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Dark Books

Books tagged as dark deal in heavy subject matter, morally compromised characters, and worlds where optimism is in short supply. These stories don't shy away from violence, trauma, or bleak outcomes, and they tend to leave a lasting mark on readers who appreciate fiction without safety nets.

65 books

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness book cover

A Monster Calls

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby book cover

All the Sinners Bleed

Bear and His Daughter by Robert Stone book cover

Literary Fiction

Bear and His Daughter

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver book cover

Butcher & Blackbird

Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin book cover

Cuckoo

Gretchen Felker-Martin

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman book cover

Science Fiction

Dungeon Crawler Carl

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh book cover

Eileen

Ottessa Moshfegh

Fallen by Lauren Kate book cover

Fallen

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James book cover

Fifty Shades of Grey

Girl A by Abigail Dean book cover

Girl A

Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow book cover

Girl in Pieces

Kathleen Glasgow

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn book cover

Gone Girl

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling book cover

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton book cover

Haunting Adeline

Holly by Stephen King book cover

Holly

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover book cover

Hopeless

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig book cover

House of Salt and Sorrows

It by Stephen King book cover

It

Killing Floor by Lee Child book cover

Killing Floor

King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby book cover

King of Ashes

Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis book cover

Less Than Zero

Bret Easton Ellis

Lights Out by Navessa Allen book cover

Lights Out

Lights Out by Navessa Allen book cover

Lights Out

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov book cover

Literary Fiction

Lolita

Vladimir Nabokov

Lord of the Flies by William Golding book cover

Literary Fiction

Lord of the Flies

William Golding

Low Town by Daniel Polansky book cover

Low Town

Daniel Polansky

Misery by Stephen King book cover

Misery

Model Home by Rivers Solomon book cover

Model Home

Neuromancer by William Gibson book cover

Science Fiction

Neuromancer

One Dark Window book cover

One Dark Window

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood book cover

Science Fiction

Oryx and Crake

Margaret Atwood

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler book cover

Science Fiction

Parable of the Sower

Pet Sematary by Stephen King book cover

Pet Sematary

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard book cover

Pretty Little Liars

Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence book cover

Prince of Thorns

Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas book cover

Punk 57

Penelope Douglas

Quicksilver by Callie Hart book cover

Quicksilver

Sinners Retreat

Sinners Retreat

Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica book cover

Tender Is the Flesh

Agustina Bazterrica

The Black Company by Glen Cook book cover

The Black Company

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie book cover

The Blade Itself

Joe Abercrombie

The Book of Night Women by Marlon James book cover

Historical Fiction

The Book of Night Women

The Cartel by Don Winslow book cover

The Cartel

The Changeling by Victor LaValle book cover

The Changeling

The Collector by John Fowles book cover

The Collector

The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins book cover

The Friends of Eddie Coyle

George V. Higgins

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson book cover

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Lamb by Lucy Rose book cover

The Lamb

The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman book cover

The Lesser Dead

Christopher Buehlman

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka book cover

The Metamorphosis

The Mist book cover

The Mist

The Monk by Matthew Lewis book cover

The Monk

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes book cover

The Naturals

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Omen book cover

The Omen

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde book cover

Literary Fiction

The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz book cover

The Plot

Jean Hanff Korelitz

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang book cover

The Poppy War

The Power by Naomi Alderman book cover

Science Fiction

The Power

The Power by Naomi Alderman book cover

The Power

The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow book cover

The Power of the Dog

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due book cover

The Reformatory

The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean book cover

The Return of Ellie Black

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh book cover

Literary Fiction

Trainspotting

Twisted Love by Ana Huang book cover

Twisted Love

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart book cover

We Were Liars