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i want someone to recommend a story to me. it can be a novel or a short story or whatever, i suppose. first and foremost i am looking for a novel.
i want the book to be, at some point, mean. i would love a western or southern gothic book. this is not a requirement, just a suggestion as to the mood i am looking for.
"emotionally shattering", "heartbreaking" and "haunting" are all acceptable. post apocalyptic in a literal sense is interesting and in an emotional sense is a big plus.
i read the road a couple of years ago and would love it if you could find me something to match that.
that is my recommendation to you guys: the road. many of you have probably read it already but if not, do it. it is great.
thanks thanks thanks.
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shit i was just reading about that book and the movie yesterday. i will definitely look into it. thank you!
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Lanark by Alasdair Gray.
Lanark defies description. Like Slaughterhouse Five it is both outlandish science-fiction and obvious autobiography, like The Third Policeman it makes use of lengthy footnotes that say absolutely nothing, it begins with book three, has a prologue halfway through, and it includes a long index of plagiarisms in the middle of a discussion between the author and his lead character. Like many difficult books it is probably better appreciated on subsequent readings, but it is likely to grab you from the off. Books 3 and 4 (which you read first and last) are about Lanark, a man who arrives by train in a strange town. Having no name, he takes one from a sepia-tinted tourist-photograph he saw on the compartment wall. The city has no daylight and the inhabitants do no work, living off subsistence-level grants from an unseen power. Many people suffer from oddly symbolic diseases. Lanark develops 'dragonhide', a physical manifestation of Wilhelm Reich's emotional armouring, which smothers his arm in thick heavy scales and claws where his fingers were, one of his friends develops 'mouths' the symptoms of which involves mouths opening like wounds over the body which then speak independently of the sufferer. Lanark commits suicide and comes round in 'The Institute'. The Institute is devoted to curing those it can, but uses the hopeless cases as fuel (dragonhide sufferers eventually 'go nova' if uncured, when their pent-up emotions cause their bodies to explode, which energy is harnessed to power generators) or as food (the glutinous 'softs' are turned into a processed blancmange-like substance which Lanark refuses to eat when he discovers its source). This is only part of the opening book. The novel later trips back to Glasgow just after the war, where we meet Thaw (who it would appear is Lanark in a previous incarnation) for books 1 and 2. I will stop the description here, because it cannot do the book justice.
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Go for John Steinback's novels: Grapes of wrath, Of mice and men, Cannery row, East of Eden. You can thank me later! As shattering and heartbreaking as you can get. Stephen King ain't got shit on him. I mean it.
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raur, color me interested if a bit confused, heh. thanks!
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Anything by H.P. Lovecraft, for instance The Call of Cthulhu.
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Crime and Punishment. F. M. Dostoevsky
it's more psychological than anything else, but still a great and disturbing read
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Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
In the tradition of Anne Rice and YA titles such as Annette Curtis Klause's The Silver Kiss (1999) comes this heady romance that intertwines Bella Swan's life with that of Edward, an alluring and tormented vampire. Bella's life changes when she moves to perpetually rain-soaked Forks, Washington. She is instantly drawn to a fellow student, Edward Cullen, beautiful beyond belief and angrily aloof. Bella senses there is more behind Edward's hostility, and in a plot that slowly and frighteningly unfolds, she learns that Edward and his family are vampires--though they do not hunt humans. Yet Edward cannot promise that his powerful attraction to Bella won't put in her in danger, or worse. Recklessly in love, Bella wants only to be with Edward, but when a vicious, blood-lusting predator complicates her world, Bella's peril is brutally revealed. This is a book of the senses: Edward is first attracted by Bella's scent; ironically, Bella is repelled when she sees blood. Their love is palpable, heightened by their touches, and teens will respond viscerally. There are some flaws here--a plot that could have been tightened, an overreliance on adjectives and adverbs to bolster dialogue--but this dark romance seeps into the soul.
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One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
"The first piece of literature since the Book of Genesis that should be required reading for the entire human race." (William Kennedy, New York Times Book Review )
'The greatest novel in any language of the last 50 years' Salman Rushdie
I cant describe this book in words, by the time you finish it will hit you and hit you hard, amazing book.
If you like that try Marquez's Collected Novellas set they are great too.
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On May 15 2009 21:05 minus_human wrote:
Crime and Punishment. F. M. Dostoevsky
it's more psychological than anything else, but still a great and disturbing read
Definitely in agreement here. Dostoevsky certainly doesn't pull punches, and the psychological warfare in that book can be just scary.
Edit:
On May 15 2009 21:35 samachking wrote:
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
'The greatest novel in any language of the last 50 years' Salman Rushdie
Wow, if Rushdie praises something that much, I may have to check that out. Thanks!
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On May 15 2009 21:03 choboPEon wrote:
raur, color me interested if a bit confused, heh. thanks!
It's very weird and post-modern. Everyone I know who has read it got terribly depressed while reading it. It's a strange and haunting vision of a shattered world where love is meaningless and reality is unreliable.
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The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux. It fits your descprition. It is also best read when you don't know anything about it so I won't elaborate.
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A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
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5673 Posts
On May 15 2009 21:35 samachking wrote:
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
"The first piece of literature since the Book of Genesis that should be required reading for the entire human race." (William Kennedy, New York Times Book Review )
'The greatest novel in any language of the last 50 years' Salman Rushdie
I cant describe this book in words, by the time you finish it will hit you and hit you hard, amazing book.
If you like that try Marquez's Collected Novellas set they are great too.
QFT. Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a genius.
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On May 15 2009 21:05 minus_human wrote:
Crime and Punishment. F. M. Dostoevsky
it's more psychological than anything else, but still a great and disturbing read
If you like that you could try reading The Karamazov Brothers aswell. I loved both of them but I like the latter more.
Oh and Twilight ain't worth it. You'll be able to predict everything in it and you will never get surprised by it.
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Nothing new in the west - Erich Maria Remarque
if you havent read it yet, do - the name and reputation should speak for itself
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On May 15 2009 21:07 floor exercise wrote:Twilight by Stephanie Meyer Show nested quote +In the tradition of Anne Rice and YA titles such as Annette Curtis Klause's The Silver Kiss (1999) comes this heady romance that intertwines Bella Swan's life with that of Edward, an alluring and tormented vampire. Bella's life changes when she moves to perpetually rain-soaked Forks, Washington. She is instantly drawn to a fellow student, Edward Cullen, beautiful beyond belief and angrily aloof. Bella senses there is more behind Edward's hostility, and in a plot that slowly and frighteningly unfolds, she learns that Edward and his family are vampires--though they do not hunt humans. Yet Edward cannot promise that his powerful attraction to Bella won't put in her in danger, or worse. Recklessly in love, Bella wants only to be with Edward, but when a vicious, blood-lusting predator complicates her world, Bella's peril is brutally revealed. This is a book of the senses: Edward is first attracted by Bella's scent; ironically, Bella is repelled when she sees blood. Their love is palpable, heightened by their touches, and teens will respond viscerally. There are some flaws here--a plot that could have been tightened, an overreliance on adjectives and adverbs to bolster dialogue--but this dark romance seeps into the soul.
i can't tell if this is a joke or not.
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Wizards First Rule - Terry Goodkind
its a long book (1100+pages) as is the rest of the series (8 books) but it is one of the most thought provoking and meaning filled series i've ever read.
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as far as gothic is concerned i would try The Cold Fire Trilogy by C.S. Freidman. As for heart breaking and haunting and post apocalyptic and all that good stuff can't beat The Malazan Book of the Fallen.
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On May 15 2009 23:43 whatusername wrote:Show nested quote +On May 15 2009 21:07 floor exercise wrote:Twilight by Stephanie Meyer In the tradition of Anne Rice and YA titles such as Annette Curtis Klause's The Silver Kiss (1999) comes this heady romance that intertwines Bella Swan's life with that of Edward, an alluring and tormented vampire. Bella's life changes when she moves to perpetually rain-soaked Forks, Washington. She is instantly drawn to a fellow student, Edward Cullen, beautiful beyond belief and angrily aloof. Bella senses there is more behind Edward's hostility, and in a plot that slowly and frighteningly unfolds, she learns that Edward and his family are vampires--though they do not hunt humans. Yet Edward cannot promise that his powerful attraction to Bella won't put in her in danger, or worse. Recklessly in love, Bella wants only to be with Edward, but when a vicious, blood-lusting predator complicates her world, Bella's peril is brutally revealed. This is a book of the senses: Edward is first attracted by Bella's scent; ironically, Bella is repelled when she sees blood. Their love is palpable, heightened by their touches, and teens will respond viscerally. There are some flaws here--a plot that could have been tightened, an overreliance on adjectives and adverbs to bolster dialogue--but this dark romance seeps into the soul. i can't tell if this is a joke or not.
Why would I be joking? He asked for tragic and gothic, you don't get much more tragic and gothy than love between a vampire and human girl that can never be
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Netherlands6142 Posts
A Secret History by Donna Tartt and join in in next week's PBR!
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On May 16 2009 01:32 floor exercise wrote:Show nested quote +On May 15 2009 23:43 whatusername wrote:On May 15 2009 21:07 floor exercise wrote:Twilight by Stephanie Meyer In the tradition of Anne Rice and YA titles such as Annette Curtis Klause's The Silver Kiss (1999) comes this heady romance that intertwines Bella Swan's life with that of Edward, an alluring and tormented vampire. Bella's life changes when she moves to perpetually rain-soaked Forks, Washington. She is instantly drawn to a fellow student, Edward Cullen, beautiful beyond belief and angrily aloof. Bella senses there is more behind Edward's hostility, and in a plot that slowly and frighteningly unfolds, she learns that Edward and his family are vampires--though they do not hunt humans. Yet Edward cannot promise that his powerful attraction to Bella won't put in her in danger, or worse. Recklessly in love, Bella wants only to be with Edward, but when a vicious, blood-lusting predator complicates her world, Bella's peril is brutally revealed. This is a book of the senses: Edward is first attracted by Bella's scent; ironically, Bella is repelled when she sees blood. Their love is palpable, heightened by their touches, and teens will respond viscerally. There are some flaws here--a plot that could have been tightened, an overreliance on adjectives and adverbs to bolster dialogue--but this dark romance seeps into the soul. i can't tell if this is a joke or not. Why would I be joking? He asked for tragic and gothic, you don't get much more tragic and gothy than love between a vampire and human girl that can never be
Hahaha definitely a joke now.
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On May 16 2009 01:32 floor exercise wrote:Show nested quote +On May 15 2009 23:43 whatusername wrote:On May 15 2009 21:07 floor exercise wrote:Twilight by Stephanie Meyer In the tradition of Anne Rice and YA titles such as Annette Curtis Klause's The Silver Kiss (1999) comes this heady romance that intertwines Bella Swan's life with that of Edward, an alluring and tormented vampire. Bella's life changes when she moves to perpetually rain-soaked Forks, Washington. She is instantly drawn to a fellow student, Edward Cullen, beautiful beyond belief and angrily aloof. Bella senses there is more behind Edward's hostility, and in a plot that slowly and frighteningly unfolds, she learns that Edward and his family are vampires--though they do not hunt humans. Yet Edward cannot promise that his powerful attraction to Bella won't put in her in danger, or worse. Recklessly in love, Bella wants only to be with Edward, but when a vicious, blood-lusting predator complicates her world, Bella's peril is brutally revealed. This is a book of the senses: Edward is first attracted by Bella's scent; ironically, Bella is repelled when she sees blood. Their love is palpable, heightened by their touches, and teens will respond viscerally. There are some flaws here--a plot that could have been tightened, an overreliance on adjectives and adverbs to bolster dialogue--but this dark romance seeps into the soul. i can't tell if this is a joke or not. Why would I be joking? He asked for tragic and gothic, you don't get much more tragic and gothy than love between a vampire and human girl that can never be
if you're serious, i dont think you know what gothic is in this context
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_gothic
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solaris by stanislaw lem
emotionally shattering science fiction
was made into a shitty film by s sodenburg but previously in the 70s by mastermind tcharkovsky
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the blood countess by andrei codrescu
released during the early or mid 90s. this is inspired by elizabeth bathory, who was accused of killing 600 young women during the 14th/15th century in hungary.
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I'm reading The Fountainhead right now and it's a great book.
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House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, its good i promise
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The Catcher in the Rye, a very good book by J. D. Salinger. One of the most famous books in the world. Quite weird, not to loong and fun to read 
But be awear. It is a book that has no action at all. It is all just him doing nothing in the entire book. So if you are a actionholik, this might not be for you(but it has a lot of sex stuff in it thou). Still very fun to read!
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The best book I've read thus far this year is easily The Name of the Wind and I would strongly recommend it to anyone.
stolen from the book's website (because i'm too lazy to type):
+ Show Spoiler +
My name is Kvothe, pronounced nearly the same as "quothe." Names are important as they tell you a great deal about a person. I've had more names than anyone has a right to. The Adem call me Maedre. Which, depending on how it's spoken, can mean The Flame, The Thunder, or The Broken Tree.
"The Flame" is obvious if you've ever seen me. I have red hair, bright. If I had been born a couple of hundred years ago I would probably have been burned as a demon. I keep it short but it's unruly. When left to its own devices, it sticks up and makes me look as if I have been set afire.
"The Thunder" I attribute to a strong baritone and a great deal of stage training at an early age.
I've never thought of "The Broken Tree" as very significant. Although in retrospect, I suppose it could be considered at least partially prophetic.
My first mentor called me E'lir because I was clever and I knew it. My first real lover called me Dulator because she liked the sound of it. I have been called Shadicar, Lightfinger, and Six-String. I have been called Kvothe the Bloodless, Kvothe the Arcane, and Kvothe Kingkiller. I have earned those names. Bought and paid for them.
But I was brought up as Kvothe. My father once told me it meant "to know."
I have, of course, been called many other things. Most of them uncouth, although very few were unearned.
I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.
You may have heard of me.
I'd really recommend it, and The Road owned 
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Austin10833 Posts
If you liked The Road, and McCarthy's style, definitely check out Blood Meridian.
The narrative follows a teenage runaway referred to only as "the kid", with the bulk of the text devoted to his experiences with the Glanton gang, a historical group of scalp hunters who massacred Indians and others on the United States–Mexico borderlands in 1849 and 1850. The principal antagonist is the demonic Judge Holden, an extremely large and intelligent man who is utterly devoted to violence and conflict. Much of the book is based on Glanton gang member Samuel Chamberlain's My Confession, which has been criticized as unreliable, but Blood Meridian is historically accurate in general, and includes numerous references to contemporary occurrences.
Although the novel initially earned lukewarm critical and commercial reception, it has since become widely recognized not only as McCarthy's masterpiece, but also as one of the acclaimed American novels of the 20th century.
Incredibly violent and dense; I imagine it's probably exactly what you're looking for.
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On May 16 2009 01:32 floor exercise wrote:Show nested quote +On May 15 2009 23:43 whatusername wrote:On May 15 2009 21:07 floor exercise wrote:Twilight by Stephanie Meyer In the tradition of Anne Rice and YA titles such as Annette Curtis Klause's The Silver Kiss (1999) comes this heady romance that intertwines Bella Swan's life with that of Edward, an alluring and tormented vampire. Bella's life changes when she moves to perpetually rain-soaked Forks, Washington. She is instantly drawn to a fellow student, Edward Cullen, beautiful beyond belief and angrily aloof. Bella senses there is more behind Edward's hostility, and in a plot that slowly and frighteningly unfolds, she learns that Edward and his family are vampires--though they do not hunt humans. Yet Edward cannot promise that his powerful attraction to Bella won't put in her in danger, or worse. Recklessly in love, Bella wants only to be with Edward, but when a vicious, blood-lusting predator complicates her world, Bella's peril is brutally revealed. This is a book of the senses: Edward is first attracted by Bella's scent; ironically, Bella is repelled when she sees blood. Their love is palpable, heightened by their touches, and teens will respond viscerally. There are some flaws here--a plot that could have been tightened, an overreliance on adjectives and adverbs to bolster dialogue--but this dark romance seeps into the soul. i can't tell if this is a joke or not. Why would I be joking? He asked for tragic and gothic, you don't get much more tragic and gothy than love between a vampire and human girl that can never be
godamn it! I was gonna troll with that but now I've been beaten to it!
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Not much like The Road, but I really enjoy novels by Michael Ondaatje. Try Anil's Ghost or Divisadero.
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On May 15 2009 21:35 samachking wrote:
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
"The first piece of literature since the Book of Genesis that should be required reading for the entire human race." (William Kennedy, New York Times Book Review )
'The greatest novel in any language of the last 50 years' Salman Rushdie
I cant describe this book in words, by the time you finish it will hit you and hit you hard, amazing book.
If you like that try Marquez's Collected Novellas set they are great too.
Even if this book doesn't fit your requirements exactly, I can't say how much I support this advice. This is a fantastic book.
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Netherlands6142 Posts
On May 16 2009 02:56 Neivler wrote:The Catcher in the Rye, a very good book by J. D. Salinger. One of the most famous books in the world. Quite weird, not to loong and fun to read But be awear. It is a book that has no action at all. It is all just him doing nothing in the entire book. So if you are a actionholik, this might not be for you(but it has a lot of sex stuff in it thou). Still very fun to read!
Dyou know anything by Thomas Pynchon? Since little was know about the latter people speculated that he and Salinger were the same person. Anyway, Pynchon is epic, get a hold of Against the Day!
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I'm not sure if half the people in this thread are trolling you or not.
Anyways, I can seriously recommend Perdido Street Station by China Mieville, and American Gods by Neil Gaiman.
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EPT
