Eight top novels about toxic relationships

Lauren Kuhl is a writer and novelist based in New York.

Her debut novel is The Art of Pretend.

At Electric Lit Kuhl tagged eight of her "favorite novels that brilliantly memorialize the most toxic relationships we have with others, and occasionally, ourselves." One title on the list:

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

A page-turner that is both a thriller and darkly funny commentary on the publishing industry, Yellowface explores the dynamics of a contentious friendship whose obsession extends beyond the grave. This was my favorite read of 2023, and I know I’m not alone. I simply couldn’t put it down.

Read about another book on the list.

Yellowface is among Elly Griffiths's top ten books about books, Toby Lloyd's seven books that show storytelling has consequences, Sophie Wan's seven top titles with women behaving badly, Leah Konen's six top friends-to-frenemies thrillers, and Garnett Cohen's seven novels about characters driven by their cravings.

--Marshal Zeringue