Top 10 Darkest Classic Novels You Need To Read
#10: “The Bluest Eye” (1970) Toni Morrison
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Toni Morrison is a beloved Nobel prize-winning American writer, known for both her fiction and nonfiction. As a woman of color, many of her works have focused on the plights of African-Americans throughout the centuries. As a result, much of her work tackles disturbing themes, but perhaps none is as upsetting as “The Bluest Eye.” The unflinching story touches on institutionalized racism, physical abuse, rape, incest and more. By the end of the story, the main character has slowly gone insane due to the troubling life she has led, and readers are not granted a happy ending to make it all better.
#9: “The Trial” (1925) Franz Kafka
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Bohemia-born Franz Kafka’s distinctive style and point of view led to the creation of the phrase “Kafkaesque.” Merriam Webster specifies that it means “having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality,” which pretty much describes the content of all his major works. “The Trial” is one of the most difficult to read because of the feelings of total helplessness it evokes. Josef K, the protagonist, suffers through a surreal series of events in which there is little logic and even less useful information. Partly an allegory for life under a bureaucratic system in which civil rights are ignored, the message conveyed in this novel continues to resonate.
#8: “The Bell Jar” (1963) Sylvia Plath
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This novel is found on many high school curricula and has been many people’s first foray into fiction so very dismal. The fact that Sylvia Plath committed suicide only a month after the publication of this novel gives a pretty good indication of her mental state while writing it. Mental illness is directly addressed in the novel, with the main character being prescribed electroconvulsive therapy and attempting suicide several times. Unlike many of the other entries on our list today, at least there is some element of hope in this story’s ending.
#7: “Revolutionary Road” (1961) Richard Yates
If you’ve seen the 2008 movie starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, you know just how dispiriting this story is. The book is set in 1950s Connecticut, and follows a married couple, Frank and April Wheeler as they try to find more for themselves than the stereotypical American Dream. It’s a dark look at suburban living and domesticity, with both partners desperately striving for something more. Just when it seems that they might have figured out a way to escape the monotony of their lives, an unexpected event derails everything, and ultimately ends one of their stories in death.
#6: “Never Let Me Go” (2005) Kazuo Ishiguro
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A beautifully written if depressing novel, Kazuo Ishiguro’s “Never Let Me Go” is a subtle dystopian story with many twists and turns. The story is set in either the near future or a parallel universe, and much of the action takes place at a boarding school called Hailsham. It’s only part way through the novel that the reader finds out exactly what’s going on there, and when they realize what the fate of their favorite characters will be, things only go downhill. The ardent hopefulness of the characters Ruth and Tommy really tugs at the heartstrings, but from the start you know that they won’t be living a happily ever after.
#5: “Dracula” (1897) Bram Stoker
The story of “Dracula” has permeated the public consciousness after being retold in countless adaptations in the years since its publication. Everyone is familiar with the titular character and the basics of the story, but how many have actually read Bram Stoker’s novel? This was possibly the OG vampire story, before the craze that has exploded in more recent times. When first published, the horror genre was just finding its feet, and readers were thrilled by the dark world portrayed in its pages. Today of course, the tale may seem tired, but it’s easy to imagine the effect it once had.
#4: “Wuthering Heights” (1847) Emily Brontë
This classic piece of 19th century literature is thought of as one of the greatest love stories ever written, but in fact it isn’t all passionate kisses and longing glances. The story takes place on the gloomy moors, and there’s an undertone of darkness and violence to the tale. Catherine and Heathcliff are separated by circumstance and remain apart for many years. When Heathcliff finally comes back to her, it is as a changed man – one who will not rest until vengeance is served. One prominent reader said of it, “The action is laid in hell, – only it seems places and people have English names there."
#3: “Lord of the Flies” (1954) William Golding
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You probably already know the premise of “Lord of the Flies” because it is so heavily referenced in pop culture and frequently assigned in high school English classes. Compared to more modern dystopian literature, the events of the novel may not seem as shocking – but the manner in which the novel lays out the dark, feral corners of human behavior is truly disturbing. The abysmal and violent society that a group of young male characters create when stranded on an island sets forth a view of humanity that is distressingly pessimistic.
#2: “Nineteen Eighty-Four” (1949) George Orwell
One of the most well-known works of science fiction is this dystopian novel that was published decades before the genre saw a resurgence in popular culture. Rereading “Nineteen Eighty-Four” in modern times, though, many find it alarmingly relevant, as some of the sinister concepts from the novel seem to have cropped up in real life. These events may not have transpired by the year 1984, but the omnipresence of propaganda has a corollary in proponents who slander real journalism and promote the fake news of today. And the rise of extreme nationalism is also echoes themes in the novel.
#1: “Frankenstein” (1818) Mary Shelley
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Wait, Frankenstein isn’t the monster? Of course you know that by now! “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus” was written by a teenaged Mary Shelley in the early 19th century and at the time was a musing on the age of enlightenment and industrialization. It’s one of the original examples of a horror novel, and even reading it now when you know the story, there are still shocking twists and turns. At its core, the themes of human intervention with technology are not unlike the more modern dystopian tales that we tell today.
