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Best “Unhinged Women” Book Recs
15
items Disturbing, unlikeable, absurd, & weird femme narratives that I couldn’t get enough of & that challenged me to expand my media literacy/comprehension abilities.
Sections
3
Strange, Satirical, Unhinged
Glamorous, Culty, Coming of Age
Dark, Twisty, Disturbing
Strange, Satirical, Unhinged
Weird, funny, and a little deranged. These novels lean into surreal plots, biting humor, and cult-like vibes that are as absurd as they are brilliant.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation is weirdly funny, dark, and addictive. It follows a woman in New York who decides to medicate and sleep her life away, and it somehow makes apathy feel sharp, stylish, and oddly relatable.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation | Otessa Moshfeigh
Meet Edie, a 23-year-old Black woman in New York, who gets involved with a middle-aged white man in an open marriage. When she loses her job, she moves in with his family, leading to a complex web of relationships that challenge her sense of identity...
Luster: A Novel | Raven Leilani
Bunny is creepy, hilarious, and totally unhinged. It follows an outsider at an elite MFA program who gets sucked into a clique of girls that blur the line between art, fantasy, and nightmare. It’s surreal, cult-y, and impossible to put down.
Bunny: A Novel | Mona Awad
Yes- the plan looks phallic. Follow a woman obsessed with airplanes romantically, erotically, dangerously. Go along on the journey as that obsession turns into a wild story about longing, loneliness, and connection. Feels bizarre, goofy, and heartfel...
Sky Daddy: A Novel | Kate Folk
Glamorous, Culty, Coming of Age
Glossy on the surface, sinister underneath. These stories explore ambition, belonging, and the dangerous pull of other people- with women at the center of it all.
A raw, haunting novel about female rage, trauma, and desire. Following Joan, a woman shaped by violence and betrayal, the story unravels her dark past and search for meaning against a Californian desert landscape. Perfect for readers drawn to intense...
Animal: A Novel | Lisa Taddeo
In 1960s California, a lonely teenage girl is drawn into a cult. Explore desire, obsession, and the dangerous allure of belonging alongside her.
The Girls | Emma Cline
Three women chasing fame and love in New York, navigating ambition, addiction, and the price of success. It’s glamorous, messy, and impossible to put down!
Valley of the Dolls | Jacqueline Susann
A sharp, provocative debut novel that dives into obsession, power, and the dark side of desire. Following Irina, a photographer who specializes in shooting men in disturbing scenarios, the book flips the male gaze on its head with biting wit and unse...
Boy Parts: A Novel | Eliza Clark
Dark, Twisty, Disturbing
For when you want something unsettling and addictive. These books dig into obsession, trauma, and moral messiness with the kind of sharp writing that keeps you up at night.
Think elegant prose, biting humor, and a main character you’ll love to hate. A Certain Hunger is sharp, wicked, and deliciously dark. It follows Dorothy, a food critic with a taste for both fine dining and… murder?
A Certain Hunger | Chelsea G Summers
Raw, messy, painfully honest. An obsessive relationship consumes everything in this sharply intimate novel that feels like a train wreck in the best way- both uncomfortable and impossible to look away from.
Acts of Desperation | Megan Nolan
Disturbingly beautiful, bone-chilling, and unforgettable. Follows Margot, a girl raised by a cannibalistic mother in a remote cottage, whose world fractures when a captivating stranger arrives and Margot is forced to question what love, hunger, and f...
The Lamb: A Novel | Lucy Rose
A young woman stuck in a dead-end life and a toxic home gets a chance at escape while slowly revealing how unsettlingly sharp her mind and her choices can be.
Eileen | Ottessa Moshfegh
The murder of two young girls brings Camille, a reporter, back to her small hometown to cover the tragedy and is forced her to confront her own past trauma. A gripping psychological thriller that delves deep into family secrets and personal demons.
Sharp Objects: A Novel | Gillian Flynn
Extremely provocative and deeply unsettling, this *very* dark satire follows Celeste, a beautiful middle school teacher with a singular obsession: 14-year-old boys. Her cold, calculated seduction of a student is told with chilling detachment. Readers...
Tampa | Alissa Nutting
Ivy Lin, a Chinese immigrant, finds herself stealing, lying, and ultimately climbing her way into the life of her privileged high school crush. A sharp, unsettling look at identity, ambition, and the cost of belonging.
White Ivy | Susie Yang