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Original poster

Books you had to stop reading because they cut too close to the bone?

33 replies

wawawewa · 26/01/2026 12:22

I just had to stop reading The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. It’s hitting a lot of sore points, and some of the biographical overlap I have with the characters is really spooky. I’d quite like to come back to it at a later point in life - partially because I like his writing (thought Purity was great) and partially because it’s clearly resonated with me, and I need to confront that. But I’m not in the right state of mind to do it right now.

It’s not the first time a book has made me feel uncomfortable in this way, but I’m usually able to push through.

Has this happened to anyone else, and if so, what was yours?

OP posts:
BlueEyedBogWitch · 26/01/2026 20:57

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Stroud. My mum was in a care home when I read it, and it was all too close to home. I finished it, but it was heartbreaking.

Silverbirchleaf · 26/01/2026 20:54

‘When the cranes fly south’ - written from the viewpoint of elderly man.

It’s a beautiful book, and I did finish it, but some of his observations about his life and his well-meaning son was a bit close to home, as I could relate it to my elderly parents.

leaflikebrew · 26/01/2026 13:07

@wawawewa oh my! I read The Corrections a few years ago and basically sobbed my way through large parts of it.

Totally agree about it being a hard read but it was so well done, I had to finish it despite the tears.

clumsyclimber · 26/01/2026 13:00

In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado. I did end up finishing it so not sure if this really fits the bill of the OP. But it was confronting and sometimes I had to put it down for a while. There are parts that felt so close to my experiences that it was unbearable.

TreesAtSea · 26/01/2026 12:54

For me it'd be books by Robert Seethaler. I've read the first three he wrote and was very impressed by them and thought they were brilliantly written, but they really affected my mood.

I've had a number of mental health problems throughout my life and, while I'm not usually adversely hit by what I read, every one of these books left me feeling incredibly low, bereft even.

I guess it's a testament to how well he writes but I found the experience to be genuinely bleak. I just checked and see there are two more recent ones by him. I tend to not learn from my mistakes so can't guarantee I won't read them.

IceIceBabyBump · 26/01/2026 12:49

I've been toying with getting "The Weekend" by Charlotte Wood.

But part of the blurb says:
"Fraying tempers, an elderly dog, unwelcome guests and too much wine collide in a storm that brings long-buried hurts to the surface--and threatens to sweep away their friendship for good"

My dog's 13 and noticeably slowing down. I've resisted buying the book in case the elderly dog dies.

WelcomeToTheThunderdome · 26/01/2026 12:48

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marilynmonroe · 26/01/2026 12:46

I loved this book so much as it made me think about my own dysfunctional family and taught me a lot! The bit that got me was when the mum had all her family at Christmas bar one child and she spent more time worrying about the one that wasn’t there rather than enjoying what she did have . That really resonated with me.