Your favourite sad fiction book

[Unbeleevable]

I was thinking about sad stories that have lingered with me and I wondered what other keen readers have enjoyed in a heart-wrenching kind of way. I’m thinking of the kind of books that are wistful, sad, and leave an imprint on your heart or soul.

I realised the story that has stuck with me my whole life is “The Lorax” by Dr Seuss. I remember my mum reading it to me from my big Dr Seuss illustrated story book, at my repeated requests I must have read it dozens of times.

What book has stuck with you, and made you think differently about the world?

Tess of the D'Urbervilles
So sad! And there was nothing that she could control in her life. Everything bad that happened to her came from the actions of others, all men!
I do re-read it often, and every time I want her to do something different. Talk to Angel before the wedding, ask his parents for help afterwards, leave Alec when Angel returns.
But I guess she always felt helpless, and wasn't brought up to stand up for herself. As she says to her mother "why didn't you warn me about the dangers of men?" (my paraphrase, I can't remember the exact wording)

The Last days of Rabbit Hayes

Not a whole book, but the tragic figure of Lady Laura in Trollope’s Palliser series, who marries a rich man she didn’t love, because the man she did love was poor, and she’d given all her huge dowry away to pay her brother’s debts.

Her husband turned out to be a very dour and miserly religious fanatic- she eventually leaves him and goes to live a lonely and isolated life in Germany, because of the scandal, but is still hopelessly in love with the other. 😰

Birdsong by Sebastian faulks....its a beautiful story but so sad in places. Also Stephen king's insomnia....i cry at the ending every single time

The Stand

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell.

Lucy Gayheart by Willa Cather and Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton.
Both wonderful American writers.

Me before you always sets me off!

A Little Life
She's Come Undone

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists.

Immediate thoughts were Hamnet and After You’d Gone, both by Maggie O’Farrell. Not read the one of hers nominated above by Biomic but she must be the master of this!

@Misorchid No one ever seems to have read Lucy Gayheart! Very sad ending.

A Thousand Splendid Suns 🥹

A Fine Balance - broke my heart!

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness made me cry more than any other book I have read

A Willa Cather I havent heard of? Thanks!

A Fine Balance.

The People in the Trees - only book that's ever made me cry.

A Little Life.

Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx - so heartbreaking.

I read Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy about postnatal depression while pregnant and wept for days. I didn't know what it was about when I found it on my bookshelf. It might not have quite the same effect with a normal hormonal balance

Gone to Earth by Mary Webb. I cried myself to sleep after, and woke up the next morning still crying 😭 😭 😭

I liked The Snow Child by Eowen Ivey. Very sad, beautifully written.
A very different book that has stayed with me is On the Beach by Nevil Shute. It did give me a nightmare when I'd first read it though! And somehow, I don't want to reread it right at the moment....
I find the description of the family with their baby extremely poignant, facing the awful inevitability.

Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy. "Done because we are too menny" will never leave me.

My favourite book as a teen. I read it as a mother and sobbed my way through it. It hit so differently after I had my own child. Truly gifted author.

Brilliant book but so sad

The Bee Sting
A Monster Calls
Nothing (Mick Inkpen)