As an English Literature student, over the summer I decided to take a break from the doom and gloom of required reading, opting for books a little more unhinged than your run-of-the-mill classics. Two of these have refused to leave my mind, and I catch myself thinking of them at least once a week, just because of how truly messed up they were. This spoiler-free article will aim to convey why I hated to love these books, and why I think you will too.
Eliza Clark’s ‘Boy Parts’ follows our protagonist Irina, a successful freelance photographer who works in a bar and spends her free time scouting men to shoot on the streets of Newcastle. As the story progresses, we see her slow demise into complete insanity, as her photography and thirst for success takes over her life, causing her to alienate everyone close to her. As an unreliable narrator we find her dislikeable through her ruthless treatment of both men and women; she is truly the author of her own demise. Overall, an American Psycho style grapple between reality and insanity, the reason I enjoyed this book as much as I did is because it was refreshing to see a true female villain who is not sugar coated or easily digestible. This book was a truly uncomfortable experience that I thoroughly enjoyed. It had been a while since I had read something where I despised the main character and rooted for her downfall.
The other unforgettable text that I can't seem to shake is Mona Awad's ‘Bunny’. This story follows our protagonist Samantha Heather Mackey who has been accepted onto a prestigious writing course at Warren University, where she falls in with a boy-obsessed clique of girls who only referrer to each other as ‘bunny’. Their friendships become dark and twisted, moving beyond intimate into cult territory. The Crime riddled city where the novel is set pales in comparison to what these girls get up to in their free time. Stifling descriptions and demonic activities make this novel feel like an Alice In Wonderland-esque trip into Samantha's mind, accompanied by plenty of twists and turns down a symbolic rabbit hole. The reason I loved this book was because it represents a subversion of the average experience of womanhood with dark undertones, making it hard to forget.
Both books manage to both echo the classics and create something new. They represent a struggle between the conscious and unconscious minds, both protagonists weaponizing their femininity to claim a sick power over objectified men. If you enjoy dark stories,, please take the time to read these two, I cannot recommend them enough.