In my opinion, Jane Sullivan posits the most concise definition of cult fiction: “whatever it is, cult fiction makes the heart beat faster . . . it speaks to you in a way nothing else does, and you’re convinced you’re the only person who gets it.”1 As more and more readers react to a book in this same manner, feeling as though they are the only people who understand what the author really means, the cult status of the title begins to develop. Sullivan accurately identifies why titles achieve cult fiction status: they speak to the reader in a way that no other book has done before, almost as if the author wrote the book in question specifically for the reader. According to Thomas Reed Whissen, cult fiction appeals to readers who feel “cut off, socially disenfranchised, deprived of their rightful place in the community of man.”² He explains that these disenfranchised individuals as a group make up the cult following of the title; however, as cult membership is through the book, no interaction is required of them. They merely feel part of the greater whole: the cult.

Whissen identifies several key literary elements of cult fiction canon members. Of these, alienation, ego-reinforcement, behavior modification, and vulnerability interact with one another to make cult fiction strikingly appealing to adults in their 20s and 30s as well as to teen readers.

While you may initially think you don’t know many cult fiction titles, on reflection you will find you know far more than you realize. Pretty much all cult fiction titles can be identified as belonging to another genre or subgenre. Isaac Asimov titles are identified as being part of the cult fiction canon, but I’m willing to bet that nearly all libraries have these titles shelved with science fiction, as they should be. I highly doubt many, if any, libraries actually have a section devoted to cult fiction, and I don’t necessarily recommend creating one either. Here are the two main reasons: (1) readers who are not aware of what cult fiction encompasses could very easily be turned off merely by the word “cult,” and (2) your devoted science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, or any other genre readers expect to find these titles shelved in their respective sections. If they go to those shelves and don’t find the titles they expect to see, they won’t immediately think to check the cult fiction section. What this means is that it is up to librarians to familiarize themselves with cult fiction titles, or at a minimum, cult fiction resources.⁴ By gaining this knowledge, you will be better prepared to begin suggesting titles for readers who are looking for something different from their usual reads.

As cult fiction titles straddle multiple genres, they serve as a perfect bridge for genre exploration. If you have someone who finds science-fiction too full of hardcore science and not enough action, look no further than Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. If Horror is too cheesy or scary, turn to The Stand by Stephen King. In some ways, the label “cult fiction” is a misnomer, or at least, the inclusion of “fiction” causes it to be a misnomer, as the cult fiction canon holds many non-fiction titles. For the fiction reader who finds non-fiction boring or too slow in pace, suggest a cult fiction title to help them explore a grittier, sometimes seedier side to non-fiction. Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn, Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs, and The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf aren’t your standard non-fiction fare. Or what about someone looking for something different from their standard reads? They want something that will change their world view, get them out of their reading rut. Cult fiction is the direction you should turn. These titles entered into cult fiction status precisely because they changed the world view for so many readers.

It’s a scenario we all hope to find ourselves in: a teen reader is ready to branch out beyond the YA section and into adult fiction, but he has no idea where to start. He’s looking for something gritty, edgy and that won’t turn him completely off from adult titles. Pick a standing member of the cult fiction canon and you’re likely to pick a winner and win over a new follower of the genre.

A study into the trends of Printz Award winning books shows all the characteristics of cult fiction readers in the making. The study revealed six common trends including “journeys, teenage angst leading to self-actualization, family relationships, romantic relationships, controversial issues within the content, and diversity of story characters.”⁵ Of those six, the first five elements are key elements in achieving cult fiction status. If the young adult titles winning awards showcase these elements, then it is safe to say these same teen readers will welcome cult fiction titles with open arms.

William Sutcliff takes this a step further when he quite bluntly states that cult fiction titles are “important to read as [teens] enter adulthood.” He explains that cult fiction titles provide the perfect opportunity for teens to safely explore everything that could be done in life: “[a]t 18, anything is possible, and you have to read these books to find out what ‘anything’ really means.”⁶ In his view, cult fiction titles serve as a right of passage into adulthood.

As noted earlier, the subject matter of cult fiction tends to have two common elements: it will be both explicit and controversial. Explicit and controversial attract teen readers. Look at the currently hot YA titles; many are hard hitting discussing the difficult subjects faced by teenagers today. These same titles often find themselves on the American Library Association’s Banned Book List, heightening their esteem for teen readers.⁷ When adult counterparts deem a title too explicit, too edgy, teens gravitate to the book, if only because the self appointed authorities have said they shouldn’t read it. As current cult fiction titles were frequently banned or contested at their time of publication, it stands to reason that the banned books of today will reach cult fiction status in the future.

How many cult classic fiction books our youth and our parents’ youth have become high school or even junior high school required reading? My father talks about how pivotal reading Lord of the Flies was for him, and it was part of my freshman English curriculum. Animal Farm, Farhenheit 451, and 1984 all fall into this same category for me. Obviously these titles were initially written with adult readers in mind; however, they have already bridged the gap into teen literature. This trend will likely continue. I can easily see Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk and Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh moving beyond merely cult fiction status and making the list of required reading in the near future.

Cult fiction crosses from juvenile fiction into young adult literature and into adult fiction, thus making it a perfect bridge. Robert Cormier’s The Chocolate War was written as adult literature, yet you will find it on young adult and juvenile shelves. S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders is often seen as laying the groundwork for young adult literature—and it very much belongs in the cult fiction canon. With cult fiction, time allows the lines to blur between intended audiences. Your teen readers may already be reading cult fiction titles, just not the ones you have shelved in the adult section.

• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
• Crash by J.G. Ballard
• The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart
• Dune by Frank Herbert
• Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
• Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
• Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link
• Neuromancer by William Gibson
• One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
• Only Forward by Michael Marshall Smith
• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• Perfume by Patrick Süskind
• The Pigman by Paul Zindel
• The Stranger by Albert Camus
• Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh

There is something about cult fiction titles that make them easily spotted. You may have started reading this article completely unaware of cult fiction, but I’m willing to bet that you’re already adding additional titles to the ones I’ve listed. Once you know the genre, you instinctively know which titles belong in it.