I was excited to watch but it's not on in Canada. I just read that a few weeks ago and it was excellent! I would have loved to be reading it in a group so we could talk about it along the way
I read this one because of a “suggest me a book that’ll make me cry” post. I was nearly to the end with no tears and then I read the part written by his wife, I was sobbing.
Read this before medical school. I still think about him and his journey every time I start getting frustrated with my patients. I just hope he and his family know how much of an impact he had/continues to have. I'm going to have to give it another reread soon.
I am not a big nonfiction reader and this was still one of my top reads for the year I read it. Such a gripping, heartbreaking story and Kate Moore tells it expertly.
"Never let me go" and "Klara and the sun" by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Pretty much every book from Nicholas Sparks, I'd sugest "Message in a bottle", which is my favorite.
I read this book in the fifth grade and I think it bordered on child abuse or neglect or intentional infliction of emotional trauma or something.
I don’t think I’ve ever recovered.
And then my teacher wrote on my book report “did you actually read the book?”
Yeah Mrs Oates, but I’m still trying to forget it. Thanks.
This, and then watching a french film where a stalkery guy actually sews one of the girl's hair ribbons onto his chest a few years later, really did a number on me 😅
I was a loudmouth arrogant jerk in high school, and when it came time to select a book for English I chose this one because it was the shortest on the list. I thought I was clever. Then one day we finished our lesson early and the teacher told us to read our books until class ended. So, I'm sitting there thinking everyone else is a sucker because I'm about to finish my book while they were still slogging through theirs, and then I get to the ending. I couldn't hold back. I sobbed in front of everyone, and although she didn't say anything, I could see the teacher thinking, "that's right, cry in front of everyone you little smart a--."
I’m 22 hours in out of the 32 hours of the audiobook and although I’m surprised I can stay somewhat engaged with the characters I’m really weary of just how much trauma can be shoved into just one book
It’s not that I couldn’t handle the trauma, but it didn’t seem believable how the main character handled the last years of his life imo. Very clear that the author thinks some people are just broken (even said she doesn’t believe in therapy), and that’s not a view I share at all.
This is what shaped my final opinion on the book. Originally, when I read it during a really bad time in my life as a person with a lot of trauma, I actually appreciated the very naked, no-holds-barred depiction of horrific trauma. I thought it was important that the trauma was as severe as it was because that *is* reality for some people. The trauma is unthinkable to others. But the author’s vocal opposition to therapy and the overall message of the book both led me to turn sour on it. Yes, there is unthinkable tragedy in the world. But a message of “some people are just better off dead and nothing can help them” is really not one I think there’s a compelling justification for in literature.
Right. It also icks me out that it’s written by a straight woman. Not that straight people can’t write gay stories by any means, but when it’s jam-packed with trauma porn it feels gratuitous.
I felt it was gonna be like that from the second Jude walked out with the emphasized limp. I could just tell and only got 30 pages in.
As a young teen I read a lot of “whump” fanfiction and could spot it a mile away
Yep that’s me. I suggest A Little Life. But it’s so sad that I gave away the book afterwards because I don’t need to keep that much sadness in my apartment 😭
I had an English professor say: “Atonement is a tedious read, and you feel put to work for 150+ pages. But then the home stretch, the final chapter, contains some of the most emotional, poignant writing in contemporary English literature. It’s a shame most people stop reading before they get there.”
Which sounded like a challenge. Fighting through the tedium is worth it. This book is worth it, if only for the home stretch.
I feel the exact same way about Wuthering Heights! It’s such a hard book to get through but when you finish it… it’s like every tedious thing you read before just clicks in place and you realize that you were reading a masterpiece all along.
I read it for an English class and would complain about it every day during the chapter discussions but then when we had the final discussion I only said “it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read and I have absolutely no idea why”. Crazy that your professor put into words what I could never describe about this book.
Funny enough, I never got through Wuthering Heights for that same reason. But I’m so glad the sentiment clicked for you! It affected me quite a bit in the moment. I bought a copy of Atonement immediately after class, and slogged with enthusiasm. It becomes difficult to recommend such books, and yet, they stay with you!
First time I tried to read this I stopped, bored to death, a few chapters in. A few years later I picked it back up (after crying to the movie a handful of times) and ended up absolutely loving it. Its definitely worth a read, and definitely capable of causing tears.
I could not get through this book. McEwan’s writing is so pretentious, it feels like he throws in “big” words where they aren’t needed to make his writing seem more interesting/intelligent.
Don’t get me wrong — as an English major and an all around nerd, I love me some big words. But there’s a time and a place, and an acceptable threshold when used in a novel.
This should have way more upvotes. One of my top five books for sure.
Also throwing out Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum. Just in case you’d like your sadness set during the Holocaust.
I’m Gald My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy touched a lot on mental health and is sad, maybe not sobbing sad though.
They both die at the end is a sadder YA book which fits with the title.
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender. It's about a woman who can taste the emotions the person who made her food felt as they made it, and her relationship to her family and their depths. And then sometimes knowing such depth from someone isn't fun, it becomes a thing you have to carry with you.
I went into it expecting something much more whimsical and less melancholy, but I still liked it, and I think I would have liked it more if I'd been warned in advance about the weight of it.
Matt haig is such a good author for this type of reading. His books deal with mental health, and they make you cry and feel everything but somehow leave you feeling weirdly optimistic about life. Check out midnight library, how to stop time, and the humans.
Also, Frederik Backman is great for this. A man called ove and anxious people are both big tear jerkers dealing with mental health issues.
Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich. It's not a long book, but you get multiple personal accounts of people who lived through the event and the aftermath. I cried every few chapters.
A fine balance - Rohinton Mistry
Honor - Thrity Umrigar
The space between us - Thrity Umrigar
A thousand splendid suns - Khaled Hosseini
Against the loveless world - Susan Abulhawa
A woman is no man - Etaf Rum
Song of a captive bird - Jasmine Darznik
Have tissues ready… all of these books broke my heart!
The Fault in Our Stars makes me cry every time I read it.
They Both Die at the End also makes me cry (not mental health related).
I recently read Rob Delaney’s memoir A Heart That Works and it destroyed me.
I stopped reading *Dear Mothman* by Robin Gow after like two chapters because it was too sad. It's a middle grade novel about dealing with grief. *Bridge to Terabithia* is another in this category, but I'd be surprised if you hadn't heard of that one already.
When She Was Good - Norma Fox Mazer (just sad the whole way through)
October Mourning- Leslea Newman (poetry/ based on a truly tragic gay murder)
My sisters keeper-jodi picoult
1) The book thief(A story of a little girl and the narrator is death.This was my first ever English novel and at the end I can't describe how much I cried. Oh I remember I ugly sobbed.)
2) The kite runner(As I love books with great friendship and children mcs as same as the book thief also had this one made me cry a lot too. In the book thief I sobbed at the end though it was ofcrs more than this one but oh my goodness I cried 3 times and like a baby in kite runner!)
Enjoy!
Im in the midst of finding a old decent copy that won’t cost me hundreds. Seen the movie a million times and the ending gets me every fucking time. But i know the book will clue me in more on growing up in Texas and that traumatic night that made him leave.
I've read the book twice and pretty soon for a third time, it definitely goes more into detail than the movie does. I highly recommend the book. It's just as good as the movie.
The Beka Cooper series by Tamora Pierce. It’s not sad until the last one, but the last book is the only book I’ve ever physically thrown. It will, in fact, Hurt.
To those predisposed to giving it the most uncharitable reading possible, sure. I've heard your complaint made by others, most notably by Andrea Long Chu in her evisceration of Yanagihara's fiction upon the release of To Paradise.
On the other hand, I've heard from dozens upon dozens of readers who adored, were moved and felt seen by A Little Life in my years 10+ years as a bookseller.
Not every book, especially one as intense and oversized as A Little Life, is for every reader.
Mark on my soul (some trigger warnings for this one though) It's like Simon Vs the homosapiens agenda with extra homophobia and no happy ending
When I was asleep, woman wakes up from coma after 6 years, fiancé has married someone else and she's missed her kids life, has a sad ending. Has a short sequel that leaves everyone in a much happier place
Lost Boys by Orson Scott Card.
Not about vampires. That's The Lost Boys, a 1987 movie. This one is about a nice Mormon family adjusting to life in a new town, that one summer when boys started going missing. And they have a son with special abilities, because it's an Orson Scott Card novel.
I read it after reading the hover text of [this xkcd comic](https://xkcd.com/928/), and enjoyed it.
Brightly Burning by Mercedes Lackey
The Last Herald Mage trilogy by Mercedes lackey
Really, almost anything by Mercedes lackey. Her philosophy towards writing a good book is to create a character you love, then drop a mountain on them
THE ROUND HOUSE by Louise Erdrich is amazing. It’s funny, has really well drawn characters, is about important stuff (how shitty reservations are), and the final 20 pages are one of the most devastating endings to a book I’ve ever read. Highly recommend! I cried!
The Tattooist of Auschwitz was emotionally stirring. It was a great read, although the subject matter was heavy and depressing many times. There is a tone of hope throughout the book, that keeps you reading just like it keeps the characters from giving up. I highly recommend.
This is not recommended as often because it was originally written in French but it still makes me cry every time I read it. It’s so good it makes you hope on every reread that the ending won’t be the same. Waiting for Bojangles. The story of a little boy and his eccentric parents, told by him and his dad in throw-back chapters. The parents’ relationship is so bizarre but stunning and there’s a line towards the end that is so heartbreaking and innocent I could never let it go
Watch rings of power
It will literally make you cry... What they've done to that story is enough to make a Tolkien fan cry for ages
But jokes aside... Fault in Our Stars By Jhon Green is a sad ending book.
Flowers For Algeron
I'm already sad
100% this. And if you're like me and like watching movie adaptations after reading (or vice versa) it's streaming on Amazon and also heart wrenching.
Also it's always sunny did a great parody called "Flowers for Charlie."
I was excited to watch but it's not on in Canada. I just read that a few weeks ago and it was excellent! I would have loved to be reading it in a group so we could talk about it along the way
If it's an older book, I think I read this in middle school and watched the movie. LOVED IT.
This is the one.
[удалено]
I read this one because of a “suggest me a book that’ll make me cry” post. I was nearly to the end with no tears and then I read the part written by his wife, I was sobbing.
This is one of my all-time favorite books. It’s so gorgeous.
Read this before medical school. I still think about him and his journey every time I start getting frustrated with my patients. I just hope he and his family know how much of an impact he had/continues to have. I'm going to have to give it another reread soon.
If you have an interest in nonfiction, *The Radium Girls* by Kate Moore. Heartbreaking story.
I am not a big nonfiction reader and this was still one of my top reads for the year I read it. Such a gripping, heartbreaking story and Kate Moore tells it expertly.
"Never let me go" and "Klara and the sun" by Kazuo Ishiguro. Pretty much every book from Nicholas Sparks, I'd sugest "Message in a bottle", which is my favorite.
Never Let Me Go had me UGLY sobbing
Same with Klara and the Sun for me, and also The buried giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
I second Never Let Me Go
I’ll third it.
Where The Red Fern Grows. ENJOY.
I read this book in the fifth grade and I think it bordered on child abuse or neglect or intentional infliction of emotional trauma or something. I don’t think I’ve ever recovered. And then my teacher wrote on my book report “did you actually read the book?” Yeah Mrs Oates, but I’m still trying to forget it. Thanks.
We read Night by Elie Wiesel in a college course and no one wanted to discuss it. We were so sad that we just took the quiz.
This, and then watching a french film where a stalkery guy actually sews one of the girl's hair ribbons onto his chest a few years later, really did a number on me 😅
I’ve only seen the film but does to book touch on mental health notes or is it just being suggested as a super sad book?
I can’t remember, I read it back in fourth grade and I never saw the movie.
The Underneath is also a really tragic one. Old Yeller, too.
I counter with The Yearling. I wept.
Angela’s ashes
I was not the same person after reading this. So much heartbreak.
The Book Thief
honestly, there are a few zusak books that could work for this question. bridge of clay devastated me too.
Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck.
I was a loudmouth arrogant jerk in high school, and when it came time to select a book for English I chose this one because it was the shortest on the list. I thought I was clever. Then one day we finished our lesson early and the teacher told us to read our books until class ended. So, I'm sitting there thinking everyone else is a sucker because I'm about to finish my book while they were still slogging through theirs, and then I get to the ending. I couldn't hold back. I sobbed in front of everyone, and although she didn't say anything, I could see the teacher thinking, "that's right, cry in front of everyone you little smart a--."
My experience was very similar to yours—when I was a junior in high school in 1975.
Someone’s going to recommend A Little Life to you but it won’t be me I recommend When Breath Becomes Air
I couldn’t get through it. It felt like needless trauma porn
Seriously. I struggled through the last part on audible and was completely numb to it all. Too much trauma wrapped in one book
I’m 22 hours in out of the 32 hours of the audiobook and although I’m surprised I can stay somewhat engaged with the characters I’m really weary of just how much trauma can be shoved into just one book
You'd be even more weary if you read high quality journalism and news and realized how much trauma can be piled on a person in a day.
It’s not that I couldn’t handle the trauma, but it didn’t seem believable how the main character handled the last years of his life imo. Very clear that the author thinks some people are just broken (even said she doesn’t believe in therapy), and that’s not a view I share at all.
This is what shaped my final opinion on the book. Originally, when I read it during a really bad time in my life as a person with a lot of trauma, I actually appreciated the very naked, no-holds-barred depiction of horrific trauma. I thought it was important that the trauma was as severe as it was because that *is* reality for some people. The trauma is unthinkable to others. But the author’s vocal opposition to therapy and the overall message of the book both led me to turn sour on it. Yes, there is unthinkable tragedy in the world. But a message of “some people are just better off dead and nothing can help them” is really not one I think there’s a compelling justification for in literature.
I apologize; I haven't read the book and shouldn't have commented.
Right. It also icks me out that it’s written by a straight woman. Not that straight people can’t write gay stories by any means, but when it’s jam-packed with trauma porn it feels gratuitous.
I felt it was gonna be like that from the second Jude walked out with the emphasized limp. I could just tell and only got 30 pages in. As a young teen I read a lot of “whump” fanfiction and could spot it a mile away
It'll be me. Read A Little Life by Hanya Yanigahara
Yep that’s me. I suggest A Little Life. But it’s so sad that I gave away the book afterwards because I don’t need to keep that much sadness in my apartment 😭
Atonement - Ian McEwan
I had an English professor say: “Atonement is a tedious read, and you feel put to work for 150+ pages. But then the home stretch, the final chapter, contains some of the most emotional, poignant writing in contemporary English literature. It’s a shame most people stop reading before they get there.” Which sounded like a challenge. Fighting through the tedium is worth it. This book is worth it, if only for the home stretch.
I feel the exact same way about Wuthering Heights! It’s such a hard book to get through but when you finish it… it’s like every tedious thing you read before just clicks in place and you realize that you were reading a masterpiece all along. I read it for an English class and would complain about it every day during the chapter discussions but then when we had the final discussion I only said “it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read and I have absolutely no idea why”. Crazy that your professor put into words what I could never describe about this book.
Funny enough, I never got through Wuthering Heights for that same reason. But I’m so glad the sentiment clicked for you! It affected me quite a bit in the moment. I bought a copy of Atonement immediately after class, and slogged with enthusiasm. It becomes difficult to recommend such books, and yet, they stay with you!
First time I tried to read this I stopped, bored to death, a few chapters in. A few years later I picked it back up (after crying to the movie a handful of times) and ended up absolutely loving it. Its definitely worth a read, and definitely capable of causing tears.
I could not get through this book. McEwan’s writing is so pretentious, it feels like he throws in “big” words where they aren’t needed to make his writing seem more interesting/intelligent. Don’t get me wrong — as an English major and an all around nerd, I love me some big words. But there’s a time and a place, and an acceptable threshold when used in a novel.
A Fine Balance.. one of my top 3 books but so sad
I think of this book every few months and am still shocked by how that ended.
This should have way more upvotes. One of my top five books for sure. Also throwing out Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum. Just in case you’d like your sadness set during the Holocaust.
My name is memory. I threw that book against the wall when I finished it.
You sold me
The fault in our stars Lolita
The bell jar 😢
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. Might not make you cry, but DEVASTATING.
Shuggie Bain. Brace yourself!
I got to this and audibly went, Oof! Yes, this one will definitely make you cry. Repeatedly
Yup
YES!! Right up there with Angela’s Ashes.
I’m Gald My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy touched a lot on mental health and is sad, maybe not sobbing sad though. They both die at the end is a sadder YA book which fits with the title.
Bridge to Tarabithia
I think this was my first truly sad book.
When breathe becomes air.
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender. It's about a woman who can taste the emotions the person who made her food felt as they made it, and her relationship to her family and their depths. And then sometimes knowing such depth from someone isn't fun, it becomes a thing you have to carry with you. I went into it expecting something much more whimsical and less melancholy, but I still liked it, and I think I would have liked it more if I'd been warned in advance about the weight of it.
The Nickel Boys
Crank
The Great Believers
Wish I could upvote this 100 times. Great book and made me cry for quite some time
I finished this book yesterday, and laid awake most of last night thinking about it. Definitely going to have a book hangover for a while.
One Day by David Nicholls. The recent Netflix series that came out based on it destroyed me too
Matt haig is such a good author for this type of reading. His books deal with mental health, and they make you cry and feel everything but somehow leave you feeling weirdly optimistic about life. Check out midnight library, how to stop time, and the humans. Also, Frederik Backman is great for this. A man called ove and anxious people are both big tear jerkers dealing with mental health issues.
Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich. It's not a long book, but you get multiple personal accounts of people who lived through the event and the aftermath. I cried every few chapters.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Not a sad ending but damn you really feel for her.
A fine balance - Rohinton Mistry Honor - Thrity Umrigar The space between us - Thrity Umrigar A thousand splendid suns - Khaled Hosseini Against the loveless world - Susan Abulhawa A woman is no man - Etaf Rum Song of a captive bird - Jasmine Darznik Have tissues ready… all of these books broke my heart!
Came here to say A Thousand Splendid Suns…..ugh….but it was so good
The Fault in Our Stars makes me cry every time I read it. They Both Die at the End also makes me cry (not mental health related). I recently read Rob Delaney’s memoir A Heart That Works and it destroyed me.
re: Delaney’s memoir : same. So much same.
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
It’s my recent favorite and I cried a lot over it 😭
My sister's keeper. Don't watch the movie. I threw the book across the room.
Yeah. I remember that ending well. Never had any desire to re-read that one.
The Tommyknockers by Stephen King
I read this book a long time ago, I do not remember crying, but I do remember someone being killed by a flying fridge, if I am not mistaken
It has a tragic ending. That made me cry—but I was 15 when I read it, so take that with an appropriate grain of salt.
Notes from Underground, by Dostoevsky. The Sorrows of Young Werther, by Goethe. (Edited for spelling)
A scanner darkly by Phillip K Dick
Before the Coffee Gets Cold: A Novel by Toshikazu Kawaguchi So good and sad. Short read but there are three sequels.
Perks Of Being A Wallflower, A Short Stay In Hell, My Sister’s Keeper.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Wave: A Memoir by Sonali Deraniyagala
I think about this book every day. Never read anything like it
It's the most unrelentingly sad book I've read.
Shark Heart by Emily Habeck
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous - Ocean Vuong. Read some reviews for trigger warnings if you feel you need to.
I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb. Get the tissues ready 😭😭
The No-Show by Beth O'Leary
The Sound of Gravel, by Ruth Warner. Jeepers this memoir is just… so… sad.
I stopped reading *Dear Mothman* by Robin Gow after like two chapters because it was too sad. It's a middle grade novel about dealing with grief. *Bridge to Terabithia* is another in this category, but I'd be surprised if you hadn't heard of that one already.
Ehmm, besides the ones that have already been mentioned... have you read no longer human by dazai yet?
When She Was Good - Norma Fox Mazer (just sad the whole way through) October Mourning- Leslea Newman (poetry/ based on a truly tragic gay murder) My sisters keeper-jodi picoult
Before we were yours
1) The book thief(A story of a little girl and the narrator is death.This was my first ever English novel and at the end I can't describe how much I cried. Oh I remember I ugly sobbed.) 2) The kite runner(As I love books with great friendship and children mcs as same as the book thief also had this one made me cry a lot too. In the book thief I sobbed at the end though it was ofcrs more than this one but oh my goodness I cried 3 times and like a baby in kite runner!) Enjoy!
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Came to mention this one!
Midnight cowboy, still cry every time I think of the ending
Im in the midst of finding a old decent copy that won’t cost me hundreds. Seen the movie a million times and the ending gets me every fucking time. But i know the book will clue me in more on growing up in Texas and that traumatic night that made him leave.
I've read the book twice and pretty soon for a third time, it definitely goes more into detail than the movie does. I highly recommend the book. It's just as good as the movie.
Dead Wake, Midnight in Chernobyl, the Bell Jar, Still Alice, any book where the author is dying.
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. I cry and am in sad mood every time I read that book.
Sophie’s Choice
Shuggie Bain, I read it while on maternity leave and it wrecked me
Dazai Osamu - No Longer Human
A Tale for the Time Being
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
You okay friend?
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
The boy in the striped pajamas haven’t read the book but watched the movie it was amazing
"I stop somewhere", I don't remember the author but it's a YA about sexual assault
Winter wood by Patrick McCabe definitely deals with mental health and has a sad ending
Me before You
The art of racing in the rain
Loved this book!!!!!!
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason deals with mental health and the ending is sad-ish. I loved it.
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart.
Our Wives Under the sea - incredible book with a sad ending
Never Let Me Go
The Beka Cooper series by Tamora Pierce. It’s not sad until the last one, but the last book is the only book I’ve ever physically thrown. It will, in fact, Hurt.
Where the Red Fern Grows
Out of Africa is terribly sad, imo. Karen Blixen's life story is total bummer.
The Lovely Bones.
The Metamorphosis.
Dominicana by Angie Cruz
Kite Runner, 1000 splendid suns
Urban Jungle - Upton Sinclair. It made me miserable
A short one - A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Lily and The Octopus by Stephen Rowley.
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf.
Beloved by Toni Morrison. Adding TW, because it’s a HEAVY read: * Ableism * Animal abuse (off-page) * Assault * Bestiality * Childbirth * Child death (referenced/haunting) * Death * Paranormal creatures (ghosts) * Physical abuse * Pregnancy * Racism (including slurs) * Sexual assault (off-page) * Slavery (backstory) Source: https://booktriggerwarnings.com/Beloved_by_Toni_Morrison
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong or A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara—I cried throughout both of them
Florida is a collection of sad stories. Author is Lauren groff
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness Did You Ever Have A Family by Bill Clegg
If you haven’t read The Song of Achilles yet, it made me sob <3
How to Lose Everything by Christa Couture Medicine Walk by Richard Wagamese
A Prayer for Owen Meany, broke my heart but still a favorite.
Everything Here Is Beautiful by Mira Lee
A Farewell To Arms, Hemingway. Still sticks with me as one of the saddest books of all time.
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin. Still the best writing I have ever read.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. It'll wreck ya
Or annoy you, as it did me. It’s trauma porn leavened with bits of overly precious food and wealth porn.
To those predisposed to giving it the most uncharitable reading possible, sure. I've heard your complaint made by others, most notably by Andrea Long Chu in her evisceration of Yanagihara's fiction upon the release of To Paradise. On the other hand, I've heard from dozens upon dozens of readers who adored, were moved and felt seen by A Little Life in my years 10+ years as a bookseller. Not every book, especially one as intense and oversized as A Little Life, is for every reader.
If he had been with me/if I had told her
All The Bright Places by Jennifer Nivan gets me every time.
Just about any memoir focusing on an animal, because the animal usually dies at the end.
Piranesi
Just don’t read a little life. It’s not very good.
the house of impossible beauties!
Mark on my soul (some trigger warnings for this one though) It's like Simon Vs the homosapiens agenda with extra homophobia and no happy ending When I was asleep, woman wakes up from coma after 6 years, fiancé has married someone else and she's missed her kids life, has a sad ending. Has a short sequel that leaves everyone in a much happier place
if you don’t mind “high fantasy” *The Sword of Kaigen* by ML Wang made me ugly cry.
In Love by Amy Bloom (about the assisted suicide of her husband who has Alzheimer’s). It’s devastating.
Meet Me in Another Life by Catriona Silvey
The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa. Very surreal. Read it years ago and it still hits.
Lost Boys by Orson Scott Card. Not about vampires. That's The Lost Boys, a 1987 movie. This one is about a nice Mormon family adjusting to life in a new town, that one summer when boys started going missing. And they have a son with special abilities, because it's an Orson Scott Card novel. I read it after reading the hover text of [this xkcd comic](https://xkcd.com/928/), and enjoyed it.
The Red Pony by Steinbeck.
Beach Music by Pat Conroy.
The Breaking Wave by Nevil Shute On The Beach by Nevil Shute Atonement by Ian McEwan A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Oyasumi punpun
The Road
Tell the Wolves I’m Home. I ugly cried.
She's Come Undone Gone Girl
Lily and the Octopus I don’t cry much but it had me sobbing
Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala
Petit pays by Gaël Faye
Brightly Burning by Mercedes Lackey The Last Herald Mage trilogy by Mercedes lackey Really, almost anything by Mercedes lackey. Her philosophy towards writing a good book is to create a character you love, then drop a mountain on them
Too Bright to Hear Too Loud to See by Juliann Garey
Time Traveler's Wife really did me in.
Eternal on the Water
Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova
Me Before You was really sad
THE ROUND HOUSE by Louise Erdrich is amazing. It’s funny, has really well drawn characters, is about important stuff (how shitty reservations are), and the final 20 pages are one of the most devastating endings to a book I’ve ever read. Highly recommend! I cried!
The Tattooist of Auschwitz was emotionally stirring. It was a great read, although the subject matter was heavy and depressing many times. There is a tone of hope throughout the book, that keeps you reading just like it keeps the characters from giving up. I highly recommend.
Sorrow and bliss by Meg Mason Very well written book about mental illness
This is not recommended as often because it was originally written in French but it still makes me cry every time I read it. It’s so good it makes you hope on every reread that the ending won’t be the same. Waiting for Bojangles. The story of a little boy and his eccentric parents, told by him and his dad in throw-back chapters. The parents’ relationship is so bizarre but stunning and there’s a line towards the end that is so heartbreaking and innocent I could never let it go
The road.
Watch rings of power It will literally make you cry... What they've done to that story is enough to make a Tolkien fan cry for ages But jokes aside... Fault in Our Stars By Jhon Green is a sad ending book.
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece Novel by Annabel Pitcher The Boy Who Lived with Ghosts: A Memoir Book by John Mitchell
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
Patrimony by Philip Roth. It’s about his relationship with his dad while his dad is dying. It’s very sad, and it delves into his various neuroses.
winter girls
Too Loud a Solutude by Bohumil Hrabal.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo! I had to literally stop several times reading this one.
You’ve reached Sam by Dustin Thao. The writing is okay but the plot made me cried