16 Great Books With Wild Plot Twists

Author: Chuck PalahniukChuck Palahniuk

Genre: Satirical NovelSatirical Novel

The unnamed narrator of Fight ClubThe unnamed narrator of Fight ClubFight ClubA depressed project recall specialist suffers from insomnia. A doctor tells him to find real suffering. The narrator attends support groups, which bring him tears and relief from insomnia. Insomnia returns when Marla Singer shows up, calling him out for not being sick. The narrator meets Tyler Durden. After a fight, they start a fight club. Tyler forms Project Mayhem, planning to blow up a museum. Only the narrator stops him.

How Twisty Is This Twist? Fight ClubThis story has two twists. First, Tyler and Marla are the same person; Tyler is the narrator's alter ego in sleep. After stopping the museum bomb, the narrator shoots himself to end Tyler's destructive behavior. The second twist happens when the narrator wakes in a mental hospital after his suicide attempt. Staff reveal themselves as Project Mayhem, wanting the narrator to return Tyler to finish their plans.

Author: Kazuo IshiguroKazuo Ishiguro

Genre: Science FictionScience Fiction

Three children, Kathy H, Ruth C, and Tommy D, attend Hailsham. They learn they are donors; their organs will be taken to keep others alive. Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy believe they are clones. Ruth and Tommy hope to get a deferral by proving their love. They fail. Ruth dies after her second donation. Kathy becomes a carer and partners with Tommy. They hope to get a deferral before Tommy undergoes more surgeries.Never Let Me GoThree children, Kathy H, Ruth C, and Tommy D, attend Hailsham. Older, they learn they are donors; organs will be taken to keep others alive. Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy think they are clones. Ruth and Tommy hope proving love gets them a deferral. They fail. Ruth dies after her second donation. Kathy becomes a carer and partners with Tommy. They hope to get a deferral before Tommy gets more surgeries.

How Twisty Is This Twist? Kathy and Tommy travel to see Hailsham's former headmistress, Madame, seeking a deferral. Madame admits there are no deferrals. Hailsham was an experiment to show clone humanity; students received better lives than other institutions that raised clones. Kathy stops being Tommy's carer and he dies after his final donation.

Author: Dennis LehaneDennis Lehane

Genre: Psychological HorrorPsychological Horror

In Shutter IslandIn Shutter IslandShutter IslandUS Marshal Edward “Teddy” Daniels and his partner Chuck Aule go to Ashcliffe Hospital to find patient Rachel Solando, who killed her three children. After reaching the island, Teddy and Chuck investigate Ashcliffe. Teddy searches for Andrew Laeddis, the man who murdered his wife, Dolores, two years before. Another patient tells Teddy not to trust Chuck and warns that things aren't what they seem. Teddy finds Rachel Solando, who claims to be a psychiatrist at Ashcliffe committed after reporting government experiments. Teddy then heads to the lighthouse to save Chuck, facing a much darker truth.

How twisty is this twist?Teddy is an unreliable narrator. Teddy is also Andrew Laeddis, who killed Dolores after she drowned their three children in the bathtub. Teddy/Andrew has been a patient the whole time. The other patient was right: hospital staff let him act out his delusions to help him accept his actions. We do not know if Teddy/Andrew accepted what happened, but he might keep the delusions to get a lobotomy.

Author: Oscar Wilde

Genre: Gothic Fiction

What's It About? After a portrait is made of him, Dorian Gray wishes the painting would age instead of him. The wish comes true after he leaves his lover, and the painting shows a sneer. He feels regret. But after learning the woman killed herself, he hides the portrait and engages in endless vices for 18 years. Dorian never ages, though.

How twisty is this twist? At the novel's end, Dorian tries to fix his mistakes and be nicer to people. This does not fix things, though. Instead, he thinks destroying the cursed painting frees him. Dorian stabs the painting with the knife that killed its creator and dies on the floor. He becomes a withered old man, but the painting shows him young again.

Author: Paula Hawkins

Genre: Thriller

What's It About? Rachel Watson, a 33-year-old woman down on her luck, is in The Girl on the Train. After her husband, Tom, leaves her to start a family with Anna, Rachel becomes more alcoholic. Rachel watches Scott and Megan every day from the train as she passes their backyard. After she sees Megan kiss another man and Megan disappears, Rachel believes either Scott or the man, who is Megan's therapist, killed her. As Rachel gets involved in the disappearance, she tries harder to solve the case. Seeing Megan's therapist brings up past memories, and Rachel finds out the killer is not who she thought.

How twisty is this twist?Rachel realizes in therapy that Tom gaslighted her for years. Her alcoholism stemmed from being unable to have a child. Rachel also finds out Tom and Megan had an affair; Megan was pregnant when she died. Teaming with Anna, Rachel confronts Tom, who tries to kill her. Rachel and Anna murder Tom instead, letting Rachel move on.

Author: Sarah Pinborough

Genre: Thriller

What's It About? Louise Barnsley, an unhappy secretary and single mother, suffers from night terrors in Behind Her Eyes. One night at a bar, she kisses David, a man who is both married and her new boss. Louise builds a shaky friendship with David's wife, Adele. Louise feels things are not as they seem. Adele helps Louise with her night terrors by teaching her astral projection (basically, to have an out-of-body experience). Adele overcame her own night terrors this way. Louise faces the real story about David and Adele's past and a friend named Rob everyone thought died ten years ago in this space between sleep and waking.

How twisty is this twist? Both the book and Netflix version of Behind Her Eyes received criticism for the ending, but the twist remains unforgettable. Adele tries to end her life by taking heroin and burning her house down. Louise uses astral projection to save her. Then, Adele takes over Louise's sleeping body, leaving Louise's spirit body alone. The twist continues: the spirit in Louise is not Adele, but Rob, who swapped bodies with Adele a decade ago before throwing his body with her soul into a well. David and Louise (who is actually Rob) marry and apparently live happily ever after?

Author: Gillian Flynn

Genre: Thriller

What's It About? Nick Dunne returns home on his fifth wedding anniversary. His wife, Amy, is missing. Clues lead investigators to think Amy was abducted and possibly murdered. As Nick acts strangely and secrets surface, he becomes the main suspect in Amy's disappearance. Amy's diary entries show an unhappy marriage and an abusive, cheating Nick. With charges against Nick approaching, Amy returns, claiming an old boyfriend took her. Nick and the reader see Amy is gone, even though the police are unaware.

How twisty is this twist? In part two of Gone GirlAmy faked her diary entries and planned to frame Nick for murder for a year. But she changed her mind after being robbed and called her high school boyfriend Desi Collings for help. She killed Desi and went back to Nick, only then revealing she was pregnant with their child. Nick and Amy are both unlikable in their own ways; readers must question if they deserve each other.

Author: Gillian Flynn

Genre: Southern Gothic

Journalist Camille Preaker reports on two missing and murdered girls in Wind Gap, MO. In town, Camille reconnects with her estranged mother, Adora, and 13-year-old half-sister, Amma. Soon after, the second girl dies. Investigators suspect a serial killer because both girls were strangled and had their teeth pulled. Camille gets sick from pills Adora gave her. Camille learns her sister Marian died from Munchausen by proxy, and Adora poisons Amma. Adora faces arrest for the murders. Camille returns to Chicago; Amma moves in with her.Journalist Camille Preaker reports on two missing and murdered girls in Wind Gap, MO. In town, Camille reconnects with her estranged mother, Adora, and 13-year-old half-sister, Amma. Shortly after, the second girl turns up dead. Both girls were strangled and had their teeth extracted, leading investigators to suspect a serial killer. Camille becomes sick from pills Adora gave her. Camille realizes her sister Marian died from Munchausen by proxy, and Adora poisons Amma. Adora is arrested for the murders. Camille returns to Chicago, where Amma will live with her.

How Twisty Is This Twist? After Amma moves to Chicago with Camille, a classmate is found murdered with several teeth missing. Camille sees teeth from the murdered girls in Amma's dollhouse floor. Amma is arrested. Camille gets taken in by her fatherly boss and his wife after a nervous breakdown.

Author: Agatha Christie

Genre: Mystery

What's It About? Agatha Christie's third novel to feature Hercule Poirot, The Murder of Roger AckroydDr. James Sheppard tells this story after examining the suicide of wealthy Mrs. Ferrars. Invited to Roger Ackroyd's home, Sheppard learns Ackroyd was engaged to Mrs. Ferrars and she faced blackmail. Ackroyd gets a letter from Mrs. Ferrars after her death, then asks Sheppard to leave his study, where he later dies. Hercule Poirot investigates and sees that while not everyone is guilty, no one tells the whole truth.

How Twisty Is This Twist? The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is often cited as Christie's best and twistiest novel. Poirot tells Dr. Sheppard he knows he blackmailed Mrs. Ferrars and that he murdered Ackroyd. Dr. Sheppard steals the letter and tries to frame another guest at the dinner party. The whole story, including Dr. Sheppard's confession, is his suicide note.

Author: Liane Moriarty

Genre: Psychological Fiction

What's It About? In Big Little LiesJane, Madeline, and Celeste become friends at their children's school. Madeline's daughter nears her stepmother, Bonnie. Celeste is trapped in an abusive marriage with her husband, Perry. Jane admits Saxon Banks raped her, leading to her pregnancy with her son, Ziggy. Celeste and Madeline discover Saxon is Perry's cousin but hide this from Jane. Ziggy faces accusations of bullying a classmate, which deeply upsets Jane.

How twisty is this twist?At a school trivia night, Jane sees Perry and recognizes him as the man who raped her, though he used his cousin Saxon's name. Celeste's son Max, not Ziggy, bullies a classmate, seemingly mimicking Perry's abuse. During an argument, Perry pushes Celeste, angering Bonnie, who grew up with an abusive father. Bonnie pushes Perry, causing him to fall from a balcony and die.

Alex MichaelidesAlex Michaelides

Genre: Psychological Thriller

What's it about?Acclaimed painter Alicia Berenson stops speaking, either because she cannot or will not, after killing her husband. A psychologist, Theo Faber, focuses on Alicia's case, especially after she paints a work calledAlcestisAlcestis, a Greek play that seems connected to Gabriel's murder, appears. At the same time, Theo suspects his wife, Kathy, is having an affair. After Alicia is found not guilty and sent to a mental facility, Theo gets a job there and works with Alicia. Alicia gives him her diary, showing she was being stalked, and the stalker killed Gabriel. Before Alicia speaks more, she enters a coma.

How twisty is this twist?After Alicia enters a coma, the reader learns Theo lied. He stalked Gabriel, believing Gabriel was having an affair with Kathy. Theo tied up both Gabriel and Alicia, claiming only one could live; Gabriel begged for his life. This brings up a painful childhood memory for Alicia, and she shoots Gabriel after Theo leaves them both alive. Alicia knew who Theo was and left a diary entry implicating Theo in the crime.

Delia OwensDelia Owens

Genre: Literary Fiction

What's it about?Set in the marshes of North Carolina in the early 1950s,Where the Crawdads Singtells the story of 6-year-old Kya, abandoned by her mother and raised by her abusive father. After her father vanishes, Kya raises herself with help from neighbors Jumpin' and Mabel. She befriends Tate Walker, who teaches her to read, and later has a romance with Chase Andrews at age 19. Chase attacks Kya, is found murdered, and the shell necklace Kya gave him is missing. Kya becomes a suspect and goes to trial for murder. Prosecutors only have circumstantial evidence, so she is found not guilty.

How twisty is this twist?Kya lived in the marshes and died at sixty-four. Tate found Kya's poetry while sorting her things. The poetry mentioned Chase's murder. The seashell necklace missing from the crime scene was at the bottom of the box. Tate burned the evidence to protect Kya's reputation.

Author: Ian McEwan

Genre: Psychological Fiction

What's It About? In 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis thought she saw her sister Cecilia being attacked by their housekeeper's son, Robbie Turner. Cecilia and Robbie loved each other; their relationship was consensual. After two of Briony's young cousins vanished, she found her older cousin Lola being attacked by a man. Briony assumed it was Robbie and told Lola it was him too. Robbie went to prison, and Cecilia cut off contact with her family. During WWII, Briony visited Cecilia and Robbie, who had reunited, and tried to make amends for ruining their lives.

How Twisty Is This Twist? Paul Marshall, Robbie's friend, was actually the man who attacked Lola and later married her. The real twist hits when a seventy-seven-year-old Briony reveals she wrote the novel and changed facts about her life. She changed that Robbie died in the Battle of Dunkirk and Cecilia died in a bombing months later. The two never met or forgave Briony. Now sick, Briony says rewriting history and giving Robbie and Cecilia a happy ending is her atonement.

Author: Jodi Picoult

Genre: Fiction

What's It About? Thirteen-year-old Anna Fitzgerald's parents used her umbilical cord blood to treat her sister Kate's leukemia. When Anna must donate a kidney to Kate, she refuses and seeks emancipation. Anna argues, supported by Kate, that the transplant likely won't save Kate but could endanger Anna later. The case goes to trial, and Anna gets emancipated. Still, she considers giving Kate her kidney once she knows the choice is hers.

How Twisty Is This Twist? After emancipation, Anna is in a near-fatal car crash that leaves her brain-dead. Her parents then decide to harvest her organs before taking her off life support. Eight years later, Kate lives a healthy, happy life as a ballet teacher, having received Anna's kidney.

Author: Daphne du Maurier

Genre: Mystery

What's It About? In Daphne du Maurier's 1938 novel RebeccaAn unnamed narrator in her 20s marries Maxim de Winter, a wealthy man, after only two weeks. Upon arriving at Maxim's Cornwall estate, Manderley, the narrator learns about his first wife, Rebecca, who died a year earlier in a sailing accident. As the narrator learns more about Rebecca, she fears Maxim does not love her and wants Rebecca back. Manderley's housekeeper and Rebecca's confidant, Mrs. Danvers, torments the narrator until she nearly commits suicide. Maxim tells his new wife the real story of Rebecca only after the wreckage of the sailing ship shows Rebecca's remains inside.

How twisty is this twist?Maxim confirms his first wife, Rebecca, was manipulative and narcissistic, despite what the narrator heard. During a fight, Rebecca revealed she was pregnant by another man and would force Maxim to raise the child. Maxim shot and killed Rebecca, then staged the boating accident. Rebecca had only months left to live; she likely pushed Maxim to shoot her for a quick death.

Author: Ruth Ware

Genre: Mystery

What's it about?Nora Shaw is invited to her estranged friend Clare's bachelorette party. Nora has not spoken to her school friends in years; the reason for the split remains a mystery. At the party, held on a remote wooded estate, people learn Nora dated Clare's fiancé, James, while in school. James ended the relationship cruelly after Nora told him she was pregnant. Later, James is accidentally shot at the party, and texts on Nora's phone point to her involvement in his death, even though she has no memory of sending them.

How twisty is this twist?Nora finds out Clare, not James, sent the hurtful text after Nora learned about her pregnancy. James asked Clare to invite Nora to fix things, but Clare instead killed him and tried to blame Nora. Clare attempts to poison Nora, then chases her in the woods, but Nora survives and finally finds closure.