A Child Called It

This is shelved as 'extreme' and a genuniely harrowing read.

There's a sense of wanting to see how far it will go, but also disbelief that any mother could subject her child to extreme cruelty for seemingly arbitrary reasons, just to be a cruel bitch.

If you're looking for something even more extreme, 'The Girl Next Door' by Jack Ketchum will take you there - the core events really happened - as a trip into the dark side of human depravity and child cruelty.

Reading this, I was impassioned to see the boy survive and escape, to thrive outside his mother's clutches.

Being based on a true story makes this even more gruesome and, as a father who loves and respects his children, it's an absolute nightmare, but as a fan of disturning literature, I really enjoyed this true story.