17 Books For People Who Hate People

Tom Ripley grew up as an orphan and, bitter with his lack of a place in high society, kills a rich guy and steals his life. But the murders don't stop there, because two can only keep a secret if one of them is dead.

For: People who hate rich white boys in boat shoes.

Becky Sharp gives you The Lady Eve realness as she cons her way through high society by seducing other women's men and swindling them out of their money.

For: An aspiring actor in Los Angeles.

Alex is literature's most disaffected teenager ever, literally terrorizing everyone he runs into and being such a full-on anarchist that he has to be brainwashed to make him a normal member of society.

For: The tall, dark, and handsome, chain-smoking, leather jacket-wearing bad boy you have a crush on.

Clay thinks everyone in his hometown of L.A. is awful, but he also just idly stands back and lets them ruin their lives because he could give two fucks.

For: Anyone who's had to move back home after college.

Ignatius J. Reilly is a slob, sure, but he's also a brilliant mind and frequently mocks everyone he comes into contact with.

For: Your shady friend who won't stop mentioning the fact that they have an MFA.

Sula's fellow townspeople are the definition of basic. They decide that she's evil for being on her bad bitch flow and their lives fall apart in the end, so they were thriving PURELY on hateration.

For: Anyone too fabulous for their small town who just bought a ticket to the big city.

Cathy Ames has a "malformed soul," according to Steinbeck, and she even traps her parents in a fire and kills them, because why not?

For: The baddest bitch in the club on any given Friday.

Holden Caulfield frequently self-deprecates while knowing he's smarter than everyone else he runs into. It doesn't stop him from childishly acting out and treating everyone in his life with disdain, however.

For: A graduating high school senior who's SO over it all.

Considered the first existentialist novel, the Underground Man is Dostoyevsky's protagonist who feels like people only whine about their lives because misery loves company.

For: The person tired of hearing their co-worker talk about how much Olivia Pope is just like her.

Nathaniel is the definition of a thot ("that ho over there"). There's nothing he won't stick his penis into and if you get pregnant, well, here's an appointment you can make, thanks.

For: Someone taking an ointment for their recent... infection.

Iago is constantly pressed. The world never gives him what he's owed, so he manipulates the lives of the people he thinks are responsible for sport. For him, revenge is best served by a waiter with no trace leading back to you.

For: Anyone who starts sentences with "I'm not a racist, but..."

Inspired by McInerney's real-life girlfriend Rielle Hunter, Alison Poole is the ultimate coke-addicted, booze-swilling party girl of the '80s who falls in and out of love at the drop of a hat.

For: When you're waiting for your drug guy to arrive and he's running so totally late.

This novel is the world's introduction to Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a man with little patience for humans who finds them better as fodder for his delicious meals.

For: Foodies and wine connoisseurs.

A memoir where Lynn Barber describes being pushed by a toxic relationship with her parents into the arms of an older con man, who gets her, because they're both dissatisfied with the world around them. But of course, two people who hate other people ending up together is never a recipe for harmony.

For: Anyone looking for a sugar daddy.

A haunting memoir by M.E. Thomas, a self-professed sociopath, that chronicles her apathy in human relationship and loveless affairs.

For: Your friend who you're PRETTY sure has killed someone and you want to let them know that you understand, so they don't kill you next.

Patrick Bateman is the ultimate narcissistic, self-obsessed, psychopathic serial killer whose tales of debauchery caused controversy before the book was ever even released.

For: No one. If you see someone reading this in public, call the police and run far, far away.