by Oscar Wilde
First published 2016
Dorian Gray discovers a terrifying secret: his painted portrait will absorb every sin and consequence of his actions, while he remains eternally young and unblemished. As he descends into increasingly depraved experiences—opium dens, blackmail, and calculated destruction—the portrait becomes a grotesque record of his moral decay. Each transgression leaves its mark on the canvas, aging and twisting while Dorian's physical form stays pristine. But such supernatural bargains always demand payment, and the portrait's growing darkness hints at an inevitable reckoning that will strip away everything Dorian believes protects him. A razor-sharp exploration of beauty, corruption, and the price of unchecked desire.
Genres: fiction, classic-literature, 20th-century, horror, 19th-century, gothic
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: supernatural-bargain, unreliable-narrator
Period: 19th-Century, 20th-Century
52 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books
Content warnings: body-horror, gore, graphic-violence