Hi all – I’m a sucker for my books to rip my heart out or disturb me in certain ways.
I’ve been known to read things like The Road (which inspired a feeling of dread and hopelessness I will never get again), and am currently going through A Little Life (no spoilers please I’ve just seen people cry and wanted to read). I have Crying in H Mart also on my list which I believe could be good per I know it’s about processing grief.
I’m just looking for more books that inspire these feelings, or discussions per what I got from The Road.
I’m no stranger to reading difficult vocab or long books so any level of reading is fine. If you can think of like your top 5 that would be amazing – thanks all!
by Ok-Abalone4179
12 Comments
The Book Thief, Night by Ellie Wiesel, and the Kitchen House. Three of my favorites to absolutely destroy me.
I Who Have Never Known Men. That made me unexpectedly shed a tear, and when you think about the concept (no spoilers), it really is quite depressing.
*The Uninhabitable Earth* –David Wallace-Wells
*If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All* –Eliezer Yudkowsky
*Braiding Sweetgrass* –Robin Wall Kimmerer
A thousand splendid suns
Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald is brilliant, beautifully written and made me want to die. All the content warnings of course.
Since you wanted a top 5, here are the others:
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald
The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica
Not necessarily sad on purpose but Dragon Seed by Pearl S Buck is fairly sad overall. Especially considering it’s based on real life events.
A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer is similar; sad and real life events
Also I want to come back to this post and look at other comments
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese
The sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
A Place for Us
A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy
Book by Sue Klebold