Okay well not really in the gross/thriller aspect of it, but I was listening to an interview with Emerald Fennel and she kind of describes how she likes exploring the idea where no one is truly good, why we want things that hurt us, and what extent we would go to to get what we want if we do not get it. I think it’s so interesting in saltburn everyone has a darkness even if it’s not outwardly obvious, I really want to read a book that shows how humans can all be a little twisted. Thanks!
by magic-shop_
3 Comments
You might like Eliza Clark’s books. Similar class themes, female friendships (moreso promising young woman), dark, sometimes gross ha
Saltburn seems quite clearly inspired in many aspects by [Brideshead Revisited](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30933.Brideshead_Revisited) by Evelyn Waugh. You may enjoy Waugh’s work, which consistently explores the “everyone has a darkness, even if it’s not outwardly obvious” theme, via narratives that also center fancy british country houses and clashes of class.
If you end up liking Waugh, I’d recommend trying out Iris Murdoch, also a midcentury writer who explores similar themes and environments. Her book [The Unicorn](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11235.The_Unicorn) is one of my very favorites, but [The Sea, The Sea](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11229.The_Sea_the_Sea) may be the most thematically on-the-nose.
For something a little lighter, you may also enjoy Donna Tartt’s novels, with [The Secret History](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29044.The_Secret_History) seeming the obvious place to start.
Saltburn actually reminded me most of the Patrick Melrose novels, by Edward St. Aubyn. The series is all about deeply dysfunctional British aristocrats and it also contains searing black comedy. However, I think it’s far more tragic than Saltburn, considering that it deals with the author’s own experiences of childhood sexual assault and incest. Not an easy read, but ultimately a rewarding one