Catcher in the Rye, Brave New World, Pride and Prejudice, etc… Everyone knows the classics. There are many more recent novels, however, that examine the human psyche and have somehow mostly evaded the public eye. Here are seven wildly different books that will force you to uproot your literary standards and spectate reality from absurdly unique perspectives.

Diary by Chuck Palahniuk

This psychological thriller is of the horror and satire genre, and describes the life of Misty Wilmot on Waytansea Island. Written in third person diary form after her husband unsuccessfully attempts to commit suicide after leaving cryptic messages concerning the apparent degeneration of Misty’s once promising artistic career. As more and more of the island’s historical details converge with the present, the stakes are higher and higher as Misty is unknowingly involved further in a conspiracy that involves an obsessive streak of inspiration and the eventual almost-death of her daughter.

The Girls by Lori Lansens

Examining the lives of Siamese twins Rose and Ruby as they make their way through youth, adolescence, and finally adulthood, The Girls is a heartwarming coming-of-age story written in a pseudo-autobiographical style. The pair suffers from a craniopagus, a rare condition affecting less than 0.001% of the population; Rose and Ruby are joined at the head and are forced to experience every event in their life together. However, the book alternates between the raw and touchingly human points of view of Rose and Ruby, as they share a brain yet have completely different personalities.

Madapple by Christina Meldrum

This haunting book blurs the line of reality and fiction in a dual-narrative story told from the point of view of Aslaug, a girl brought up in ascetic isolation by an extremely religious single mother. She has learned about botany and the life of others, but not her own. After her mother’s sudden death, for which Aslaug herself is a suspect, she stays with the rest of her family in a church complex where she learns more and more about her mother’s story and the circumstances surrounding her birth, and the truth behind present day divine miracles.

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

This refreshingly original Australian Young Adult novel is about high school senior Lucy’s efforts as an art student to track down the two infamous graffiti artists, Poet and Shadow, who spray breathtaking works of art around the city, both poetry and actual pictures. Ed, an acquaintance of Lucy, claims that he knows where to find them, and takes Lucy on an all-night trip to where Shadow’s drawn pictures of escape and heartbreak complemented with Poet’s words. Identities are muddled and the characters’ pasts and futures come into question, as Lucy still has trouble seeing what’s right before her eyes.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

Set in Japan in 1984, this book tells the story of Tengo and Aomame in the real world and in the world that they call 1Q84. Aomame is caught in a taxi during heavy traffic on her way to a job assignment and decides to take an alternate route suggested by her taxi driver. Tengo leads a bland life as an aspiring writer, but becomes further involved with a bizarre perturbation in a cult group. The pair influence each other without ever actually meeting, but as they come closer and closer to doing so, they start realizing that they are actually essential to each other and the fabricated world around them

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

An astonishing tale of determination and the loss of innocence manifests itself in The Glass Castle, a memoir (and true story) by Jeannette Walls. The story revolves around her and her three siblings’ upbringing in poverty and neglect by their highly dysfunctional parents: an alcoholic, moody father and an idealistic, whimsical mother. Jeannette recalls her fleeting childhood through anecdotes about her family, as they fled from financial problems and lived a detrimental nomadic lifestyle.

Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

Published in 1971, this diary-esque novel chronicles the life of an anonymous teenage girl and her degeneration into drug addiction. Although now assumed to be written by Beatrice Sparks, the book is sold under an “Anonymous” byline, which was the subject of much controversy at the time of publication. Despite its brutal honesty and explicit content, many readers are able to submerge themselves in the story due to the simplistic and often endearing writing style of the unknown diarist.

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Written by serial novelist Sarah Dessen, this contemporary work of young adult fiction pinpoints the troubles of adolescence in the eyes of Annabel Greene, a popular teen model. Her life at first glance seems to be perfect, but beneath the surface, family and social strife wreak havoc on her mind and personality — issues that don’t help her efforts to come to terms with a horrible, life-changing incident that occurred at an end-of-year party and caused a devastating loss of self-respect. The story evolves with the introduction of new friend Owen who helps Annabel confront her inner demons and learn how to speak the truth.