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Weird Books That Are Difficult to Explain but Totally Worth Reading

Has this ever happened to you, book-lovers? You're sitting there, minding your own business, reading a book. A well-meaning friend or loved one walks over and asks you what your book is about (although honestly they can't be that much of a loved one, because if they loved you they'd let you read in peace). You start trying to explain, but by the time you've told them that, "The structure is kind of a... non-linear, post modern thing?" or that, "The main character has a dog that's nonexistent, but ontologically valid," they're backing away slowly. Some books are just plain weird. So here are a few utterly, deeply weird books that are totally worth reading, anyway.
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1Q84 (Haruki Murakami)
1Q84
1
Haruki Murakami
2666 (Roberto Bolaño)
2666
2
Roberto Bolaño
Ada or Ardor (Vladimir Nabokov)
Ada or Ardor
3
Vladimir Nabokov
The Aleph and Other Stories
The Aleph and Other Stories
4
Alphabetical Africa
Alphabetical Africa
5
Bear (Marian Engel)
Bear
6
Marian Engel
Blankety Blank (D. Harlan Wilson)
Blankety Blank
7
D. Harlan Wilson
Blood and Guts in High School (Kathy Acker)
Blood and Guts in High School
8
Kathy Acker
Bloodchild (Octavia Butler)
Bloodchild
9
Octavia Butler
The Bloody Chamber (Angela Carter)
The Bloody Chamber
10
Angela Carter
The Bone Clocks (David Mitchell)
The Bone Clocks
11
David Mitchell
Breakfast of Champions (Kurt Vonnegut)
Breakfast of Champions
12
Kurt Vonnegut
C (Tom McCarthy)
C
13
Tom McCarthy
The Castle (Franz Kafka)
The Castle
14
Franz Kafka
Chronic City
Chronic City
15
The City and the City (China Mieville)
The City and the City
16
China Mieville
Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell)
Cloud Atlas
17
David Mitchell
Coin Locker Babies
Coin Locker Babies
18
The Crying of Lot 49 (Thomas Pynchon)
The Crying of Lot 49
19
Thomas Pynchon
Dance Dance Dance (Haruki Murakami)
Dance Dance Dance
20
Haruki Murakami
The Dark Tower
The Dark Tower
21
Dhalgren (Samuel R. Delany)
Dhalgren
22
Samuel R. Delany
Duplex
Duplex
23
Elect Mr. Robinson for a Better World
Elect Mr. Robinson for a Better World
24
Ella Minnow Pea (Mark Dunn)
Ella Minnow Pea
25
Mark Dunn
Eunoia (Christian Bok)
Eunoia
26
Christian Bok
Eva Luna (Isabel Allende)
Eva Luna
27
Isabel Allende
The Eyre Affair (Jasper Fforde)
The Eyre Affair
28
Jasper Fforde
Faces in the Crowd (Valeria Luiselli)
Faces in the Crowd
29
Valeria Luiselli
The Female Man (Joanna Russ)
The Female Man
30
Joanna Russ
Ficciones (Jorge Luis Borges)
Ficciones
31
Jorge Luis Borges
Finnegans Wake (James Joyce)
Finnegans Wake
32
James Joyce
Gadsby (Ernest Vincent Wright)
Gadsby
33
Ernest Vincent Wright
Geek Love (Katherine Dunn)
Geek Love
34
Katherine Dunn
Get in Trouble (Kelly Link)
Get in Trouble
35
Kelly Link
Ghostwritten
Ghostwritten
36
Gravity's Rainbow (Thomas Pynchon)
Gravity's Rainbow
37
Thomas Pynchon
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (Haruki Murakami)
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
38
Haruki Murakami
Hopscotch (Julio Cortázar)
Hopscotch
39
Julio Cortázar
House of Leaves (Mark Z. Danielewski)
House of Leaves
40
Mark Z. Danielewski
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