📚 A nightmare story for our time

Kirsten King is the author of A Good Person, out March 31st from Putnam. Below, she shares three of her favorite books about feminine rage—plus a bonus TV series recommendation.

Boy Parts by Eliza Clark – I always find it impressive when an author can take a morally reprehensible character and keep the reader flipping the pages. In Boy Parts, it’s impossible to look away as the protagonist, Irina, makes questionable choice after questionable choice. Clark upends gender norms, turning them onto their head, and asking readers to interrogate what they expect a young woman to be capable of. It taps into a kind of rage that is relatable for any woman who has been objectified, even if the lengths the protagonist goes to are (thankfully) not relatable to most.

Molka by Monika Kim – This novel comes out April 28, 2026, but I was lucky enough to read Kim’s sophomore novel early. Like her previous novel, The Eyes Are The Best Part, Kim tackles feminine rage and fetishization with a horror bend. The thing that impresses me most about Monika’s writing is how deftly she tackles dark subject matter in a way that never veers into trauma porn and always gives women their due. Molka fictionalizes the very real issue of hidden spy cameras in Korea, and as her protagonists’ rage bubbles to the surface, the reader’s will too.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath – And finally, the book that got me into female rage. This is obviously the classic depressed girl’s go-to book, but there’s also a lot of rage in the pages. Plath depicts stifling societal pressures and the contradiction in expectations for men versus women with unflinching honesty. It’s one of those novels you can really only pick up when you’re in the right headspace for it (and perhaps paired with a good SSRI). I read this book in high school, and I felt so eerily seen by it that it terrified me. I think good feminine rage sits right beside sadness. Plath was the master of that. 

Bonus: I May Destroy You (television series) by Michaela Coel – Though this isn’t a novel, Michaela Coel’s limited series I May Destroy You digs into feminine rage and reclaiming your power in the wake of a traumatic event. Coel manages to create something deeply funny and deeply cathartic to watch.