The cover looks all pretty and stuff, and you're think, 'oh, maybe it's heartwarming and a bit philosophical!'  If you assume this, you are sorely, sorely mistaken.  This book is chock full of disturbing things.  It gets particularly cringe worthy when a man Estha buys a drink from a man, who then forces Estha to fondle his penis, which has such lovely descriptions as "The penis was soft and shriveled like an empty leather change purse."  The rest doesn't get nearly as graphic, but progressively the author manages to put every last character you found the least bit sympathetic through all kinds of heartbreak and turmoil, most of which completely undeserved.  The level of torture and psychological damage the cast goes through is almost enough to rival the last few episodes of Evangelion.  If the climax doesn't make you want to kill yourself, then you'll probably be grossed out at the end by the incest scene.

Surprisingly, it wasn't the graphic stuff that disturbed me about this book.  No, it was the fact that it shows just how cruel and spiteful people can be.  So cruel, in fact, that not even children are immune to it.   And yet you still feel sorry for all the characters who are cruel toward others.  Yes, the characterization is that good.  It's definitely the novel's strong point.

So really, it's a disturbing book, but rather than just because of gorey imagery, it's also because of level of abuse and horror the characters are put through.  It's depressing enough to make The Great Gatsby look like a kid's book in comparison.