Books are a form of transportation between worlds. They offer education and insight to new ideas and escape from the real world. Books offer a multitude of emotions in all different genres, and the best contain more emotion than one’s heart can often take. As strange as it may be, books which cause me to cry and often rethink my life are some of my favorites. If you too have an interest in tearjerkers or books which spin your moral compass in all kinds of directions, here are five books for you.
First on my list of tearjerkers is A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. Patrick Ness is well known for creating emotional stories. He forms realistic characters a reader has no choice but to form a strong attachment to. This man has no trouble putting his characters through pain, and this just makes his books even better. A Monster Calls was initially a story idea by Siobhan Dowd, who sadly died a victim to cancer before she could write it. The novels follows the story of a young boy, Conor, coping with his mother’s cancer diagnosis. During the night, a monster shows up at Conor’s bedroom window asking for the truth, a task Conor struggles with the entire book. A Monster Calls displays such raw emotion it is difficult to put down. In one edition of the novel, artist Jim Kay adds his grotesque drawings to various pages adding an even stronger darkness to the story. If you enjoy magic realism with strong themes of death, isolation, and family, this a good book for you.
Next up is Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. To put it plainly this book deals with teenage suicide. High school student Clay Asher finds a strange box addressed to him on his front doorstep containing thirteen cassette tapes from Hannah Baker, Clay’s classmate and crush, who committed suicide recently. According to the attached letter, each tape contains a reason why she killed herself. The tapes are meant to be passed to each person on said list, and that night Clay decides to listen to them to find out why he made the list. The story takes on a thriller-like pace as Clay listens to each tape as Hannah’s eerie, sardonic voice sets the tone to be quite dramatic and intriguing. Because of how well the topic of suicide is discussed and the strong theme of how actions have consequences, I believe Thirteen Reasons Why is a book all people should read at some point in their life.
While it is a well-known book, I feel the need to add The Book Thief by Markus Zusak to my list of emotional novels. This stunning novel takes place in Germany during World War II. What immediately drew me into this novel was its narrator. Death himself tells the story of Liesel Meminger, a German foster girl who finds herself in the habit of stealing books. With help from her accordion-playing foster father, Liesel learns how to read and she shares her new ability with her family and neighbors during the anxious bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man she is hiding in her basement. This book is an unforgettable read about a young girl experiencing the wonders of literature and the ability of people to hold passion for others in even the darkest of times.
One of my favorite novels of all time, and definitely worthy of tear-jerking status, is The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I may not be a Greek myth connoisseur, but I can easily say with all of my art that The Song of Achilles is one of the best retellings of a myth ever created. Miller writes with such beautiful description I found myself constantly pausing to relish in the images and world she created. As implied by the title, The Song of Achilles follows the story of the Iliad with a focus on Patroclus rather than Achilles. In the Iliad it is never said explicitly what the relationship between the two men was other than Achilles referred to Patroclus as “best beloved of his companions”. As stated by New York Times writer Daniel Mendelsohn, “For later Greeks, however, it was clear that the two were lovers.” This is the story Miller chooses to follow. Young prince Patroclus is exiled from his home for killing another boy and is sent to Peleus to live amongst the other exiles. Achilles is the son of Peleus and the two boys form an inseparable friendship which eventually leads to more. For anyone who knows the story of the Iliad it is obvious why I consider this to be an emotional book.
As far as emotional books go, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara is at the top of the list. I have never cried so much while reading. This breathtaking novel follows the story of four college students in New York as they experience successes and hardships during their journey through life. And when I say life I mean almost the entirety of their lives. This book is a whopping 800 pages and takes place over 53 years. This may seem lengthy for a novel, but I found myself unable to put it down. It is truly a masterpiece. After the introduction of all four characters the book focuses on the youngest of the four, Jude St Francis. Jude has lived one of the most tragic and painful lives a person can possibly live, but he is determined not to let this make him any different from anyone else. No one knows what sort of life Jude has lived or why he has problems with his legs, but as the story progresses more and more is revealed about, and Jude does not have a pleasant past. This is a book that will suck you in at the beginning and spit you out as a completely new person with it’s themes of friendship, life, hardships, and euthanasia.
Emotions are a large part of the world, they are what make us human. Books are a wonderful way to experience life, learn new things, and develop ideas. These are just five books which will leave you breathless with their strong emotions and messages.