We publish books that matter — narrative and literary nonfiction on important topics, and the best of local, international, and translated fiction.

Over the last year, the internet has been in a frenzy over books about ‘unhinged women’ — a fascinating and multifaceted categorisation with a dedicated hashtag that has amassed over 11 million views. 

From obsession to poor decision-making to just being at wit’s end after facing horrific life events, these books span a variety of genres and themes, but one thing is consistent: the main character will compel you to keep turning the pages, even if sometimes, their situation is just so bad that you can’t look away. These books are beloved in the way that they can create a space to explore women in their complexity; they also often allow a haven for female rage as you follow women who are acting on their every impulse, for better or for worse. After years of criticism against the way women have been represented in literature, this trope claims back the ‘messy’ heroine as an anti-hero that you can’t help but root for.

The trope and the evolution of its interpretation have been fascinating to watch, but ‘unhinged women’ have actually been present in books for quite some time. If you’d like to consume this list where the whole phenomenon began, you can find it in video form here — but if not, here are five existing Scribe titles to add to the ‘unhinged woman’ canon, and one to watch out for in 2023.