I love short stories, and usually I feel like I find short stories a lot more heartbreaking than novels, but I have yet to find a good collection of short stories. I really want a collection of short stories focused on mental health (themes of ocd, anxiety), death and loss, happiness, and things of that sort. Most of the full-length books I read tend to be environmental non-fiction, so that's something I'm into as well, but mainly I want to read things related to the former. If anyone has any suggestions, I appreciate them greatly!! Thank you!!!
by Suspicious-Hawk-3594
3 Comments
I think Out of Mind by J. Bernlef might be exactly close to what you are looking for.
In this case the mental health problem is Alzheimer’s and it is portrayed from a first person view. A very realistic and sometimes sad narrative on how it lets you live with the main character through that descent of his.
One about depression, or a few, Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive approaches that topic through the main character, but I warn you, it’s a 5 books. 7000 pages of amazing storytelling.
It is worth it. Also the hero of ages from the same author touches more lightly on the same topic. It is part of a trilogy as well.
You might like Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. It’s not all directly about mental health, but the stories have that quiet sadness, loss, loneliness, and complicated human feeling you seem to be looking for. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver is also great if you want short, painful, very human stories that don’t over-explain themselves.
Not short stories in the least, but a novel (almost 300 pages and around 75k words), and its in the Fiction and somewhat Humor genre for covering death, loss, and eventual happiness;. Its was the first book that made me smile after losing a pet and a couple of family members (in a few month period) and coming to terms with it.
The novel **Speed of Souls** by **Nick Pirog.** Its a book for dog and cat lovers and has a witty take on dealing with death/loss.
Check out the Goodreads synopsis to see if its close to what you are looking for
.goodreads.com/book/show/57972791-the-speed-of-souls