Does this sound familiar? You picked up a book, but it only left you scratching your head. Now you’re wondering what on Earth you’ve just read.
Some books are known for being particularly hard to read. This can be either because of their complex language, intricate plots, or deep philosophical themes.
But picking up one of these difficult reads can actually be very rewarding because many of the hardest books to read are filled with rich stories and profound insights.
The catch is that you’ll only get to enjoy these “rewards” if you’re willing to put in the effort and decipher the challenging language and style.
Today, we’ll answer the question, “What is the hardest book to read?” We have compiled a list of the top 11 hardest books to read that we think are worth the struggle.
Blood Meridian
🐱👤 Why It’s Challenging: Cormac McCarthy’s book Blood Meridian is known to have a very dense writing style, as well as graphic violence and dark themes. What makes this book so challenging is the narrative structure being non-linear and the fact that there are several philosophical ideas that can be hard to understand.
👩🦰 Who Should Read It: This book is ideal for readers who appreciate dark and thought-provoking literature and don’t shy away from difficult topics.
Moby-Dick
🐱👤 Why It’s Challenging: Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick is famous for several things. It’s lengthy and contains detailed passages on whaling. It is also filled with complex symbolism and a story that somehow combines a big adventure with philosophical thoughts.
👩🦰 Who Should Read It: This classic is perfect for readers who enjoy rich, symbolic plots and have the patience for long descriptive passages.
Finnegans Wake
🐱👤 Why It’s Challenging: James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake is often considered one of the hardest books to read. This is because it has a stream-of-consciousness style and is filled with experimental language. It also lacks a clear plot. It aims to mimic the structure and feel of dreams – which are not always coherent or make sense.
👩🦰 Who Should Read It: This book is a great choice for readers who love experimental literature. It’s the right book for you if you are ready to tackle a text that defies conventional storytelling techniques.
Infinite Jest
🐱👤 Why It’s Challenging: David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest is known for being very long, having large footnotes, and a plot that is rather complicated. It’s more than a thousand pages long. The book talks about heavy themes like addiction, entertainment, and societal decay.
👩🦰 Who Should Read It: This novel is perfect for readers who enjoy stories with many layers and who don’t mind spending some time dealing with a very lengthy text.
Ulysses
🐱👤 Why It’s Challenging: James Joyce’s Ulysses is known to be one of the most difficult books to read. This is because it’s written in a stream-of-consciousness technique, contains complex allusions, and a complicated structure that somehow resembles Homer’s “Odyssey.” The whole story takes place over a single day – but all the details and complexity make it challenging to read.
👩🦰 Who Should Read It: Any reader who appreciates modernist techniques and is interested in stories that require careful and intensive reading – this book is for you.
Naked Lunch
🐱👤 Why It’s Challenging: William S. Burroughs’ Naked Lunch is definitely a hard-to-read book. It contains a fragmented structure, graphic content, and a surreal narrative. The book is not written in a linear form and talks about drug addiction and the human psyche. This makes it difficult but also very interesting to read.
👩🦰 Who Should Read It: This novel is a great choice for readers who are interested in unconventional literature. If you’re prepared to read a rather provocative story, you might enjoy this one.
Endless Joke
🐱👤 Why It’s Challenging: Endless Joke by David Antrobus is a story that melds humor with deep philosophical reflections. The book has an intricate plot, and when you read it, you will need to pay close attention to many of the characters.
👩🦰 Who Should Read It: This book is ideal for readers who enjoy satire and also have the patience to untangle a storyline that is rather complicated.
A School for Fools
🐱👤 Why It’s Challenging: Sasha Sokolov’s A School for Fools is known for its stream-of-consciousness style. It also has a non-linear plot. The perceptions of the protagonist keep shifting, blending reality and fantasy together. This makes the reading experience rather difficult.
👩🦰 Who Should Read It: This novel is for anyone who likes experimental literature and is interested in exploring the fragmented consciousness of the main character.
The Children of the Dead
🐱👤 Why It’s Challenging: Elfriede Jelinek’s The Children of the Dead is a book that is hard to read because of its dense writing style and the complex themes within it. The author uses their unique style to blend horror with sociopolitical commentary. The content of the book is rather dark and unsettling – and it requires a strong stomach to make it through.
👩🦰 Who Should Read It: If you are not afraid of being confronted with disturbing themes, then this might be the book for you.
Vogon Poetry
🐱👤 Why It’s Challenging: “Vogon Poetry” from Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” is famously known as some of the worst poetry in the universe. The structure doesn’t make sense, the content is absurd, and there is no coherence to it. It’s intentionally difficult to read.
👩🦰 Who Should Read It: This poetry is best suited for fans of Douglas Adams. You must appreciate absurd humor and be curious about the infamously terrible verses to enjoy this book.
A Clockwork Orange
🐱👤 Why It’s Challenging: Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange is one of the hardest books to read because of the use of “Nadsat.” This is a fictional slang language that mixes Russian, English, and some other influences. What adds to the book’s difficulty are the violent and dystopian themes.
👩🦰 Who Should Read It: This novel is a great choice for readers that like dystopian literature and are also interested in exploring thought-provoking themes about free will and morality.
Take On These Reading Challenges
Reading books that are as hard to read as these can seem overwhelming at first, but you will be rewarded. Each of these books on our list of the hardest books to read provides unique insights and ways of storytelling that you might have never encountered.
Of course, after you finish reading the book, you will be very proud and satisfied that you were able to make it through one of the most difficult books to read.
Don’t be discouraged if you open one of these books and don’t even make it past the first page. Take your time and set small goals. You don’t have to read a book like Infinite Jest (with 1000 pages) within a day, a week, or even a month. Give yourself time and enjoy taking on this literary adventure.
If you’re up for more challenges, you might also find our guide on the hardest college classes interesting. For those who just love books (you obviously do if you’re willing to read one of the hardest books ever), take a look at some jobs for book lovers that can turn your passion into a career.
