Book cover of The Malady of Death

Book description

A man hires a woman to spend several weeks with him by the sea. The woman is no one in particular, a "she," a warm, moist body with a beating heart-the enigma of Other. Skilled in the mechanics of sex, he desires through her to penetrate a different mystery: he…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Malady of Death as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I suspect that I was led to take The Malady of Death from my shelf by a subconscious directive. I admit that I am afraid of this book, its relentless probing, afraid I will never understand it however much I struggle. Confounded by it twenty-five years ago, I put it aside until my consciousness could mature. (Ha!) The fault must be mine, since her style, language, and structure are as limpid as Ernaux’s or Davis’s, although Duras’s prose carries a poetical charge deliberately absent in the other two writers. I begin to think that the trouble lies in my…

From Norman's list on the mind at play.

If you love The Malady of Death...

Book cover of Existential Smut 2

Existential Smut 2 by Hapax Legomenon,

Stories, essays & dialogues about art, imagination & the erotic life. A young man named Charles writes a series of erotic tales, and his bookish friend Lisa offers light-hearted critiques of them.

Some stories feel like erotic meditations or random erotic moments in a young man's life. Others start with…

Want books like The Malady of Death?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Malady of Death.

Browse books like The Malady of Death

Book cover of Madame Bovary
Book cover of Night Train
Book cover of Break It Down

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,298

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!