Artfully combining eroticism and spectacle with a token dark surrealism, J.G. Ballard’s Crash remains, among critics, one of the late author’s most divisive works.

If books could talk, this one would still have a hard time of it, as its mouth would likely be gagged, or wrapped around a steering wheel. Here, Ballard’s characters' disparate kinks coalesce in a circus of odd obsessions. They gather to reenact some of the most infamous celebrity auto accidents, “erotic atrocities” which become increasingly dangerous.

Equally disturbing and insightful, this is one to read and re-read years down the line. It’s held up admirably since its publication some 30 years ago.

Notably, filmmaker David Cronenberg produced a 1996 film adaptation of the novel. It received similarly schismatic reviews, though I’d recommend a viewing if you’re a fan of either Cronenberg of Ballard.

“I embraced surrealism—like a lover—and psychoanalysis, which closely abutted surrealism. Together, they represented what I wanted to do.”

— J.G. Ballard