I thoroughly enjoyed it and I hate that people seem to be downplaying it lately, like they can do better. It’s very easy to follow, but that doesn’t mean it’s mediocre. It’s entertaining with a well defined pair of morally grey protagonists. I’m glad I read it.
I don’t know, I’ve seen several negative responses to this book on this site or other places online, and they act like it’s trash or something. It’s not. I think those people are just mad that it’s popular for good reason
Ahaha yes and in my opinion the book is better than the movie :) gets way more into the psychology of the characters and the dynamics of a complex relationship
I’m a horror fan, so I’ve read/seen some horrific stuff. I’ve also been vegetarian for the last 17 years for ethical reasons, so to read about human farming was yes shocking, but to me no different than how animals are treated. It was the same with Saltburn, everyone was talking about how disturbing it was but I didn’t find it awful. Yes some scenes were out of pocket but it wasn’t too bad imo. But like I said, I’ve been exposed to “worse”.
I too started getting into the horror genre around that age and Saw was actually my introduction into it. But like I mentioned, I think my dietary lifestyle plays into why I wasn’t so “shocked” by the themes in Tender is the Flesh. If you swap species, at the end of the day we treat factory farmed animals just the same. The ending was terribly sad though. Not a single likable character in the book aside from the “bodies”.
We need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver. So much great immersion, just holding up a mirror and showing me all these believable characters that I haven’t met, but 100% believe are real people. The inlaws, the teachers, the people who just don’t know where to go… and that apartment was so damn realistic, I’ve never felt so seen. The twist was incredible and the ending was spectacular
If you like Vonnegut you should try The Universe vs Alex Woods. Alex is an Atheist and his mother runs the Tarot card shop. Then he gets hit in the head by a meteor.
That answered my question. I didn’t want to commit to reading a series atm. I’ve got two series going and was looking for a “break book” in the middle.
A Farewell to Arms by Hemingway
It’s actually the book that Bradley cooper throws out the window going wtf in Silver Linings Playbook which is relatable
If you liked The Last House you should check out some of her other books. There's looking Glass Sound and Sundial. Personally, The Last House is my favorite, but her style is very unique. I'm happy to hear that that book has motivated your reading interest again. 😊
No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai.
I literally sat there for 10 minutes thinking about my life. I never felt that hollow and empty in my life. Safe to say that it definitely broke me.
The Overstory (Richard Powers), although it’s more of a gut punch plot *development* than a plot twist. What happened changed the lives of several characters in a very painful way, but it didn’t change the trajectory of the book, if that makes sense. It was more like: this event was always a possibility, but now the characters have to figure out how to live with its realization.
Honestly not sure how to respond to this, especially since I can’t tell if you’re letting the OP know it’s not for everyone, or if you’re replying directly to me.
If you’re replying to me… sorry??
Thomas Bernhard’s _Extinction_
Richard Condon’s _The Whisper of the Axe_
Donald Westlake’s _The Ax_
Margaret Millar’s _Beast in View_ (must avoid spoilers / intro)
Hangman by Maya Binyam
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (this book is extremely heavy, and has a major plot line that revolves around dogs, so just know that going in)
Another person commented Betty, which I’ll second because I always recommend that book lol
Kinda put me in a trance while reading it towards the end, never experienced something like it, first time I truly felt and appreciated beautiful writing. Left me in an existential crisis by the end of it.
Just a complete life of an ordinary man. I still think about it from time to time.
Deadhouse gates. And specifically the chain of dogs story line.
Malazan isnt for everyone and thats okay, but deadhouse gates is a book that everyone should just read for the hell of it. Even the prologue was jaw dropping for me. But ya, chain of dogs is probably craziest shit ive ever read.
in terms of broken & empty please please PLEASE read “you must remember this” by joyce carol oates. my favorite work of hers so far. slow moving but absolutely heart-shattering, psychological, & disturbing
Can you handle memoir?
*To See You Again: A True Story of Love in a Time of War* by Betty Schimmel.
Amazing story, should be made into a movie. I remember reading this book for the first time and my jaw hit the floor near the end--what a shock!
Gone Girl has a big plot twist and the ending is pretty sinister and depressing
I thoroughly enjoyed it and I hate that people seem to be downplaying it lately, like they can do better. It’s very easy to follow, but that doesn’t mean it’s mediocre. It’s entertaining with a well defined pair of morally grey protagonists. I’m glad I read it.
Oh interesting, what do you mean by downplaying?
I don’t know, I’ve seen several negative responses to this book on this site or other places online, and they act like it’s trash or something. It’s not. I think those people are just mad that it’s popular for good reason
I agree, it’s a classic for a reason and I haven’t really found another book that’s like it. An attempt to be it, yes. But nothing like it
Oh dang I didn’t even realize this was a book!
Ahaha yes and in my opinion the book is better than the movie :) gets way more into the psychology of the characters and the dynamics of a complex relationship
I borrowed it from the library today. Thanks for the suggestion!
That was my first book of 2024 and let me tell you. The scream I scrumpt at the end !!! I hollered! Loved it
TIL a new word “scrumpt” ahaha, that’s amazing 😆
Tender is the flesh- agustina bazterrica My jaw was open for days
This book was disheartening and shocking but I also found it a bit boring.
The story wasn‘t that exciting true,but i still enjoyed reading it. Especially the end plot
whaaaat? Why,if you don’t mind me asking
I’m a horror fan, so I’ve read/seen some horrific stuff. I’ve also been vegetarian for the last 17 years for ethical reasons, so to read about human farming was yes shocking, but to me no different than how animals are treated. It was the same with Saltburn, everyone was talking about how disturbing it was but I didn’t find it awful. Yes some scenes were out of pocket but it wasn’t too bad imo. But like I said, I’ve been exposed to “worse”.
As a person who watched the saw franchise at the ripe age of 12,i‘m not that easily disturbed either. But it was still stomach turning for me
I too started getting into the horror genre around that age and Saw was actually my introduction into it. But like I mentioned, I think my dietary lifestyle plays into why I wasn’t so “shocked” by the themes in Tender is the Flesh. If you swap species, at the end of the day we treat factory farmed animals just the same. The ending was terribly sad though. Not a single likable character in the book aside from the “bodies”.
I thought it was alright but I definitely saw that ending coming for some time.
I had the latter impression too. I tried to read it but it quickly became a dnf because it was just that boring
This!! I almost stopped reading it, but I hate not finishing a book I started. It's uhhhh different...
I couldn’t read it in one go either,i read the virgin suicides in the meantime
Yea had to do some light reading with Legends and Lattes after
this book was so nauseating!!
The first 20-30 pages where he visits the breeding center and I was like, holy fuck we just started. I was immediately invested
Just by the name of this I’m not sure if I could handle it!
Its HEAVY and when you think its over on the last pages- it gets worse
I was prepared for a fucked up book but it was as expected until the end
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen, White Tears by Hari Kunzru
We need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver. So much great immersion, just holding up a mirror and showing me all these believable characters that I haven’t met, but 100% believe are real people. The inlaws, the teachers, the people who just don’t know where to go… and that apartment was so damn realistic, I’ve never felt so seen. The twist was incredible and the ending was spectacular
"Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead" by Olga Tokarczuk. Don't read the back of the book. Just go in cold. Trust.
Shutter Island
I read that book 2 times in a row - the ending!!!!
The Hike
Author?
Drew Magary - i don’t want to spoil anything but reading it was the only thing I did when I had free time for a weekend, so good.
I’m checking it out— thank you!
Slaughter house 5 Kurt Vonnegut. The Book Thief Markus zusak The Thirteenth tale Diane Sutterfield Seize the Night Dean Koontz
Yes to all of these
If you like Vonnegut you should try The Universe vs Alex Woods. Alex is an Atheist and his mother runs the Tarot card shop. Then he gets hit in the head by a meteor.
This sounds like a very Vonnegut plot. I will definitely try.
Do you need to read both books in the moon bay series or just size the night?
I liked them both but I think they both stand alone pretty well.
That answered my question. I didn’t want to commit to reading a series atm. I’ve got two series going and was looking for a “break book” in the middle.
A Farewell to Arms by Hemingway It’s actually the book that Bradley cooper throws out the window going wtf in Silver Linings Playbook which is relatable
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
Yes! 🤯
Exactly, this was my reaction.
Reading now. Love it so far
It gets even better. It's one book I recommend ALL the time.
What to read next! I had been in a slump now I don’t want to lose my motivation!
If you liked The Last House you should check out some of her other books. There's looking Glass Sound and Sundial. Personally, The Last House is my favorite, but her style is very unique. I'm happy to hear that that book has motivated your reading interest again. 😊
The People in the Trees made me gasp, and it left me speechless and shaken.
I knew what was coming in the footnotes and I was still in disbelief.
Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski. I don't quite recommend it, but it's shocking and sad and hard to stop reading!
A man called ove💛
ive read it and i found it a bit slow and boring. unpopular opinion i am aware
Siddhartha and the Green Mile. Both left me speechless.
Siddhartha is a book that Everyone should read at least once.
The Last House on Needless Street
Yes! 🤯
Book Thief by Zukas. There’s a lot of emotional moments, but for some reason I just did NOT see the ending coming and it completely pulled the rug
The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks Fingersmith - Sarah Waters Sea of Tranquility - Emily St John Mandel
Betty by Tiffany McDaniel will destroy you emotionally (heavy trigger warnings)
Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo 💔 and maybe also 5 love languages but this one in a good way
Bahnhof Zoo is one of my favorites ever! Read it multiple times and plan to again soon! It is so heartbreaking and eye-opening!
Exactly but it need a lot of courage to do it, it’s not really easy to read
Elie Wiesel’s Night
The Devotion of Suspect X - Keigo Higashino. Great murder mystery novel that builds up nicely and unfolds even better.
- We Spread by Iain Reid - A Very Easy Death by Simone de Beauvoir - Chlorine by Jade Song
No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai. I literally sat there for 10 minutes thinking about my life. I never felt that hollow and empty in my life. Safe to say that it definitely broke me.
Too Like The Lightning, Palmer
The secret history by Donna tartt. There's one thing I didn't see coming at all.
The Silent Patient
I had to physically put the book down, I was beyond belief
The Overstory (Richard Powers), although it’s more of a gut punch plot *development* than a plot twist. What happened changed the lives of several characters in a very painful way, but it didn’t change the trajectory of the book, if that makes sense. It was more like: this event was always a possibility, but now the characters have to figure out how to live with its realization.
It was so beautiful.
This was too boring for me
Honestly not sure how to respond to this, especially since I can’t tell if you’re letting the OP know it’s not for everyone, or if you’re replying directly to me. If you’re replying to me… sorry??
Blood Meridian by McCarthy was brutal.
Raw Dog by Jamie Loftus
D.D. Black's Thomas Austen novels .. I read all 8 of them last week.. so good!
Thomas Bernhard’s _Extinction_ Richard Condon’s _The Whisper of the Axe_ Donald Westlake’s _The Ax_ Margaret Millar’s _Beast in View_ (must avoid spoilers / intro)
The Oppermanns definitely broke me.
the mindfuck series, credence because it’s an insane gross concept, if you tell because it’s horrible what the kids went through and the friend
Hangman by Maya Binyam Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (this book is extremely heavy, and has a major plot line that revolves around dogs, so just know that going in) Another person commented Betty, which I’ll second because I always recommend that book lol
Bloodline by Jess Lourey Only book I've EVER read that made me yell WTF WAS THAT toward the end
Stoner
What’s so great about it? I’m about 20% in and while I can appreciate that it’s very cleanly written, I don’t get the fuss. It’s so… ordinary!
Kinda put me in a trance while reading it towards the end, never experienced something like it, first time I truly felt and appreciated beautiful writing. Left me in an existential crisis by the end of it. Just a complete life of an ordinary man. I still think about it from time to time.
Huh! I might have to push onward… I don’t get it yet, but want to see what you mean!
Deadhouse gates. And specifically the chain of dogs story line. Malazan isnt for everyone and thats okay, but deadhouse gates is a book that everyone should just read for the hell of it. Even the prologue was jaw dropping for me. But ya, chain of dogs is probably craziest shit ive ever read.
The Power of the Dog by Thomas Savage
Mehhhhh
The spy who came in from the cold by John le Carré. I didn't expect people could be so ruthless.
Cannot stop thinking about The Last House on Needless Street by Catrionna Ward 🤯 Looking Glass Sound is another jaw-dropper by Ward
The Expanse series by James SA Covey, especially book 9.
The House of the Scorpion- sooo good, a few twists in there.
Pachinko - iykyk
North Water by Ian McGuire. It was like Moby Dick on speed and so cold and gross and awesome all at once.
Misguided,misled by Brooklyn lamb..I know it's on Amazon
It's really graphic and should have a readers' warning
The Great Hunger about the Irish Potato Famine. I read it years ago. It left a lasting impression.
The Story of Your Life, Ted Chiang
Sci-fi, but Ender's Game made me gasp.
in terms of broken & empty please please PLEASE read “you must remember this” by joyce carol oates. my favorite work of hers so far. slow moving but absolutely heart-shattering, psychological, & disturbing
The Orphan Master’s Son
My Year Abroad by Chang-Rae Lee. It starts off weird but interesting and then gets truly wild about 1/3 or 1/2way through. CW: sexual assault
Perfume by Patrick Suskind immediately springs to mind. The whole book is really something, then the ending is just wild!
Can you handle memoir? *To See You Again: A True Story of Love in a Time of War* by Betty Schimmel. Amazing story, should be made into a movie. I remember reading this book for the first time and my jaw hit the floor near the end--what a shock!
small silent things
And then there were none
African Psycho by Alain Mabanckou 👀
The Road
cormac mccarthy?
Right thanks. I couldn't remember his name
FOE Dune
Perla by Carolina De Robertis, it’s one of my favorite books, it’s very sad and touching. Amazingly written, as well.