Books with edgy characters

workaccount

Hello,
As per the title....not looking for something about a psycho murderer or rapist or anything. Just something cool about a person who makes life interesting for himself and does not go around with a sheep mentality.

Cheers.

'Ol Jack Chance

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

On the Road - Jack Keroauc

1984 - George Orwell

Moby Dick - Hermann Melville

The Road - Cormac McCarthy

Read them. Now.

Kold

All of Vonnegut's characters are very interesting... But especially Kilgore Trout.

workaccount

Ah I dunno. The only one there that sounds interesting is fear and loathing. I've seen the film but I might read the book aswell.

I wouldn't touch anything that's science fiction really or political...Anarchy would be nice and rebellion.

Ho-Hum

Yossarian from Catch 22

He's a bombardier who's convinced everyone is involved in a plot to kill him.

"They're trying to kill me," Yossarian told him calmly.
"No one's trying to kill you," Clevinger cried.
"Then why are they shooting at me?" Yossarian asked.
"They're shooting at everyone," Clevinger answered. "They're trying to kill everyone."
"And what difference does that make?"

Karlusss

workaccount wrote: »

not looking for something about a psycho murderer or rapist or anything.

American Psycho.

Oh wait...


Fear and Loathing is well worth reading even if you've seen the film. Maybe some Haruki Murakami either, in a less criminal kind of way.

Skellington

Choke - Chuck Palahnuik
High Fidelity - Nick Hornby

studiorat

+1 for Kilgore Trout.

Paul Auster's characters, can't think of a name right now but the guy in the New York Trilogy. Well worth a read.

Shryke

You will never forget Catch-22. Read it.

raah!

'Notes from underground' by dostoyevsky. As edgy as they come. And according to what I once read from wikipedia that yossarian fellow from catch-22 was part based on underground man.

sxt

workaccount wrote: »

Hello,
As per the title....not looking for something about a psycho murderer or rapist or anything. Just something cool about a person who makes life interesting for himself and does not go around with a sheep mentality.

Cheers.

"One flew over the cuckoo nest" is the book for you:);)

RonMexico

The Great Shark Hunt is a great collection of Hunter S. Thompsons work.

Cadet?

Whatever the main characters name in 'The Diceman' is.

Books don't get more edgy than that!

Cadet?

OK. Sorry, I've just read all your post there.......maybe 'The Diceman' ain't for you!

RonMexico

Loved the Diceman. Crazy book.

serjical_strike

Cadet? wrote: »

Whatever the main characters name in 'The Diceman' is.

Books don't get more edgy than that!

dr luke rhinehart

great book will have to read it again i thinks..

tangerinepuppet

Karlusss wrote: »

Maybe some Haruki Murakami either, in a less criminal kind of way.

Agree - I immediately thought of Midori and Watanabe from Norwegian Wood.

2040

Phineas Poe in the trilogy of books by Will Christopher Baer is an edgy character, as is John Dolan Vincent in Craig Clevenger's The Contortionist's Handbook. Some nice transgressive fiction.

Hermy

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand has some very memorable characters. Not sure if they're edgey but any excuse to recommend this great book.

HalloweenJack

Yossarian is one I'd agree with.

Also, Kostoglotov (sp?) in Cancer Ward.

turgon

Hermy wrote: »

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand has some very memorable characters. Not sure if they're edgey but any excuse to recommend this great book.

Its ok. While I totally agree with her philosophy shes no great writer tbh.

Hermy

turgon wrote: »

Its ok. While I totally agree with her philosophy shes no great writer tbh.

Perhaps she's not a great writer turgon but she told a great story when she wrote The Fountainhead.

One_Armed_Dwarf

Irvine Welsh has alot of edgy characters in his books such as Bruce Robertson (Filth) and Begbie (Trainspotting, Porno) theres loads more but those two came to mind straight away

TedB

Can't reccomend Catch 22 enough. Stay well away from its sequel, 'Closing Time' though.

trustno1

workaccount wrote: »

Hello,
As per the title....not looking for something about a psycho murderer or rapist or anything. Just something cool about a person who makes life interesting for himself and does not go around with a sheep mentality.

Cheers.

Gregor Samsa in The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka - he got turned into a giant bug.. which is relatively cool... does that count?!!

turgon

TedB wrote: »

Can't reccomend Catch 22 enough. Stay well away from its sequel, 'Closing Time' though.

I started it but stopped to read an economics book and might leave it til after that Book Club books.

I thought the sequel was "Something Happened." Is it me or is that a crap name for a book?

Hermy wrote: »

Perhaps she's not a great writer turgon but she told a great story when she wrote The Fountainhead.

Indeed. Did you think 700+ pages was a bit self-indulgent though? Did you read Atlas Shrugged?

TedB

Something happened was just the next book he wrote. Closing Time was the sequel to Catch 22, written in the 90s (I think)

bullpost

This is your man - Dave robicheaux- http://www.thrillingdetective.com/robich.html

Literature masquerading as Crime fiction.

Set in Cajun Country.

He's a maverick cajun, ex-vietnam vet, alcoholic , practicing Catholic who's at war with the world.

2040

bullpost wrote: »

This is your man - Dave robicheaux- http://www.thrillingdetective.com/robich.html

Literature masquerading as Crime fiction.

Set in Cajun Country.

He's a maverick cajun, ex-vietnam vet, alcoholic , practicing Catholic who's at war with the world.

I might try this out, it sounds good.

Hermy

TedB wrote: »

Can't reccomend Catch 22 enough. Stay well away from its sequel, 'Closing Time' though.

Strange how bad everything after Catch 22 was. Closing Time had it's moments but to be honest it made little or no sense. There again, maybe it wasn't supposed to. Meanwhile I'm on the verge of giving up on God Knows. It's much more lucid than Closing Time but it's one of those books that just seems to be going nowhere from page one. I don't like not finishing books but I wonder if there is any point to this one.

turgon wrote: »

Indeed. Did you think 700+ pages was a bit self-indulgent though? Did you read Atlas Shrugged?

I haven't read Atlas Shrugged yet.
I suppose The Fountainhead is self-indulgent but I like it all the same.

TedB

I only read half of Closing Time - to be honest, it put off all of his other books. Closing Time was completely aimless - the Hellerisms, when employed, were pretty funny, but after roughly a 100 pages the book went on a very sharp downward trajectory.

Its amazing how an author who (arguably) wrote one of the best postwar novels could deteriorate so much. Onehitwonder, much?

sestina

both The Crying of Lot 49 and Vineland by Thomas Pynchon feature characters who could be described as edgy