I recently started reading a William Diehl book about a traveling pastor that is faking being blind, and evidently he grooms or (??? Idk) the young girls of the places he stays while preaching. I didn't make it past the way the author described how he looked at/first met the teen that brought him super into his trailer. I just thought there was no way I'm reading words about molestation or rape or any of that. I think Diehl is a fantastic writer, but I noped out fast and donated the book back to Goodwill.

What a great thing to say. I agree about rereads, and I'm amazed at what I miss on my first pass through a book.

I agree that it was extremely depressing. The image of the monk ruining his eyesight with such a futile and wasted task of writing by candlelight really bugged me.

This is one of those books that stuck with me, and I make mental references to it frequently. Unfortunately few people that I have encountered have read it, so my cracks tend to fall on deaf ears. I do believe it is meant to be funny in that it is poking at some oddities of human nature.

Yuck. Thanks for the advice, I'll update my list!

Awww, I feel you. It's funny because I knew someone was going to die. I knew that going into the book. But the author is quite gifted in making the story feel real. It was a bit too real for me!

Thank you for the support here. When someone asks an opinion about a book containing violence, torture or sexual abuse, I hesitate to give an opinion because often someone comes along to neg me for feeling the way I feel. I think people should be made aware of potentially triggering books. I was held hostage by a man in his dark apartment while he held the door shut and attempted to take my clothes off and harass me to have sex with him. I was at his apartment to pick up a bed that I had purchased. The situation went dark fast. So the spot in this book where the young girl was trapped in this man's cellar (?) And she realized that she was in extreme danger, it brought back that situation and all the fear and darkness. It's a struggle to not feel as if I am back in the apartment.

Thanks for your compassion.

Sex in the story is a huge turn off for me. It's rare that it works into the story enough for it to be excusable.

I think triggering and traumatic books make terrible gifts, honestly. I was loaned the book by a coworker who swore it was so amazing, and unfortunately I just could not finish it, and it still creeps into my dreams. I was upset with my coworker for not telling me how descriptive and awful it was. I wish I'd never read it.

Gross! Thank you for the warning! I keep a notebook on my desk and write down so many great book recommendations from this subreddit. My list is starting to get a healthy number of Nope books, too. I'm so tired of this kind of writer.