Most Disturbing Books II

While on my Kealan Patrick Burke reading spree (that included the wonderful novella 'Sour Candy'), I discovered another book that disturbed me pretty much - albeit differently than 'Blanky' did. It's a novella called 'The Tent', and it's included in a collection of three other novellas (simply called 'The Novellas'):

This collection is the only way to get it on paper, because the novella alone is only available as an ebook: 

'The Tent' is a scary and repulsive story that somehow hit a nerve with me, and it's about... well, I can't really say anything more about it without spoilers, so let me say at least this: the light and warmth of the eponymous tent might be deceptive.

Burke is able - as always, it seems to me - to draw you in, deeply, and as soon as that happens, you will not get out easily. Some images of this novella will definitely haunt you. His writing style is - again, as always - concise, short, limited to the necessary, yet imaginative and atmospheric. 

Kealan Patrick Burke knows how to really frighten you - which is a rare trait in horror literature these days. And an even rarer trait is to surprise you: you will not know what's really happening until it's too late - for the protagonists. And for you.

Most Disturbing Books I

This is a list of the most disturbing books I have read. And by this I mean works of fiction (short stories, novellas, short novels, novels) that kept me awake at night and left images I remember long after. I am just starting to compile the list, so it will be updated regularly. And of course I am open for recommendations! 

Nathan Ballingrud - The Visible Filth
 

A deeply unsettling read, almost from the get go. The novella does what good horror fiction (at least in my opinion) should do: Make you feel safe while at the same time slowly pulling the rug away from under you, fiber by fiber, increasingly blurring the line between real and surreal - until you finally see that gaping hole underneath your feet that you are gonna fall into now. Like his  marvelous - and recommendable - short story collection 'North American Lake Monsters', 'The Visible Filth' shows that Nathan Ballingrud is a unique voice in modern horror literature. 

Kealan Patrick Burke - Blanky

What starts as a tragic story of loss, told from the perspective of a grieving father whose daughter has died just months after her birth (no spoiler here, you learn this on the first two pages), soon develops into pure and relentless horror with a deeply psychological and symbolic subtext. Kealan Patrick Burke doesn't say a word too much, and still manages to make his first person narrator almost painfully believable in his sadness, his hope, and ultimately his sheer terror. (Shout-out to Edward Lorn for his recommendation.)