[Books] Any depressing novels?

[Salandrin]

Do you guys know of any novels with really grim, dark, and hopeless stories? Specifically looking for a one that explores a persons sanity.

Thanks.

[Deleted]

Twilight saga

[Willeonge]

A Song of Ice and Fire

[Rukentuts]

Specifically looking for a one that explores a persons sanity.

Thanks.

First thing I thought of was Catcher in the Rye.

Edit: I also like Brave New World.

[Deleted]

The Bible
Twilight

[Zigzagzoom]

Twilight will make you want to stab out your eyeballs.


Of mice and men.

[whatnowalli]

Twilight saga

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[Rukentuts]

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I don't think he means depressing as in utterly terrible to read.

[Longview]

Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment" focuses on a lot of moral dilemmas and mental anguish. It does not border to insanity, but it might be what you're looking for.

[cudomix]

Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment" focuses on a lot of moral dilemmas and mental anguish. It does not border to insanity, but it might be what you're looking for.

I read couple thousand books in my life so far and that one was probably most boring one, i wanted to claw my eyes out, Idiot and Brothers Karamazov were lot better (or less tedious) for me personally.
For OP, i recommend http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_the_Flies, I think it has everything you want.

[Fat Mac]

Do you guys know of any novels with really grim, dark, and hopeless stories? Specifically looking for a one that explores a persons sanity.

Thanks.

I, Strahd: Memoirs of a Vampire. It has everything you listed

now we can /thread

[Deleted]

1984.
10chars

[Blood Fox]

Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment" focuses on a lot of moral dilemmas and mental anguish. It does not border to insanity, but it might be what you're looking for.

^^
that and Dostoevsky's " the Brothers Karamazov", in fact I think all of his books would tickle that fancy. in addition I also REALLY recommend "1984" by George Orwell, it is the perfect classic dystopian novel in which there the characters only taste true happiness.

Edgar Allen Poe is renown for his short stories which more often than not fall into this category and are absoulutly brilliant.

"the giver" by Lowis Lowry hits on the hopeless theme, though its kind of a morbid story that isn't very outwardly dark.

"the clockwork orange" is a fairly evil book though if you know any Russian your head may end up in a tizzy form the vocabulary

I have a whole list but I'm tired right now.

---------- Post added 2012-11-16 at 07:50 PM ----------

I read couple thousand books in my life so far and that one was probably most boring one, i wanted to claw my eyes out, Idiot and Brothers Karamazov were lot better (or less tedious) for me personally.
For OP, i recommend http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_the_Flies, I think it has everything you want.

meh i personally thought Idiot was the slowest but none of them can compare to dracula

Edit: ads darenyon said: Frankenstein by Mary Shelly is also a good one.... I have thing for classics, you see?

[starlord]

anything by edgar allen poe. frankenstein. flowers for algernon. The pearl.
not really a novel but Macbeth fits pretty well.

[Daws001]

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Stayed with me for awhile. Depressing. Haunting.

[fengapapit]

The Seven Days of Peter Crumb, Jonny Glynn
The Magician/The Magician King, Lev Grossman
We Are Anonymous, Parmy Olson

Edit:
Went to the bathroom to clip my nails, thought of a few more.

Growing Up Amish, Ira Wagler
Scheisshaus Luck, Pierre Berg*
The Nazi Doctors, Robert Jay Lifton.*
Hairstyles of the Damned, Joe Meno.
Apathy and Other Small Victories, Paul Neilan.

If you like books on 10th grade reading lists (1984, Catcher in the Rye, Mice and Men, Brave New World, Lord of the Flies, 90% of the listings in this thread, etc etc) you could also try Night, by Elie Weisel.*

*Few things are as depressing as the Holocaust.

[FathomFear]

The Hours. It was also made into this film.

[Longview]

I read couple thousand books in my life so far and that one was probably most boring one, i wanted to claw my eyes out, Idiot and Brothers Karamazov were lot better (or less tedious) for me personally.
For OP, i recommend http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_the_Flies, I think it has everything you want.

I always considered it intentional, with the guy running around with a high fever for ages.

[ecthrund]

"Before I go to Sleep" by S J watson

'As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I'm still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me ...'

Memories define us.

So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep?

Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love - all forgotten overnight.

And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story.
Welcome to Christine's life.

Since Amazon is not opening for me atm, this one:
http://www.flipkart.com/before-go-sl...=9780857520180

Note: You can't buy it from that site, I linked it just so you can check it out.

[Deleted]

It depends what you find depressing. I certainly found Crime and Punishment pretty cheerless.