Unhinged Reading Recommendations
Recommendations for when boring books just won’t cut it anymore
Unhinged books seem to be a default right now. Each one just as wild as they are reliable for a guaranteed enjoyable read.
Now they might not be to everybody’s taste and that is okay. But they sure do seem to be mine. At least for right now.
So with that, I thought I would share some recent recommendations of unhinged reads.
Venus Fly Trap - Emma Medrano
This was a big bold swing of a book. Super juicy, super intense and overall super entertaining.
It’s been a few months now since I picked this one up and not only do I still think about it, I can still recount most of the plot which is a feat for me.
The story follows Louise, who moves in with her university friend Cat, who just so happens to be everything Louise wants to be. Cat is wealthy. Cat is magnetic. Cat is beautiful and a social butterfly. When Louise becomes entangled in a threesome with Cat and her boyfriend Henry, her love for Cat tips into pure obsession. Louise’s desire to be close to Cat, to be like her and to be chosen by her, begins to override her sense of self. Soon, she finds herself firmly in the palm of Cat’s hand, willing to do almost anything to prove her loyalty.
I won’t spoil where things go from there, but the chain of events that follows strikes a strange balance of being both relatable and wildly unhinged. Emphasis on the wild!
The book is a true journey, starting in a place that feels familiar and recognizable, but progressing somewhere much more bizarre and shocking. By the ending you will truly be flawed and that for me, makes a great story.
Lost Lambs - Madeline Cash
Lost Lambs is very different to Venus Fly Trap, instead following multiple characters instead and across a much more intricate plot. For that reason, it feels a bit meatier and may read slightly slower, but oh is it still so so good!
Following each member of the dysfunctional Flynn family, chapter by chapter, each character becoming more absurd than the last, this novel is definitely a feast for both the eyes and the mind. Catherine Flynn is a free-flowing creative, seeking a more open marriage. Bud Flynn is a buttoned-up accountant working for the town’s harbour dynasty. Abigail, the eldest daughter, is beautiful and charismatic, constantly chasing male validation. Louise, the middle child, often overlooked, seeks connection through a strange online relationship that eventually radicalizes her. Harper, the youngest, is highly intelligent, whose boredom fuels her curiosity and schemes. We follow each of them alongside a cast of equally as strange side characters (Miss Winkle and War Times Wes, I’m looking at you), and unravel a conspiracy theory subplot.
Sounds like a lot? Well it is. But it’s also unique and engaging—a great choice if you’re looking for something new and fresh.
Esther is Now Following You - Tanya Sweeney
My next unhinged recommendation comes in the form of a celebrity-stalker story.
This novel follows Esther, a mid-30s female who is struggling with her life post-miscarriage and becomes obsessed with Canadian actor Ted Levins. What begins as a small fascination, very quickly spirals into stalking, erratic behaviour, and grappling with reality.
What I probably underestimated going into this story (and you may too from that short synopsis), is that this book is filled with lots of humanity. So much so that it almost leads to us justifying the behaviour, just as Esther does within the novel.
The pace is fast, the characters feel familiar, overall a strong recommendation.
Best Offer Wins - Marisa Kashino
Last on my list goes to Best Offer Wins.
This story unearths a very human and relatable truth - the struggles of getting onto the property ladder - but in a way that feels wildly unhinged. I wasn’t expecting a novel of this subject matter to get so dark and intense, but it does and I loved it.
It follows our central character Margo, who after 18 months of unsuccessful bidding wars finds the perfect house in the perfect neighbourhood and becomes enamoured. In the same way Esther in our previous novel becomes fascinated with a famous actor, Margo becomes fascinated with this house, leading her to a string of erratic behaviour in her never-ending operation to win. We quickly learn that Margo has no bounds to the efforts she will go to, and by the end of the book I was audibly gasping.
Whilst you definitely don’t want to take inspiration from any of these characters, I hope this lists can help inspire your TBR.
Let me know if you’ve checked any of them out!
You had me at the title for this one. Love me a good unhinged read!!
Best Offer Wins is VERY unhinged.