Have you ever been accused of having a morbid sense of humor? Or maybe you're deliberately trying to broaden your horizons. Whatever your reasons for seeking out books that laugh at the worst of humanity, here are just five that will leave you both gasping for breath and shocked at human nature.
1. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
The first rule of Fight Club is that you don't talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is that you don't talk about Fight Club. A harrowing journey of comedy, madness and violence, this is a book for the disaffected and the disillusioned.
2. John Dies at the End by David Wong
The world is being watched. That's all the narrator of John Dies at the End will tell you about the plot, though he'll happily go into detail about his chaotic life, his borderline philosophies and his equally wacky friends, including the titular John. Does he really die at the end? You'll just have to read and find out.
3. We Are Pirates by Daniel Handler
A 14-year-old girl and an elderly, mentally handicapped man decide to become modern-day pirates in the San Fransisco Bay. It's just as bizarre as it sounds, which makes perfect sense when you realize the author, Daniel Handler, is Lemony Snicket writing for adults.
4. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
A strange, nonlinear tale filled with talking cats and unexplained government experimentation, Kafka on the Shore is a book that will make you laugh like a loon when it's not throwing you for a total loop. The narrator is a 15-year-old runaway determined to avoid an Oedipal curse, and by the time the book is finished, you won't believe the things he's done.
5. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
You may recognize the protagonist from the hit TV show Dexter. The books, however, are where it all started, and if you've never read the daily ruminations of an affable psychopath with a rising body count and a pitch-black sense of humor, here's your chance.
These are just five books that will make you chuckle even as your hand is flying to your mouth. Who says humor has to be full of sunshine and daises? Sometimes the darkest things are the funniest.