The Art of Being a Mess
Raw, unpolished, and unsettling novels that made me squirm.
Hi book lovelies,
I didn’t love any of these books in the traditional sense. They weren’t comforting, they weren’t glossy, and they certainly weren’t uplifting. But that feels like the point. Each of these novels made me squirm, whether it was watching a character spiral through bad decisions, sitting with descriptions that felt raw and grotesque, or following people who were deeply unpolished and unhinged. They’re messy, bleak, often depressing… and yet, these stories continue to haunt my mind.
If you love this kind of thing, and I know some of you do, then maybe pick up some of these for more squirmy reading experiences.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
This is the book that put this subgenre on the map and no one does it better than Ottessa Moshfegh herself. The unnamed narrator decides to sleep away an entire year, fueled by a cocktail of prescription drugs and sheer apathy. It’s gross, nihilistic, and unsettling.
Everyone in This Room Will One Day Be Dead by Emily Austin
Gilda is anxious, depressed, and entirely unprepared to accidentally become the receptionist for a Catholic church. Watching her navigate death, faith, and her own spiraling thoughts is bleakly funny at times but tinged with discomfort.
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
The characters here are smart, self-destructive, and almost allergic to clear communication. Their messy relationships and poor decisions are hard to watch, and I often wasn’t sure what I was even rooting for.
Worry by Alexandra Tanner
Two millennial sisters share a cramped Brooklyn apartment and spiral through obsession, avoidance, and doomscrolling. The writing is sharp, the atmosphere is suffocating, and the discomfort feels like it was designed to crawl under your skin.
The Guest by Emma Cline
Following a drifter clinging to the last threads of her summer in the Hamptons, this book captures the unease of watching someone lie, manipulate, and drift from one bad choice to the next. It looks glossy on the surface but is deeply grim underneath, maybe the most depressing juxtaposition of them all.
If you’re questioning whether this kind of book is for you, it probably isn’t. These are stories that spotlight the messy, unhinged parts of life most of us would rather look away from. They’re raw, unsettling, and unforgettable.
Happy Reading!
Your smitten bookworm,
Emily
p.s. Share this post your bookish friend who loves unhinged characters