Butcher

4.5 rounded up. Oates slowly and effectively escalates the horror chapter-by-chapter in a way that will leave you unable to put this book down. Butcher may be overwhelmingly brutal at times, but it's absolutely like a car crash you can't look away from. Not only does Oates nail the characterization of a misogynistic protagonist you love to hate, but she also pulls off a strikingly appalling and realistic picture of the scene surrounding mental illness in mid 19th century America.