Three Controversial American 20th Century Novels

For those who aren’t impartial to the darker side of human nature, there are plenty of novels to keep you entertained. A lot of people opt for horror stories or science fiction to explore the recesses of humanity and beyond, but there are plenty of stories that stick within the boundaries of reality yet still instill a high degree of fear and repulsion. If you like cult novels with a dark edge, then here’s three recommendations to get you going, all of which have been made into films.

American Psycho, by Brett Easton Ellis

This sizeable work is a no holds barred examination of 1980s yuppie culture. Focusing on the day-to-day activities of a young Wall Street mergers and acquisitions manager, Ellis depicts an ultra rich society that recognizes its superiority, but does so through a heady mix narcissism and blandness. Completely written in the present tense, the life of the antihero lead Patrick Bateman borders on completely meaningless, as he obsesses over the small details of maintaining his cool super rich demeanor. To escape this tedium, Bateman undertakes a number of brutal killings, the graphic nature of which may force you to put the book down or even skip a few pages. Somehow Ellis manages to fuse the gory violence with darkly comic prose, making the book a bleak black comedy that is often as hilarious as it is bloody.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

While Thompson names his protagonist Raoul Duke, he writes in the first person and you’re always under the impression that this novel follows real events. The plot is simple: Duke and his attorney head to Las Vegas, apparently on business, but with a huge arsenal of mind bending drugs. They consequently spend most of their time in bizarre and often hilarious stupors, generally behaving as lewdly as possible while visiting a plethora of different bars and hotels. While the premise of the plot might seem simple enough to be unsustainable over the length of two hundred or so pages, Thompson writes such hilarious dialogue, with his characters confronting increasingly bizarre circumstances, that it becomes difficult to put down until the end. It’s a quick read that will have most people laughing and reviling in disgust in equal measure.

Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr

Amongst the most controversial works of the 1960s, Last Exit to Brooklyn was found likely to ‘deprave and corrupt’ the British populace when arraigned under the Obscene Publications Act in 1966. With scenes of frequent drug taking, misogyny and a shocking instance of gang rape, there is plenty within for more conservative readers to complain about. However, Selby Jr only the depicted what he saw in experience of living in one of New York’s most impoverished areas – a modern hell from which there is seemingly no escape. Not so much a novel as a collection of stories around a central theme, Last Exit… was also written in an unconventional style that ignores most of the rules of grammar. It can be a difficult read at times, but reaching the last page completes one of the most enduring visions of modern inner city life.