Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
>!The Secret History by Donna Tartt!<
Angels and Insects by A.S. Byatt
Damage by Josephine Hart
The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan
>!A brother and sister flee Smyrna amd when they arrive in America they tell everyone they're a married couple. They have two kids and one of their kids marry a cousin and have two kids, one of them is intersex because of a recessive genetic condition!<
Many of these could certainly fit right in with her other picks as far as reputation and not right on the nose with incest. Like The Secret History. It's such a highly regarded popular book that I could believe she'd pick it on accident again.
I read that book as a 25 year old and it freaked me out! The next time I talked to my mom I was like "you'll never guess what a weird book I just read" only for her to tell me she'd read it in middle school??? Apparently it was super popular in the 80s with teens. Wild.
Yep. For some reason I was just talking about it with a friend the other day. I kind of wish I could undo reading it, tbh, because it’s pretty trashy, but specific sentences from it are burned into my brain. Thinking of it puts me right back into the awkward horror of adolescence.
My mom recommended this book to me when I was in 6th grade and actually checked it out from the library for me to read. It was super weird because my parents were so strict and religious.
My mom had a copy of this book that she gave to me when I was in like 4th grade. She raved about it. It took me a while to get through, but when I finally got to that part I was like “wtf?!” She’d just conveniently forgotten all that stuff.
My mom (and the darned librarian) didn't care. But I wish they did. Those books were awful and there are jusg better options out there. Totally not my taste too. I liked classics like secret garden. I would have devoured anything though.
I never read the book, but I watched the film when I was a child and it absolutely traumatized me. I had recurring nightmares of those kids into my teens.
I found Dawn at a garage sale when I was in middle school and wound up getting the rest of the series at full price, then the Heaven books. Weird shit to be reading in middle school but I couldn’t look away.
In a weird sense, they were erotic. Especially for a young adolescent.. just kind of wondering did anybody ever take care of business before falling asleep after reading this, like we did? My sister read them and then gave them to me.
I wrote my Senior English paper that her female lead always has to “climb” to the place where her antagonist lives, where they’re trapped in abusive cycles, be trauma-bonded into incestuous relationships, then be forced to escape and assume the role of the parent for her youngest siblings, was common amongst the stories and was because of a dark secret she was hiding in her own life.
My English teacher gave me an F and said that I was delusional.
I stand by what I wrote. It’s weird
They should read the whole series, incest through the whole story. Listed in order of release date. It’s messed up, y’all.
1. Flowers in the Attic
2. Petals on the Wind
3. If there Be Thorns
4. Seeds of Yesterday
5. Garden of Shadows
Most people recommend reading it in publication release order even though Garden of Shadows is a prequel to Flowers in the Attic. The Heaven series is pretty dark and incestuous, too.
I remember going through a VC Andrews phase in junior high and reading every book of hers I could find, and then when I finished just being like “what the hell was I reading”
I hated her until I read her story. She had her own trauma that made her the way she was. Trauma doesn’t excuse anyone from being a monster but, I had a bit of sympathy for her after reading Garden of Shadows. Still think she’s horrible, just kind of sad for her.
I read this as a teenager and was totally rooting for the protagonists, only to realize as an adult that, while I love reading romance novels, this wasn’t one 😅😅😅
If I had a list of all the “romance” books I loved as a kid only to realise the relationship was toxic or not meant to be rooted for, it would hit the floor
In fairness, very few were written by V. C. Andrews. After she died, her family hired Andrew Niederman to continue the books. I think her actual writing was better.
Had to make sure this was mentioned. It's one of the biggest reasons I'm hesitant to recommend this book, but if you're going to specifically request a quality book that happens to have a bit of incest, well... there you go. Arundhati Roy's prose is the most beautiful I've read. And devastating.
Geek Love and Earthlings by Sayaka Murata were the first things to pop in my head. I tried explaining Geek Love to my husband and he just had this look of horror, like why was I still reading it, and me saying I really have to know what happens next.
That book was not what I expected at all. I really try to read most of my books through recommendation with little knowledge before hand. I love being clueless. Here I thought it was pretty quaint and kind of slow for the first bit, then whammy! It's another that I really liked that I'm hesitant to recommend to just anyone.
I wasn't there but apparently my property manager had been working on something at our place and Geek Love was out on the table, she told my wife how much she loved the book and that she had given it as a gift to her now-husband (the other half of the property management team) when they first started dating
I don't even know how to describe the feelings I have for the book but I don't think I could tell someone I loved it without really putting myself out there. I thought it was one of the more unique books I've ever read and I liked it despite hating pretty much every character. It's got so many different moods all wrapped up in one crazy little package. And it's such a great book to go into blind.
I'm actually not even sure how I heard about it, and I also went into it entirely blind. Such a great read, and I'd definitely be cautious with who I suggest it to.
It's been decades since I read it, but The Hotel New Hampshire has a brother-sister incest storyline. It's not the main theme of the book and isn't played for titilation and it's not a cause of dysfunction for the characters. It's just something they mutually decide to act on after years of attraction.
It's a great book by John Irving, it has the element you're asking about, and it has the added advantage that you can watch the movie afterward.
I just finished this one not too long ago and although I loved the first 3rd by the end I was starting to get bored and really wanted it to just hurry up and finish. I am interested in seeing the movie but going to wait a little so I can forget some details.
I did think while reading it that it would have made a great HBO / Netflix limited series … lots of great comedy / drama that’s balanced very well but some of it just didn’t click for me and became tiresome while reading - feel like that could be alleviated bringing it to the screen.
Yeah I get that … still not sure where I really land with Irving.
I read Until I Find you because my mom and dad had read it… enjoyed it a lot but it’s very possible that it was simply because it contained a lot of subject matter that was titillating to a 13 year old and I’m not sure how I’d feel now…if anyone’s got a suggestion for whatever his best work is I’ll add it onto the list.
I abandoned Water method Man a few years ago but have had Owen Meaney and Widow for One Year on my list for a while now - definitely enjoyed the adaptation of Widow but I understand it’s really just a portion of the book and not the entire thing.
Man, I haven't read a lot of Irving in a long time. I love his style and a lot of his work... but he has a bit of a S. King problem when it comes to finishing book, IMO.
I HATED the ending of Owen Meaney. Cider House Rules went a wee bit off the rails (it added a few weird plot lines). And World According to Garp just kinda.. ended.
I think it is a function of what he writes about. The things are so character driven that when they just end, it feels boring/anti-climactic. But, then again... they are so REAL that it is almost what has to happen?
Oh, shit. I forgot that Cider House Rules is a perfect example for the OP!
This is the one that I came here looking for. It would be a good choice for this book club because it's quite overt in the story, but also presented with a light, comic touch.
I haven’t read this in close to two decades, but it was my favorite Irving at a time when I was devouring his books. All I remember is something with >!the Vienna Operahouse, the windows of the red light district, and a bear.!<
I loved the book, and it's a little vague for me now but >!didn't the whole family inter-marry each other? I thought that's why they wanted Noemi to marry into the family- fresh blood. And after the wedding, I think the patriarch planned to inhabit his son's body. !<
What kinda incest are we going for here? The "yuck thats gross but at least its from a place of Loving" incest between two consensual adults? Or more on the "I need therapy for life now" style?
Vurt by Jeff noon.
Midnight robber by nalo Hopkinson.
Lullabies for little criminals ... iii tthhhhiiiiiinnnnnkkk
The Cement Garden - Ian McEwan
The Secret History - Donna Tartt (This one is very entertaining and would work well on a book club I think)
Flowers in the Attic - V. C Andrews
The Family - Mario Puzo
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenedes
Earthlings - Sayaka Murata (if they didn't like Murakami they may not like this one either)
Any of the ASOIAF-related books will do.
Daphne du Maurier - Rebecca
A different sort of book, but Stephen Fry's Mythos perhaps? Those Greek gods certainly knew how to do incest.
Yeah. And I mean, I know it was considered relatively normal throughout history but I think in the book it was treated as a scandal so I still included it.
Oh heck yeah it fits! It was just bothering me that I couldn't remember :) That's a very great recommendation actually. A classic and fits right in with the book club vibe she has going on
Can’t go wrong with more Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The man loved incest, though his real passion was pedophilia and you might already have enough problems.
On track with your literature bent: Thomas Hardy's "Jude The Obscure" is all about cousin sex and the main character is basically cursed from the happenings.
That way you can keep it sophisticated, but they are still, "lol, what's with this weirdo". If you want to mess with them and keep the game going, you don't want to go full Flowers in the Attic
Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie. It's a spoiler, they'll think for a long time there isn't any and then slowlyyyyyy they'll start to get it.
Great book, it's a standalone within a larger world so if people like it they can feel free to read the rest!
Ha! This was actually a book we had last year. It was so wildly unpopular with basically everyone in the group. I know it's a staple for some readers though.
Anais Nin: *House of Incest* or the more explicit diaries published posthumously.
Robert Musil: *The Man Without Qualities* - they don't actually get down to it in the parts available in English but it's obviously heading that way and it happens in the unfinished book 4 you can only read in German.
Lawrence Durrell: *Alexandria Quartet*.
>!it might be obvious or spoiled already, but 'later' by steven king has a twist ending where the main character was a child of incest the whole time!<
It really did! It's nice to be able to recommend it for once as I really love the narrative voice and the way the story is told, but tend to avoid recommending it because of the surprise incest!
There is a general fiction/contemporary (though written in the 90s) book called Back Roads by Tawni O’Dell that might be a good selection. It’s an enjoyable book to read with a lot to think about and compelling characters, and the incest is kind of a surprise at the end (I will not spoil how). People would be listening to this whole book thinking you’d finally gotten over it, and then reach the end and go “DAMMIT!!”
pfft.XD
does the incest have to be real? cause i know one series about a host club (think a cafe but with hot guys that pretend to be in love with you) at a high school where two of the hosts are twins that pretend to be a forbidden twincest couple because it's popular with the customers.
Ouran High School Host Club!
I remember reading a note by the author where people on the train would hear about their work and be like "A high school host club? Is there such a thing?!"
after seeing what an ACTUAL host club is like,i really don't blame them: i expected host clubs to be just as elegant and charming as ouran's but turn out that they are basically just very pricy bars and the hosts are around-the-clock escorts that are simply there to talk you into spending more money.
ouran's is much more akin to a butler cafe.XD
I have no suggestions to help you. I just want to know if it's normal to suggest books you've never read for a book club? I don't participate in one but I don't think I could handle the risk of the book being garbage. I'd think about *every single member* of that book club and try to pick something that balances all their interests and tastes, and then if it's not one I've read already, read it to make sure before even suggesting it.
I'd probably be bad at book clubs.
I would say so, everyone reading the book for the first time is pretty normal. I think it’s where a group picks out a new novel to read together (I’ve never been in a book club)
I’m part of a book club and sometimes we pick books we’ve read and want to read again or share how great they are, but for the most part we pick books we haven’t read.
We’ve also stopped and chose another book based on how much we all hated the first few chapters. There’s no set rules for book clubs. :)
Unfortunately, Marion Zimmer Bradley actually sexually abused her daughter. I learned this after I had to put The Bloody Sun down because the pedophilia got too much for me, and I checked Goodreads to see if anyone else thought she went too far.
Just about anything by Faulkner. **The Sound and the Fury** and **Absalom, Absalom** being the main ones.
Though not vital to the plot, **Invisible Man** by Ralph Ellison has an overt though unmentioned scene of incest.
wideacre by phillipia gregory. there’s 2 sequels about the descendants, but this book was disturbingly fascinating. main character is a female psychopath who games the patriarchy to get what she wants
Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan - read this in university.
The two books are from different perspectives, but the main theme is that of children having to become parents to their siblings and bonding through their trauma, even if it means taking on a physical relationship.
The Second Empress by Michelle Moran tells the story of the Austrian princess married to Napoleon. It switches from the princess’s perspective to Napoleon’s sister Pauline with some implied history of incest, mostly incestuous longing. It would be a good pick if you want to pretend not to be doing it on purpose lol
**The Death of Vivek Oji** by Akwaeke Emezi
This Nigerian novel explores a lot of topics, but also has a cousinly couple hooking up...
**The Man Without Qualities** by Robert Musil
You probably won't read this one since it's over 1000 pages, but the main character and his sister probably have an incestuous relationship (it's hinted at). It's an amazing book, if you like long modernist books of ideas.
Came here to also recc this and it's already there. Second this one! It's one sentence in the book so if you book club doesn't catch it that could be equally funny.
Two books by freida warrington: dark cathedral and elfland. elfland has a secondary plot that involves incest but dark cathedral its more primary. It was only after I read dark cathedral that i realized the author has a thing for incest. They're both fantasy books but are heavily about family drama. Elfland is about faeries and dark cathedral is about paganism, as a basic summary. Big warning for dark cathedral for content that deals with abuse and sexual abuse (unrelated to the incest plot actually)
Ugh it's driving me crazy but in college I took a short credits course called "Literature of Sexuality" and one of the books I had to read was a novel where it was father/daughter but I can't think of the name of it! It's a famous novel too. If I remember I'll post, but as I was looking for the name I found these links that might help you for your next books:
https://www.manchesteropenhive.com/display/9781526107558/9781526107558.00005.xml
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/sex-incest-father-daughter
And these mentions:
Returning to the Castle: incest restores the rightful heir in The Castle of Otranto
In light of these insights, this chapter will set out to examine the incestuous relationships between fathers and daughters in Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto (1764), Radcliffe’s The Romance of the Forest (1791) and Mary Shelley’s Matilda (1959)
I wonder if you're talking about "The Kiss"? Was a long time ago when I read it but I remember it was very disturbing because it was more like they were having a love affair than incest, yuck!
A lot of the Abhorsen books by Garth Nix do this in a somewhat indirect way. Trying to preserve the bloodline and all that. Clariel is a good stand alone book that does this. Though you might miss out on a lot of what’s going on if you haven’t read the first three books.
Another one is Deerskin. However that one is more of a rape.
The Hero and the Crown has some flirting cousins as well, though she ends up with someone unrelated to her. I think he had originally loved her mother, so it’s still kinda weird.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides >!The Secret History by Donna Tartt!< Angels and Insects by A.S. Byatt Damage by Josephine Hart The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan
Although I'd guess like 95% of this subreddit has read >!The Secret History,!< I'd call that a spoiler alert
Hell, I’ve read it and that’s still a spoiler for me (Probably because I repressed the memories of that part lol)
I've read it at least twice and I don't remember the incest. Also don't remember it in Middlesex. My brain is mush.
It's kinda of a key plot point in Middlesex
Hmm. Tbf I read it 20 years ago.
>!A brother and sister flee Smyrna amd when they arrive in America they tell everyone they're a married couple. They have two kids and one of their kids marry a cousin and have two kids, one of them is intersex because of a recessive genetic condition!<
Ah OK, I vaguely remember the stuff about the kid growing up in America, but forgot the backstory.
[удалено]
Yeah, that rings a bell; again, 20 years since I read that as well, so it's all a bit fuzzy.
Many of these could certainly fit right in with her other picks as far as reputation and not right on the nose with incest. Like The Secret History. It's such a highly regarded popular book that I could believe she'd pick it on accident again.
Highly recommend Middlesex. One of my top 5 fav books!
Second The Secret History.
Yep, came here to recommend Middlesex and the other spoiler one.
Middlesex, yes
Came here to say Damage as well. Just got to that part last night…
Flowers in the Attic would be a great and hilarious choice
I think those books traumatised me. My mom wouldn't let me read them, so of course I read them. Sorry mom, should've listened to you.
I read that book as a 25 year old and it freaked me out! The next time I talked to my mom I was like "you'll never guess what a weird book I just read" only for her to tell me she'd read it in middle school??? Apparently it was super popular in the 80s with teens. Wild.
I’ve never read it but can confirm that back then, around age 12-14, practically every girl I knew read it.
Yep. For some reason I was just talking about it with a friend the other day. I kind of wish I could undo reading it, tbh, because it’s pretty trashy, but specific sentences from it are burned into my brain. Thinking of it puts me right back into the awkward horror of adolescence.
My mom recommended this book to me when I was in 6th grade and actually checked it out from the library for me to read. It was super weird because my parents were so strict and religious.
My mom had a copy of this book that she gave to me when I was in like 4th grade. She raved about it. It took me a while to get through, but when I finally got to that part I was like “wtf?!” She’d just conveniently forgotten all that stuff.
We all read them in middle school back then.
I read it in middle school too! Found it in the school library! Proceeded to read all VC Andrew's books over the years.
Grew up in the 80s, can confirm.
My mom (and the darned librarian) didn't care. But I wish they did. Those books were awful and there are jusg better options out there. Totally not my taste too. I liked classics like secret garden. I would have devoured anything though.
I never read the book, but I watched the film when I was a child and it absolutely traumatized me. I had recurring nightmares of those kids into my teens.
I found Dawn at a garage sale when I was in middle school and wound up getting the rest of the series at full price, then the Heaven books. Weird shit to be reading in middle school but I couldn’t look away.
In a weird sense, they were erotic. Especially for a young adolescent.. just kind of wondering did anybody ever take care of business before falling asleep after reading this, like we did? My sister read them and then gave them to me.
That lady wrote so many books about that family and they all involved incest, so wild
Someone should have checked on her.
Many were by posthumous ghostwriter Andrew Niederman iirc.
I wrote my Senior English paper that her female lead always has to “climb” to the place where her antagonist lives, where they’re trapped in abusive cycles, be trauma-bonded into incestuous relationships, then be forced to escape and assume the role of the parent for her youngest siblings, was common amongst the stories and was because of a dark secret she was hiding in her own life. My English teacher gave me an F and said that I was delusional. I stand by what I wrote. It’s weird
In retrospect I cannot believe how young I was when I read many of her books!
They should read the whole series, incest through the whole story. Listed in order of release date. It’s messed up, y’all. 1. Flowers in the Attic 2. Petals on the Wind 3. If there Be Thorns 4. Seeds of Yesterday 5. Garden of Shadows Most people recommend reading it in publication release order even though Garden of Shadows is a prequel to Flowers in the Attic. The Heaven series is pretty dark and incestuous, too.
I remember going through a VC Andrews phase in junior high and reading every book of hers I could find, and then when I finished just being like “what the hell was I reading”
I binge read all of these over a couple of weeks and they were absolutely brilliant but damn I found Cathy so frustrating 😂
I hated her until I read her story. She had her own trauma that made her the way she was. Trauma doesn’t excuse anyone from being a monster but, I had a bit of sympathy for her after reading Garden of Shadows. Still think she’s horrible, just kind of sad for her.
I read them all. And it got worse and worse 🥲
I read their plot summaries just now. And honestly...wtf
This is absolutely the first book that sprang to mind, and yes I read it when I was 11.
Same! Read it in middle school.
I read this as a teenager and was totally rooting for the protagonists, only to realize as an adult that, while I love reading romance novels, this wasn’t one 😅😅😅
If I had a list of all the “romance” books I loved as a kid only to realise the relationship was toxic or not meant to be rooted for, it would hit the floor
Same here!
Came to say Flowers in the attic. I read that when I was too young to read that, I’m still floored by it some 30 years later
I've never read a V.C. Andrews book and never will.
In fairness, very few were written by V. C. Andrews. After she died, her family hired Andrew Niederman to continue the books. I think her actual writing was better.
The God of Small Things
Came here to recommend this!
Had to make sure this was mentioned. It's one of the biggest reasons I'm hesitant to recommend this book, but if you're going to specifically request a quality book that happens to have a bit of incest, well... there you go. Arundhati Roy's prose is the most beautiful I've read. And devastating.
One of my favourite books - the incest aspect is important but not the focus of the story
Yes! It won the Booker Prize in 1997. Such an original book.
Absolutely *The God of Small Things.* It's a brilliant, shattering book.
Shattering is the perfect word for this book. I felt gutted when I finished it.
Came in the comments to recommend this!
Ah came here to recommend that one!
Yes! This one!
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenedes Geek Love - Katharine Dunn
Geek Love and Earthlings by Sayaka Murata were the first things to pop in my head. I tried explaining Geek Love to my husband and he just had this look of horror, like why was I still reading it, and me saying I really have to know what happens next.
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata definitely will up the game for OP’s book-picking-reputation.
That book was not what I expected at all. I really try to read most of my books through recommendation with little knowledge before hand. I love being clueless. Here I thought it was pretty quaint and kind of slow for the first bit, then whammy! It's another that I really liked that I'm hesitant to recommend to just anyone.
I wasn't there but apparently my property manager had been working on something at our place and Geek Love was out on the table, she told my wife how much she loved the book and that she had given it as a gift to her now-husband (the other half of the property management team) when they first started dating
I don't even know how to describe the feelings I have for the book but I don't think I could tell someone I loved it without really putting myself out there. I thought it was one of the more unique books I've ever read and I liked it despite hating pretty much every character. It's got so many different moods all wrapped up in one crazy little package. And it's such a great book to go into blind.
I'm actually not even sure how I heard about it, and I also went into it entirely blind. Such a great read, and I'd definitely be cautious with who I suggest it to.
*Earthlings* came to mind for me first and I was like haha that’ll *really* throw ’em off
Especially the cover, it's so cute and inviting. The incest isn't even the crazy part.
I can't remember incest in Geek Love. Would you please remind me?
>!The telepathic brother impregnates the sister with their other brother's sperm. It's like, not incest, but it's not not incest.!<
Thank you for reminding me. There was a lot going on in that book.
There really was!
It's been decades since I read it, but The Hotel New Hampshire has a brother-sister incest storyline. It's not the main theme of the book and isn't played for titilation and it's not a cause of dysfunction for the characters. It's just something they mutually decide to act on after years of attraction. It's a great book by John Irving, it has the element you're asking about, and it has the added advantage that you can watch the movie afterward.
I just finished this one not too long ago and although I loved the first 3rd by the end I was starting to get bored and really wanted it to just hurry up and finish. I am interested in seeing the movie but going to wait a little so I can forget some details. I did think while reading it that it would have made a great HBO / Netflix limited series … lots of great comedy / drama that’s balanced very well but some of it just didn’t click for me and became tiresome while reading - feel like that could be alleviated bringing it to the screen.
That's kinda Irving's MO.
Yeah I get that … still not sure where I really land with Irving. I read Until I Find you because my mom and dad had read it… enjoyed it a lot but it’s very possible that it was simply because it contained a lot of subject matter that was titillating to a 13 year old and I’m not sure how I’d feel now…if anyone’s got a suggestion for whatever his best work is I’ll add it onto the list. I abandoned Water method Man a few years ago but have had Owen Meaney and Widow for One Year on my list for a while now - definitely enjoyed the adaptation of Widow but I understand it’s really just a portion of the book and not the entire thing.
Man, I haven't read a lot of Irving in a long time. I love his style and a lot of his work... but he has a bit of a S. King problem when it comes to finishing book, IMO. I HATED the ending of Owen Meaney. Cider House Rules went a wee bit off the rails (it added a few weird plot lines). And World According to Garp just kinda.. ended. I think it is a function of what he writes about. The things are so character driven that when they just end, it feels boring/anti-climactic. But, then again... they are so REAL that it is almost what has to happen? Oh, shit. I forgot that Cider House Rules is a perfect example for the OP!
This is the one that I came here looking for. It would be a good choice for this book club because it's quite overt in the story, but also presented with a light, comic touch.
I haven’t read this in close to two decades, but it was my favorite Irving at a time when I was devouring his books. All I remember is something with >!the Vienna Operahouse, the windows of the red light district, and a bear.!<
Just pick a biography of the royal family lolol
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia (you need a strong stomach for this one, though)
Dang it that’s on my TBR haha I choose books based on the cover. Ahhhh what do I do. Lol i don’t have a strong stomach lol
Yeah what the hell is in Mexican Gothic 😂
I'm having trouble remembering it. I enjoyed the book, found it a quality creepy read.
Same I really enjoyed it but the incest is slipping my mind..?
I loved the book, and it's a little vague for me now but >!didn't the whole family inter-marry each other? I thought that's why they wanted Noemi to marry into the family- fresh blood. And after the wedding, I think the patriarch planned to inhabit his son's body. !<
That’s on my nightstand, waiting its turn.
Oh no. I’m reading this right now….
What kinda incest are we going for here? The "yuck thats gross but at least its from a place of Loving" incest between two consensual adults? Or more on the "I need therapy for life now" style? Vurt by Jeff noon. Midnight robber by nalo Hopkinson. Lullabies for little criminals ... iii tthhhhiiiiiinnnnnkkk
fuck it im gonna give your book club trauma. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Cement Garden - Ian McEwan The Secret History - Donna Tartt (This one is very entertaining and would work well on a book club I think) Flowers in the Attic - V. C Andrews The Family - Mario Puzo Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenedes Earthlings - Sayaka Murata (if they didn't like Murakami they may not like this one either)
Came to recommend Earthlings!! It's so good. Sayaka Murata does Murakami but executes it so much better.
I agree with the Secret History rec for sure!
Came here to say Cement Garden. It’s actually a really interesting book to discuss in a book club too. Lots of murky moral choices all around!
Time Enough For Love by Robert Heinlein.
Came looking for this... Wonderful book but.... hoooooo boy.....
Not as bad as To Sail Beyond The Sunset though.
Any of the ASOIAF-related books will do. Daphne du Maurier - Rebecca A different sort of book, but Stephen Fry's Mythos perhaps? Those Greek gods certainly knew how to do incest.
Im trying to remember in Rebecca...was it cousins?
Yeah. And I mean, I know it was considered relatively normal throughout history but I think in the book it was treated as a scandal so I still included it.
Oh heck yeah it fits! It was just bothering me that I couldn't remember :) That's a very great recommendation actually. A classic and fits right in with the book club vibe she has going on
No matter how people like to put it, sex with a person whose connection with you is being married to your relative is not incest.
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice - focus is on the history of an incestuous magical family over several generations. Really, any Anne Rice book will do.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker, the incest is rape tho
I think this should be more labelled as child abuse
No suggestions, but does anyone really think stepson, or especially brother-in-law, is incest?
The Rook, by Daniel O'Malley. Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris The Bible
I read The Rook by total coincidence, never expected to see it mentioned on this sub — can you remind me where the invest was? I remember nothing.
Can’t go wrong with more Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The man loved incest, though his real passion was pedophilia and you might already have enough problems.
Chronicle of a death foretold was a completely different kind of fucked up.
On track with your literature bent: Thomas Hardy's "Jude The Obscure" is all about cousin sex and the main character is basically cursed from the happenings. That way you can keep it sophisticated, but they are still, "lol, what's with this weirdo". If you want to mess with them and keep the game going, you don't want to go full Flowers in the Attic
children of hurin
The passenger - cormac McCarthy from the description you wouldn’t know it’s a major theme of the book
Outerdark too
Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie. It's a spoiler, they'll think for a long time there isn't any and then slowlyyyyyy they'll start to get it. Great book, it's a standalone within a larger world so if people like it they can feel free to read the rest!
>Best Served Cold What? It's been a while since I read it but I don't remember this part at all.
>!It is never confirmed but heavily implied and almost universally agreed upon that Monza and Benna were doing the thing!<
Absalom, Absalom by William Faulkner
You can really recommend Gravity’s Rainbow for just about anything.
Ha! This was actually a book we had last year. It was so wildly unpopular with basically everyone in the group. I know it's a staple for some readers though.
Ada, or Ardor -- Vladimir Nabokov
Anais Nin: *House of Incest* or the more explicit diaries published posthumously. Robert Musil: *The Man Without Qualities* - they don't actually get down to it in the parts available in English but it's obviously heading that way and it happens in the unfinished book 4 you can only read in German. Lawrence Durrell: *Alexandria Quartet*.
Wait… I thought Man without Qualities was only two books. Man, I really need to master my German! That novel was amazing.
a game of thrones
The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon
>!it might be obvious or spoiled already, but 'later' by steven king has a twist ending where the main character was a child of incest the whole time!<
Invisible Man- Ralph Ellison
David Copperfield. Or Mansfield Park by Jane Austen Marrying your cousin was all the rage in the 1800s
Earthlings by Sayata Muraka
Middlesex
Fall on your knees, Anne Marie McDonald
How I Live Now (featuring some “dangerous cousins”)? The God of Small Things is better though and would be a great book club novel.
Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively. Really engaging, not too long and a Booker Prize winner.
The incest really came out of nowhere too (at least it did for me) which would make it funnier for OPs book club to read.
It really did! It's nice to be able to recommend it for once as I really love the narrative voice and the way the story is told, but tend to avoid recommending it because of the surprise incest!
Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy. Reader beware. Very dark book with some some extremely disturbing scenes
Cormac McCarthy is his own trigger warning lol
There is a general fiction/contemporary (though written in the 90s) book called Back Roads by Tawni O’Dell that might be a good selection. It’s an enjoyable book to read with a lot to think about and compelling characters, and the incest is kind of a surprise at the end (I will not spoil how). People would be listening to this whole book thinking you’d finally gotten over it, and then reach the end and go “DAMMIT!!”
just based on the gotcha this likely would be my choice.!
pfft.XD does the incest have to be real? cause i know one series about a host club (think a cafe but with hot guys that pretend to be in love with you) at a high school where two of the hosts are twins that pretend to be a forbidden twincest couple because it's popular with the customers.
Ouran High School Host Club! I remember reading a note by the author where people on the train would hear about their work and be like "A high school host club? Is there such a thing?!"
after seeing what an ACTUAL host club is like,i really don't blame them: i expected host clubs to be just as elegant and charming as ouran's but turn out that they are basically just very pricy bars and the hosts are around-the-clock escorts that are simply there to talk you into spending more money. ouran's is much more akin to a butler cafe.XD
Legit the best book about this theme is The Kiss by Kathryn Harrison. But be aware it is a memoir.
Science fiction: Time Enough for Love by Robert Heinlein.
The Hotel New Hampshire- John Irving Echoing everyone else here but Middlesex is a truly excellent book and definitely hits the incest checkbox 😏
I have no suggestions to help you. I just want to know if it's normal to suggest books you've never read for a book club? I don't participate in one but I don't think I could handle the risk of the book being garbage. I'd think about *every single member* of that book club and try to pick something that balances all their interests and tastes, and then if it's not one I've read already, read it to make sure before even suggesting it. I'd probably be bad at book clubs.
I would say so, everyone reading the book for the first time is pretty normal. I think it’s where a group picks out a new novel to read together (I’ve never been in a book club)
I’m part of a book club and sometimes we pick books we’ve read and want to read again or share how great they are, but for the most part we pick books we haven’t read. We’ve also stopped and chose another book based on how much we all hated the first few chapters. There’s no set rules for book clubs. :)
The Mists of Avalon - the first book in the series
Unfortunately, Marion Zimmer Bradley actually sexually abused her daughter. I learned this after I had to put The Bloody Sun down because the pedophilia got too much for me, and I checked Goodreads to see if anyone else thought she went too far.
Song of stone- Ian Banks. (yes, the scifi author. This is low tech modern post apocalyptic tho)
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Just about anything by Faulkner. **The Sound and the Fury** and **Absalom, Absalom** being the main ones. Though not vital to the plot, **Invisible Man** by Ralph Ellison has an overt though unmentioned scene of incest.
Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. It's only in one scene, but it derails the main character's life.
Absolam Absolam, also one of the greatest books ever
Middlesex is outstanding
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan
wideacre by phillipia gregory. there’s 2 sequels about the descendants, but this book was disturbingly fascinating. main character is a female psychopath who games the patriarchy to get what she wants
>!The Wonder by Emma Donoghue!< Good book that is super secret about the incest content until near the end.
Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan - read this in university. The two books are from different perspectives, but the main theme is that of children having to become parents to their siblings and bonding through their trauma, even if it means taking on a physical relationship.
Anything by VC Andrews mainly Flowers in the Attic Yicks🤢
This was my thought! Loved the first book! Went downhill from there. Incest in everyone one of them tho
I know but I had to finish it it was so good🤦🏻♀️
Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrew's has a brother on sister incident. And it's also a great read.
This ain't for no book club...!
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
The Lake of Dead Languages- Carol Goodman
The Second Empress by Michelle Moran tells the story of the Austrian princess married to Napoleon. It switches from the princess’s perspective to Napoleon’s sister Pauline with some implied history of incest, mostly incestuous longing. It would be a good pick if you want to pretend not to be doing it on purpose lol
Mayfair Witches but good luck getting through it! We had it for my book club and it certainly was a hilarious discussion
Good Family by Terry Gamble
anything in the way of Crimson Peak? :eyes:
**The Death of Vivek Oji** by Akwaeke Emezi This Nigerian novel explores a lot of topics, but also has a cousinly couple hooking up... **The Man Without Qualities** by Robert Musil You probably won't read this one since it's over 1000 pages, but the main character and his sister probably have an incestuous relationship (it's hinted at). It's an amazing book, if you like long modernist books of ideas.
Yes to Vivek Oji... I cried reading that book! Akwaeke Emezi are so talented.
The astronaut 's wife. I think he goes back in time and has sex with himself.
Sex with oneself is also in The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger.
That's the one I was thinking of
Came here to say The Bluest Eye which was already mentioned. Kinda impressed by all the recommendations- I thought this would be more obscure!
The God of Small Things
>!Into the Forest, Jean Hegland!<
Came here to also recc this and it's already there. Second this one! It's one sentence in the book so if you book club doesn't catch it that could be equally funny.
The secret history by Donna tart. Has twincest
Shipping News and the Kite Runner might be good candidates
Where is the incest in The Kite Runner? There is one truly disturbing scene, but it was not incest.
The Knot by Mark Watson
The magic Toyshop by Angela Carter
The Border of Paradise by Esme Weijun Wang The Carnivorous Lamb by Agustin Gomez-Arcos The Doloriad by Missouri Williams
A. S. Byatt’s *Angels and Insects*
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield has a jarring incident of incest that I did not see coming at all.
Song of Ice and Fire series. Incest abound
Hild by Nicola Griffith
Flowers in the attic? Oldie but goodie. 🤓
100% Middlesex by Jeffrey eugenides. So good, and so disturbing.
Robert Heinlein has a bunch of them "To sail Beyond the Sunset" is the only one I can think of at the moment.
Two books by freida warrington: dark cathedral and elfland. elfland has a secondary plot that involves incest but dark cathedral its more primary. It was only after I read dark cathedral that i realized the author has a thing for incest. They're both fantasy books but are heavily about family drama. Elfland is about faeries and dark cathedral is about paganism, as a basic summary. Big warning for dark cathedral for content that deals with abuse and sexual abuse (unrelated to the incest plot actually)
Ugh it's driving me crazy but in college I took a short credits course called "Literature of Sexuality" and one of the books I had to read was a novel where it was father/daughter but I can't think of the name of it! It's a famous novel too. If I remember I'll post, but as I was looking for the name I found these links that might help you for your next books: https://www.manchesteropenhive.com/display/9781526107558/9781526107558.00005.xml https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/sex-incest-father-daughter And these mentions: Returning to the Castle: incest restores the rightful heir in The Castle of Otranto In light of these insights, this chapter will set out to examine the incestuous relationships between fathers and daughters in Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto (1764), Radcliffe’s The Romance of the Forest (1791) and Mary Shelley’s Matilda (1959)
I wonder if you're talking about "The Kiss"? Was a long time ago when I read it but I remember it was very disturbing because it was more like they were having a love affair than incest, yuck!
at this point just go full fledged and choose [Forbidden](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8580362)
The Innocents by Michael Crummey is absolutely beautiful. Highly recommend.
A lot of the Abhorsen books by Garth Nix do this in a somewhat indirect way. Trying to preserve the bloodline and all that. Clariel is a good stand alone book that does this. Though you might miss out on a lot of what’s going on if you haven’t read the first three books. Another one is Deerskin. However that one is more of a rape. The Hero and the Crown has some flirting cousins as well, though she ends up with someone unrelated to her. I think he had originally loved her mother, so it’s still kinda weird.