Recently I finished Room, Speak, and Living Dead Girl. Suggestions for other books like these?
So I’m on a kick of reading emotionally draining books. Recently I finished Room, Speak, and Living Dead Girl. Does anyone else have suggestions for other books like these?
A little life. This is the most emotionally challenging book I have ever read!
I second this one. It was the first book I read this year and it has stayed with me.
And I third it. Just read it about a month ago – it broke me.
@Michelle it broke you??? So many people have recommended this book to me. They’ve said that it is an extremely difficult read but that it was worth it. Was it worth it for you? I’d love a little more insight on why it broke you if you’re comfortable sharing. I’ve read very emotionally draining books before, books that had me sobbing, books that stayed with me for years and years, but I’ve never had a book break me… very curious to hear your thoughts.
@Patricia – it is a book that I’m glad I read, but I hesitate to recommend it to anybody because it is so intense. The writing is beautiful, but definitely the most emotionally draining book I’ve ever read. The main character suffered horrible trauma as a child and the book is really about how that continues to manifest itself throughout his life. I think I say it broke me (not literally!) because I cared about the characters so much…and they hurt a lot. There were some things I didn’t love about it, but all-in-all it is the book that I think about most from the last several years of reading.
@Michelle thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. Books like these make me wonder what the author’s purpose was in writing them. I don’t mean that in a negative way, just a curious thought. I’m trying to think of it from the perspective of the author… if I’m going to write such an intense novel what do I hope my readers will gain from having invested in this journey. Thoughts?
@Patricia in this case I took away how deeply damaging childhood trauma can be. This character went through more than is imaginable as a child, and even though he was loved and successful as an adult, it haunted him. We never can know what goes on in the lives of others.
I read it decades ago, but clearly recall feeling it was the most draining book imaginable – The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath.
literally finished the Immortalists last night. i couldn’t put it down. My heart. the whole time was like ?
Red Clocks
The Future Home of the Living God
Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance
The Great Alone
Elmet
Life Of The Party!
The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner
A Little Life, Rust and Stardust, She’s Come Undone, Sophie’s Choice
Anything by Khaled Hosseini, A Little Life, A Fine Balance, The Road
@Sarah oh yes, if A Little Life doesn’t do it for you—I’m not sure what would! Good suggestions.
Read O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night” and fasten your emotional seatbelt!
Any book written by Ellen Hopkins
@Jenn yes
@Jennifer “Impulse” and “Burned” killed me!
When Breath Becomes Air had me sobbing.
@Michelle yes. But such a wonderful, important book.
I’m reading Beautiful Boy and it’s tearing me up inside.
Unbroken; The Tortilla Curtain; Life of Pi
LOL, I thought you would be asking for recommendations to give you a respite from emotionally draining books! ? (Just a wee bit of projection there. ?)
I loved Speak. You might like When We Collided by Emery Lord.
A Thousand Splendid Suns is about as emotionally draining as it gets for me.
Kite runner killed me
I second both 1000 Splendid Suns and Kite Runner
Kite runner was worse for me. I had to actually put that down for a bit.
The great alone
Year of Magical Thinking
The Nightingale
The Book Thief
A Man Called Ove
The Notebook
The Color Purple
A Child Called It
My Absolute Darling
Nightwoods. Charles Frazier
Different genre but I feel that way about George I’m Poldark–sometimes have to turn it off.
The Bronze Horseman
I don’t know if the book is as draining as the movie, but Bridge to Terabithia is ridiculously sad. There should be laws against that level of sad!
Small great things by Jodi Piccoult about did me in.
The Book Thief
Where the Crawdads Sing and Vox were my most recent 5 star books. Both emotional and totally engrossing.
A Little Life
Push by Sapphire comes to mind.
I read Speak in high school with no idea what to expect! Damn.
Loved this book
Just another kid by Torey Hayden.
I still think about Leslie, one of the girls in the book, to this day and I read it 10+ years ago, it’s also a true story x
All The Light We Cannot See
The one I was going to suggest. Such a beautiful book.
The most emotionally draining book I read all year was The Radium Girls.
right there with you!!
A Little Life
The Lovely Bones. Sarah’s Key.
The book thief, definitely. Also Birdsong by Sebastian Faulkes. It really is a must read.
The Bunker Diary
A Little Life.
The Life She was Given
@Marla yes! Also Homes for unwanted girls and sound of gravel
@Ali I have read all but The Sound of Gravel
(1) After You’d Gone by Maggie O’Farrell
(2) The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
(3) Night Gardening by E.L.Swann
(4) The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
For me:
The kite runner.
The lovely bones.
My sisters keeper.
Oh and Suzanne’s diary for nicholas.
Boy Swallows Universe
Only child
Yes Only Child!
Born Survivors
Holding Up the Universe
When A Monster Calls
The Boy called It, Where the Crawdads sing.
The Boy Called It is so heavy. It’s the first book I read that gave me such a severe visceral reaction. I literally had to run to the bathroom to be sick it was so awful at certain parts. That being said, it’s a book I’m so glad I’ve read.
Cider House Rules, She’s Come Undone
Prayers for the Dying, by Stewart O’Nan. Sooooo good!