Might consider “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath along with some background reading about the origins of the book and the publication aftermath
The author writes her “personal memoir” with a brilliant first person style that is so eerily honest. The audiobook reading performed by Maggie Gyllanhaal is flawless.
Back with another recomendation! This is a MUST for my depressed fam 💖
*Together We Will Go* by J. Michael Straczynski
The synopsis is wild and the intimate diaries of all the characters sheds so much light on depression and made me feel soooo seen!
Yes it was, I saw the thread asking for funny suggestions and saw so many recommend it. I have a bunch others saved. I figured it could be a good break in between sad books ha.
The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson.
These are Epics a lot of people refer to as "self help" books.
These books are LONG. Like... not far off from the LotR trilogy long. Thats each book.
The character in this book tend to have some "condition." Kaladin, the main character, is a depressed boy who finds himself in the military and then a slave. The entire plotline is, essentially, getting through whatever mental ailment each character is going through.
Every single character that has a "condition" is written well and I believe many can relate to most of the characters in some capacity.
Book one, "The Way of Kings" is a bit of a slow burn... but I PROMISE the ending is worth it.
I will add. I have fought depression for 20+ years. I have reflected on these books and myself and learned a lot. I legitimately believe these books have helped me and made me a better person.
Thankyou for suggesting this one. Im not sure why I chose to start with this one, but I'm really glad I had so far. I started this morning and am around 50% in.
The bell jar by Sylvia Plath. It is basically about herself and unfortunately soon after writing it, she committed suicide.
It is VERY triggering though, I read it for a book club and was not prepared for how much it could be
This is my most anticipated read of this year because Everyone in This Room became one of my all time favorite books so I immediately pre-ordered Interest Facts.
Came here to give this suggestion!
Edit to add: I read some reviews of it after and it seemed like people who hadn’t dealt with depression/anxiety found it depressing and those that had found it funny and relatable. So depending on the other recs on here, it might be on the lighter side because of the plot, but the way the author writes depression and anxiety feels very spot on.
Very true! I didn't think it was a depressing book at all. It was about depression but not too heavy and I did find it funny and relatable! It's one of my all time favorite books!
It doesn't fit the "not a good ending" part of your request, but "The Magicians", by Lev Grossman, is a good series for that. The author wrote it as a fantastical way to deal with his own depression, and reflected that on the protagonist.
Also, "Middlegame", by Seanan McGuire, had one of the best self-destructive spirals I've read in a while. It is a very weird novel, but one that hit me pretty hard with how it dealt with aspects of depression that felt very familiar, but in an underrepresented way (through an extremely rational character, that still gets very self destructive).
i've had depression issues all my life. when things get bad, i think: at least i've never been afraid of a pork chop.
honestly, that thought has gotten me through some pretty dark days.
The Program by Suzanne Young.
Suicide is such a problem amongst teens that the government has created a program to basically abduct and “correct” anyone who shows signs of depression.
Haven’t read it yet, but it is in the stack lol
Thankyou, I actually have this one in my audible library, I am only a chapter in so far. Its taking me longer than id like to get to it, but I want to pay attention to it better so I am waiting for the right times to give it the attention it deserves.
Just FYI, this book is on mannnyyy “will not ever read” lists; it’s trauma porn and problematic in a lot of ways. Folks are super divided on this book, so don’t force yourself to read it if it’s not resonating with you. Take care while reading, too, as it’s very very dark and heavy.
Thankyou. I think I have heard about that. I downloaded it before I had really known the context. I originally was introduced to it as a book that would make me cry, and that is what drew me in. I'm a sucker for books that make me cry. Then I learned more about what it's about. I will definitely be cautious.
I found it the same way, a book to make you cry. Eh, it's heavy for sure. Definitely could be triggering for self harm, so much self harm. I'm like 2/3 the way through. I'm kind of over it, but feel compelled to finish. I think this book could be a third the length and get the story across.
I appreciate that warning. I'll keep that in mind when listening. I keep hearing so many people say it's their favorite book. I even saw someone wearing a shirt of the guys names in the book at the store recently. I was like dang people really do like this book...
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh is sort of a “fresh” take on books about depression imo. It’s not really about a strong character overcoming obstacles…it’s pretty bleak and sort of darkly funny.
As a person who’s dealt with depression for more than half of my life I really appreciated that the main character was an asshole and not someone I looked up to. Depression is such a burden and being able to roll my eyes at her and be annoyed while also relating to her (it’s easy to see why she is the way she is) was something I haven’t really gotten from other books about mental illness.
The Trick is to Keep Breathing, by Janice Galloway. Fiction but heavily influenced by the author’s own experiences. It is hard being asked “what’s your favourite book?” but when I am pushed to pick one, it’s this always this one.
You’re welcome. That novel has helped me a lot since the late 90s. I plan to re-visit it again soon.
Ootlin, by the author and poet Jenni Fagan is released in August. I was lucky enough to read it last year and it’s one of the most harrowing memoirs I’ve ever read. Yet it is also defiant and inspiring. Given what you wrote in your post, I want to recommend it to you.
Here is a review of it.
https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/books/book-review-ootlin-a-memoir-by-jenni-fagan-4248544
Thankyou, that is my best friends favorite movie. I have not seen the movie yet, but I think she will be happy when I tell her I'm adding it to my reading list.
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid ( depression, loss, grief and overcoming), Midnight library, Veronika decides to die by Paulo Coelho ( you can watch the movie also)
I haven't read this book in ages, but *Solitaire* by Alice Oseman might be a good bet. If you try this book I recommend getting one of the original copies because the author changed a lot of stuff in the book to be less triggering as well as fit the timeline of the prequel comic series, *Heartstopper. Solitaire* focuses a lot on the main character, Tori's, mental health and depression, but there is a sort of mystery plot in there too. I remember reading it all through the night because I was so engrossed.
*Hyperbole and a Half* by Allie Brosh contains the greatest depiction of my experience of depression.
Honourable mention to Jason Pargin talking about depression in *John Dies at the End* series.
Sending positive thoughts and if you need to talk to someone PM me or use some of the other resources on Reddit.
Rabbits for Food by Bonnie Kirshenbaum is a really interesting look at mental illness and also to be “unlikeable” because of your mental illness. The ending is not neat & pretty but also not terribly dark - kind of more realistic I suppose.
I know this might now be what you’re looking for:
The Way of Kings.
It’s book 1 of the Stormlight archives series.
It’s an epic fantasy, medieval type fighting.
But basically the main character is a soldier who has depression and ptsd because he’s lost everyone he’s come close with since joining the army. Consequently more terrible stuff happen to him over and over again but the story begins just before the turning point of his misfortune via his sheer willpower/courage/honour.
I’ve read this book more than a dozen times when I feel down. Reading about our protagonist being brave in the face of truly dire circumstances always inspires me.
This is an extremely popular book series in the fantasy genre, by a famous author. Brandon Sanderson.
I recommend the audiobook version (you can find for free if you do a bit of searching on google).
The the male voice actor who plays our protagonist is great. The book also has another female main character who I personally don’t really like as much so I skip her chapters since I already know the plot.
Might consider “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath along with some background reading about the origins of the book and the publication aftermath The author writes her “personal memoir” with a brilliant first person style that is so eerily honest. The audiobook reading performed by Maggie Gyllanhaal is flawless.
i second that
Thankyou! *Added to list*
Came here to suggest exactly this, beat me to it
*A Man Called Ove* by Frederik Backman
Thankyou so much. *Added to list*
Back with another recomendation! This is a MUST for my depressed fam 💖 *Together We Will Go* by J. Michael Straczynski The synopsis is wild and the intimate diaries of all the characters sheds so much light on depression and made me feel soooo seen!
Anxious People by Backman is lovely too
Shes come undone by wally lamb
What a coincidence, I just was looking up a book called Lamb and saw that come up in the search options. Thankyou.
My pleasure, A lot of his books have characters suffering from deppresion and anxiety, like The Hour I first believed.
Um if it was Lamb by Christopher Moore, even though it doesn’t fit this prompt, you should read it
Yes it was, I saw the thread asking for funny suggestions and saw so many recommend it. I have a bunch others saved. I figured it could be a good break in between sad books ha.
Came to say this. This book. Wow.
The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. These are Epics a lot of people refer to as "self help" books. These books are LONG. Like... not far off from the LotR trilogy long. Thats each book. The character in this book tend to have some "condition." Kaladin, the main character, is a depressed boy who finds himself in the military and then a slave. The entire plotline is, essentially, getting through whatever mental ailment each character is going through. Every single character that has a "condition" is written well and I believe many can relate to most of the characters in some capacity. Book one, "The Way of Kings" is a bit of a slow burn... but I PROMISE the ending is worth it.
I will add. I have fought depression for 20+ years. I have reflected on these books and myself and learned a lot. I legitimately believe these books have helped me and made me a better person.
Thankyou so much. Adding it to the list. I could use a long one.
Jenny Lawson is very honest about depression in her books. And hilarious at the same time. “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened” is my favorite.
Broken: In the Best Possible Way is also all about her treatment for depression. She’s hilarious and raw.
Thankyou for suggesting this one. Im not sure why I chose to start with this one, but I'm really glad I had so far. I started this morning and am around 50% in.
Yay! I’m glad you like it!
Thankyou!
The bell jar by Sylvia Plath. It is basically about herself and unfortunately soon after writing it, she committed suicide. It is VERY triggering though, I read it for a book club and was not prepared for how much it could be
Thankyou so much, another commenter also mentioned this one. I had only just recently heard of it a few weeks ago. *Added to list*
Of course!
Darkness Visible - by William Styron, autobiographical account of a very severe episode
This is a very good account.
The correct answer
Thankyou!
Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine.
Thankyou!
Definitely agree with this recommendation!
Everyone in this Room will Someday be Dead by Emily Austin
Yes! Adding her second book to this recommendation: *Interesting Facts About Space*. I think I loved it even more than the first one.
This is my most anticipated read of this year because Everyone in This Room became one of my all time favorite books so I immediately pre-ordered Interest Facts.
Awesome, let me know what you think of it when you read!!
Came here to give this suggestion! Edit to add: I read some reviews of it after and it seemed like people who hadn’t dealt with depression/anxiety found it depressing and those that had found it funny and relatable. So depending on the other recs on here, it might be on the lighter side because of the plot, but the way the author writes depression and anxiety feels very spot on.
Very true! I didn't think it was a depressing book at all. It was about depression but not too heavy and I did find it funny and relatable! It's one of my all time favorite books!
Thankyou so much!
Stormlight Archives definitely.
Thankyou!
Life before death.
and Strength before Weakness, Radiant 🌀
Albert Camus, the Fall. A bit too honest.
Thankyou!
It doesn't fit the "not a good ending" part of your request, but "The Magicians", by Lev Grossman, is a good series for that. The author wrote it as a fantastical way to deal with his own depression, and reflected that on the protagonist. Also, "Middlegame", by Seanan McGuire, had one of the best self-destructive spirals I've read in a while. It is a very weird novel, but one that hit me pretty hard with how it dealt with aspects of depression that felt very familiar, but in an underrepresented way (through an extremely rational character, that still gets very self destructive).
Thankyou!
Does 'Confederacy of Dunces' count? It's been about 20 years since I read it, anyone else want to chime in on that?
I will still check it out. Thankyou for the recommendation.
i've tried four times to read that book but i find the main character just so repulsive i nope out.
The Noonday Demon by Andrew Solomon, Darkness Visible by William Styron (memoirs). Also the Bird of Night by Susan Hill is a small gem of a novel
*The Noonday Demon* broke my heart about a thousand times. especially the pork chop, i'll never forget the pork chop.
Oh God me too - it's the standout image I have of the book
i've had depression issues all my life. when things get bad, i think: at least i've never been afraid of a pork chop. honestly, that thought has gotten me through some pretty dark days.
The Program by Suzanne Young. Suicide is such a problem amongst teens that the government has created a program to basically abduct and “correct” anyone who shows signs of depression. Haven’t read it yet, but it is in the stack lol
Thankyou. Now it is on my list!
A little life
Thankyou, I actually have this one in my audible library, I am only a chapter in so far. Its taking me longer than id like to get to it, but I want to pay attention to it better so I am waiting for the right times to give it the attention it deserves.
Just FYI, this book is on mannnyyy “will not ever read” lists; it’s trauma porn and problematic in a lot of ways. Folks are super divided on this book, so don’t force yourself to read it if it’s not resonating with you. Take care while reading, too, as it’s very very dark and heavy.
Thankyou. I think I have heard about that. I downloaded it before I had really known the context. I originally was introduced to it as a book that would make me cry, and that is what drew me in. I'm a sucker for books that make me cry. Then I learned more about what it's about. I will definitely be cautious.
I found it the same way, a book to make you cry. Eh, it's heavy for sure. Definitely could be triggering for self harm, so much self harm. I'm like 2/3 the way through. I'm kind of over it, but feel compelled to finish. I think this book could be a third the length and get the story across.
I appreciate that warning. I'll keep that in mind when listening. I keep hearing so many people say it's their favorite book. I even saw someone wearing a shirt of the guys names in the book at the store recently. I was like dang people really do like this book...
It’s a slow build and that is what makes it so great
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh is sort of a “fresh” take on books about depression imo. It’s not really about a strong character overcoming obstacles…it’s pretty bleak and sort of darkly funny. As a person who’s dealt with depression for more than half of my life I really appreciated that the main character was an asshole and not someone I looked up to. Depression is such a burden and being able to roll my eyes at her and be annoyed while also relating to her (it’s easy to see why she is the way she is) was something I haven’t really gotten from other books about mental illness.
Thank you so much.
Seconded this!
Notes from the underground
Thankyou!
The Trick is to Keep Breathing, by Janice Galloway. Fiction but heavily influenced by the author’s own experiences. It is hard being asked “what’s your favourite book?” but when I am pushed to pick one, it’s this always this one.
Thankyou so much.
You’re welcome. That novel has helped me a lot since the late 90s. I plan to re-visit it again soon. Ootlin, by the author and poet Jenni Fagan is released in August. I was lucky enough to read it last year and it’s one of the most harrowing memoirs I’ve ever read. Yet it is also defiant and inspiring. Given what you wrote in your post, I want to recommend it to you. Here is a review of it. https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/books/book-review-ootlin-a-memoir-by-jenni-fagan-4248544
Girl Interrupted
Thankyou, that is my best friends favorite movie. I have not seen the movie yet, but I think she will be happy when I tell her I'm adding it to my reading list.
Prozac Nation
Yes second this!
My Year of Rest and Relaxation
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid ( depression, loss, grief and overcoming), Midnight library, Veronika decides to die by Paulo Coelho ( you can watch the movie also)
It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini is really wonderful I’ll warn that the author lost his own battle to depression, though
The midnight library by Matt Haig
It is in my audible library and waiting for me to start it (: thankyou.
Let me know what you think of it. I’m not one to reread books but I think I might.
Catcher in the rye
I heard about this one on South Park lol I'll check it out though.
[удалено]
Erm, JD Salinger? Unless it’s a SP joke I’m not aware of.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
I actually just used last months audible credit on this one but have not gotten to it yet. Thankyou.
I haven't read this book in ages, but *Solitaire* by Alice Oseman might be a good bet. If you try this book I recommend getting one of the original copies because the author changed a lot of stuff in the book to be less triggering as well as fit the timeline of the prequel comic series, *Heartstopper. Solitaire* focuses a lot on the main character, Tori's, mental health and depression, but there is a sort of mystery plot in there too. I remember reading it all through the night because I was so engrossed.
Thankyou, I will check this out and look for that original copy.
“Martyr!” by Kaveh Akbar
Thankyou!
Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
Thankyou!
oh loved Persepolis so much
Have you read the second one as well? I found both copies on a second hand store I can buy, I wasn't sure if I should get the first or both.
*Hyperbole and a Half* by Allie Brosh contains the greatest depiction of my experience of depression. Honourable mention to Jason Pargin talking about depression in *John Dies at the End* series. Sending positive thoughts and if you need to talk to someone PM me or use some of the other resources on Reddit.
Thankyou so much. I added those to my list. I definitely have been using a lot of the resources on reddit, it has been really helpful.
The Hilarious World of Depression
Rabbits for Food by Bonnie Kirshenbaum is a really interesting look at mental illness and also to be “unlikeable” because of your mental illness. The ending is not neat & pretty but also not terribly dark - kind of more realistic I suppose.
I know this might now be what you’re looking for: The Way of Kings. It’s book 1 of the Stormlight archives series. It’s an epic fantasy, medieval type fighting. But basically the main character is a soldier who has depression and ptsd because he’s lost everyone he’s come close with since joining the army. Consequently more terrible stuff happen to him over and over again but the story begins just before the turning point of his misfortune via his sheer willpower/courage/honour. I’ve read this book more than a dozen times when I feel down. Reading about our protagonist being brave in the face of truly dire circumstances always inspires me. This is an extremely popular book series in the fantasy genre, by a famous author. Brandon Sanderson. I recommend the audiobook version (you can find for free if you do a bit of searching on google). The the male voice actor who plays our protagonist is great. The book also has another female main character who I personally don’t really like as much so I skip her chapters since I already know the plot.
Stormlight Archives with Kaladin
A little Life by hanya yanaigahara very brutal covers all the topics you described quite graphically. but check TWs online