February 9, 2024
Books with Darker Themes
The Fourth Wing
by Rebecca Yarros
Creating and writing a whole unique human being is difficult. So many writers fall into the trap of writing stereotypes or tropes as opposed to something resembling people. Furthermore, too many times readers have read stories in which the main hero is too perfect. Their intentions always pure, not a bad bone in their body.
Yarros not only managed to create characters who are just as complex and loveable yet detestable as most human beings, but she wrapped this in a bow of a captivating story. Violet is an incredibly complex character. While her mother was a military general whose sons would follow her legacy, Violet was born suffering from a muscular disability. As a result, many believed she would only ever at most amount to being a scribe. However, in this fantasy novel, Violet’s mother encourages her to be a dragon rider, a job which not only is incredibly important but which brought about mass amounts of glory. Violet, however, is an incredibly fickle and sharp woman.
Violet is detestable at moments as she poisons some of her opponents. However, she garners sympathy as it is understandable that she has a disability, which has held her back. Another intriguing thing is the book does have dystopian themes with there being a high concentration of poverty. Some of these themes seem like a reflection of the nation the United States is becoming. So in some ways, while this book is a fun novel about dragon riding, it also serves as something of a warning. Overall, the book is very good. Not only does the author allow us to love and hate characters who seem all too human, but she does so in a novel that blends amazing fantastical themes of dragons and magic with a dystopian nightmare. So it is very worth the read.
Bad Girls Don’t Die
by Katie Alender
TW: Suicidal ideation, self-harm, and child abuse.
Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender is an interesting mix of ideas—ideas which at first don’t seem like they mix well but when blended together taste oddly delicious. On one hand, it’s a coming-of-age novel about a loner longing for intimacy while navigating high school. Yet on the other hand, it’s a beautiful love story and a classic horror story.
To begin, it is a young-adult novel but it is still worth the read if you finished high school. It focuses a lot on the feelings that misfit teenage girls may experience.
The book does deal with some heavy themes that are beautifully handled, such as child abuse, self-harm, and sucicidal ideation. The horrific aspects of the novel are surprisingly bone-chilling. And it can be downright frightening. The writing slowly describes the gradual events that lead to supernatural occurrences such as Alexis, the main character’s sister, becoming oddly obsessed with dolls, then hearing doors slamming, and eventually getting dragged out of bed by a seemingly invisible force. The romantic aspects of the book are amazingly and beautifully written. And in a way, the novel displays the beauty of vulnerability in romance. Furthermore, the romance provides some light within the thick fog of darkness that the horror creates.
Overall, it is a good read because the writing is very good. In some ways it feels very raw. It also deals with delicate topics such as sucicidal ideation with grace. And it really highlights how in order to build trust with those we love they need to see us at our best in order to breathe us in at our worst. Furthermore, it dealt with the importance of family and how often times hate is simply tarnished love.
—Jalaine Olks, Books Editor
No Longer Human
By Osamu Dazai
TW: Suicide, drug use, alcohol, sexual harassment, abuse.
No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai is a memoir that illustrates the struggles of Dazai throughout his childhood up until shortly before his early death. Dazai published this book in the form of his notebooks, like a diary, and it starts in his middle school years. He writes how his father was abusive and how the servants of his house may or may not have sexually assaulted him—it’s unclear in the writing as it can be taken in a few ways. Once he graduated high school, he moved to Tokyo for college, away from the countryside where he lived. This is where he began experimenting with drugs, alcohol, and continued dabbling in art. He became addicted. He also became addicted to the idea of death, which resulted in multiple attempted suicides, two of which were double suicides, one of them being successful.
Overall, No Longer Human is a tragic story of a man who couldn’t learn to live with himself and the people around him. People who enjoy reading about other’s life stories would enjoy this, though this book is not for the soft-hearted as there are disturbing themes that may trigger some readers. I, for one, enjoy this book as it gives me a different perspective on how people think, live, and act.
—Kelsey Vanderpool