Minnie's Fiction Addiction

Some books are instant bestsellers. Others slip quietly into the world and build a loyal following over time. Those are the cult classics, the novels people passionately recommend, the ones that spark heated debates, and the books you either love or really don’t get.

This week, I’m rounding up cult classics, both the iconic staples and some newer titles already gathering their own devoted fandoms.

📖 Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis (1985)

Cold, detached, and hypnotic, Ellis’s debut about the wealthy, disaffected youth of 1980s Los Angeles is a portrait of beautiful nihilism. A true cult cornerstone.

📖 The Secret History by Donna Tartt (1992)

Dark academia’s crown jewel. Murder, obsession, and a group of privileged classics students whose friendships spiral into tragedy. A modern cult classic that never loses its grip.

📖 House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (2000)

A labyrinth on the page as well as in the story. This experimental, genre-bending novel is confusing, terrifying, and unforgettable—exactly what a cult classic should be.

📖 Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (2005)

Eerie, melancholic, and quietly devastating, Ishiguro’s exploration of love, memory, and mortality has grown into one of the most beloved (and hotly discussed) modern classics.

📖 Bunny by Mona Awad (2019)

Darkly funny, surreal, and delightfully strange, Bunny has become the poster child for weird-girl lit. If you like books that make you say “what did I just read?”—this one’s for you.

📖 Yellowface by R.F. Kuang (2023)

Sharp, provocative, and impossible to put down, Kuang’s novel about publishing, privilege, and appropriation already has the energy of a cult favourite, sparking fierce conversations everywhere.

✨ Why reach for a cult classic?
Because these books stay with you. They confuse you, challenge you, shock you, or even make you angry. But love them or hate them, you’ll never forget them.

Would you like me to keep the mix of old and new cult classics, or do you want a version that’s only focused on recent cult classics (say, from the 2000s onwards)?