flippers for limbs and a megalomaniac ambition worthy of Genghis Khan; Iphy and Elly, the lissome Siamese twins; albino hunchback Oly, and the outwardly normal Chick whose mysterious gifts make him the family’s most precious—and dangerous—asset.
Why do we recommend this book?
Geek Love throws its sulfurous light on our notions of the freakish and the normal, the beautiful and the ugly, the holy and the obscene. Family values will never be the same.
To buy Geek Love by Katherine Dunn now:
#6 The Good House by Tananarive Due
About the book
Title: The Good House
Author: Tananarive Due
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 597
Goodreads Rating: 3.98/5
The home that belonged to Angela Toussaint’s late grandmother is so beloved that the townspeople in Sacajawea, Washington, call it the Good House. But that all changes one summer when an unexpected tragedy occurs behind closed doors, and the Toussaint family history—and future—is dramatically transformed.
Angela has not returned to the Good House since her son, Corey, died two years ago. But now, Angela is finally ready to return to her hometown and go beyond the grave to unearth the truth about Corey’s death. Could it be related to a terrifying entity Angela’s grandmother battled seven decades ago? And what about the other senseless calamities Sacajawea has seen in recent years? Has Angela’s grandmother, an African American woman reputed to have “powers,” put a curse on the entire community?
Why do we recommend this book?
A thrilling exploration of secrets, lies, and divine inspiration, The Good House will haunt readers long after its chilling conclusion.
To buy The Good House by Tananarive Due now:
#7 The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
About the book
Title: The Only Good Indians
Author: Stephen Graham Jones
Publisher: Gallery / Saga Press
Pages: 310
Goodreads Rating: 3.72/5
Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.
Why do we recommend this book?
The creeping horror of Paul Tremblay meets Tommy Orange’s “There There” in a dark novel of revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition in this latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, Stephen Graham Jones.
To buy The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones now:
#8 The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft
H.P. Lovecraft
About the book
Title: The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories
Author: H.P. Lovecraft
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Pages: 443
Goodreads Rating: 4.29/5
The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories presents the definitive corrected texts of these works, along with Lovecraft critic and biographer S. T. Joshi’s illuminating introduction and notes to each story. The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories is Penguin Classics’ second omnibus edition of works by 20th-century American author H. P. Lovecraft. It was released in October 2001 and is still in print.
Why do we recommend this book?
Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions, notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, and up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
To buy The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft now:
#9 The Woman in Black by Susan Hill, John Lawrence (Illustrator)
Susan Hill
About the book
Title: The Woman in Black
Author: Susan Hill, John Lawrence (Illustrator)
Publisher: David R. Godine Publisher
Pages: 138
Goodreads Rating: 3.74/5
What real reader does not yearn, somewhere in the recesses of their heart, for a literate, first-class thriller—one that chills the body but warms the soul with plot, perception, and language at once astute and vivid? In other words, a ghost story written by Jane Austen? We cannot give you Austen, but Susan Hill’s remarkable Woman In Black comes as close as our era can provide.
Set on the obligatory English moor, on an isolated causeway, the story has as its hero Arthur Kipps, an up-and-coming young solicitor who has come north from London to attend the funeral. The rocking chair in the deserted nursery, the eerie sound of a pony and trap, a child’s scream in the fog, and most dreadfully—and for Kipps most tragically—The Woman In Black.
Why do we recommend this book?
The Woman In Black is a brilliant exercise in atmosphere, controlled horror, and a delicious spine-tingler—proof that this neglected genre, the ghost story, isn’t dead after all.
To buy The Woman in Black by Susan Hill now:
#10 Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates
About the book
Title: Zombie
Author: Joyce Carol Oates
Publisher: Plume
Pages: 181
Goodreads Rating: 3.34/5
Zombie is a classic novel of dark obsession by the extraordinary Joyce Carol Oates. A brilliant, courageous journey into the mind of a serial killer, Zombie views the world through the eyes of Quentin P., a newly paroled sex offender, as he chillingly evolves from rapist to mass murderer. Meet Quentin P., the most believably terrifying sexual psychopath, and killer ever brought to life in fiction. The author deftly puts you inside the mind of a serial killer—succeeding not in writing about madness but in writing with the logic of madness.
Why do we recommend this book?
She ranks among America’s most respected and accomplished literary artists with this provocative, breathtaking, and disturbing masterwork. Lovers of dark themed books should definitely give this a try.
To buy Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates now:
We hope our recommendation will be an enjoyable read for you, and don’t forget to tell us your favorite books with a dark theme.
| 1 | Animal by Lisa Taddeo | Buy now |
| 2 | Bird by Noy Holland | Buy now |
| 3 | Carrie by Stephen King | Buy now |
| 4 | Crosshairs by Catherine Hernandez | Buy now |
| 5 | Geek Love by Katherine Dunn | Buy now |
| 6 | The Good House by Tananarive Due | Buy now |
| 7 | The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones | Buy now |
| 8 | The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft | Buy now |
| 9 | The Woman in Black by Susan Hill | Buy now |
| 10 | Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates | Buy now |
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Disclosure: All our recommendations are honest; most importantly, some links in this post are affiliate links, meaning we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something we recommend.
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