6 chilling books with troubled narrators

_English writer Joanne Harris recommends six works of fiction narrated by unsettling characters._ _THE WASP FACTORY_ BY IAIN BANKS (Simon & Schuster, $15). Narrated by 16-year-old Frank

Cauldhame, this chilling and thought-provoking 1984 novel deals with the everyday life of a tiny Scottish island community and the secret life of a very disturbed teenager. Brutal, stark,

and visceral, with moments of existentialist humor, it continues to divide readers and critics as violently as any novel since _A Clockwork Orange_. SUBSCRIBE TO THE WEEK Escape your echo

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to your inbox. _WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE_ BY SHIRLEY JACKSON (Penguin, $17). Two sisters live with their ailing uncle in a small Vermont town, shunned by their community since the

poisoning of the rest of their family. Younger sister Merricat, Jackson's disturbing and delightfully weird narrator, is one of the most endearing psychopaths in literature. _THE DEBT

TO PLEASURE_ BY JOHN LANCHESTER (Picador, $17). A sinister, clever comedy, featuring the sentimental journey of a middle-aged gourmand. Tarquin Winot travels to Provence while revealing his

past via a series of gastronomic vignettes. He's a marvelous creation: articulate, superbly delusional, and as devoted to French cuisine as he is to murder. A free daily email with the

biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com _EDITH'S DIARY_ BY PATRICIA HIGHSMITH (Grove, $13.50). Highsmith's most underrated work is a dark glimpse

into the underbelly of small-town America. Edith Howland, a middle-aged woman discarded by her husband and frustrated with her life, conjures her ideal existence through a series of

increasingly surreal diary entries. Through her eyes, the truth emerges in glimpses as we head toward a conclusion as poignant as it is chilling. _THE COLLECTOR COLLECTOR_ BY TIBOR FISCHER

(Vintage U.K., $6).

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block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"250"}}]] Witty and wholly original, this tale is narrated by an

ancient Sumerian bowl. The bowl acts as a vessel containing 5,000 years of human history. It is also able to communicate with those who handle it, reading their memories and commenting on

the inadequacies of their lives. _THE LITTLE FRIEND_ BY DONNA TARTT (Vintage, $17). Twelve-year-old Harriet and a friend set off to avenge the unexplained and violent murder of

Harriet's brother, who was killed a decade earlier. The Little Friend is a slow-burning novel of suspense, an exploration of grief, and an evocation of a child's attempt to

understand her world that contains echoes of Harper Lee's _To Kill a Mockingbird_. _— English writer Joanne Harris is the author of 14 novels, including the 1999 best-seller_ Chocolat

_and the new boarding school–set thriller,_ Different Class_._