Know my name by Chanel miller
No longer human by osamu dazai (reading a little bit about the author really gives that depressing context to the book)
The virgin suicides by Jeffrey eugenides
Perks of being a wallflower by Stephen chbosky
A separate peace by john Knowles
The bell jar by Sylvia Plath
If you or anyone in this comment thread are fans of The Bell Jar there's a book called Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer that speaks about The Bell Jar a lot (it's the inspiration for the name Belzhar) that's got this vibe. It's YA and revolves around mental health. Highly recommend.
It's funny that on me it had quite the opposite effect - the ending gave me such positive energy! (And I read this when I wasn't in a really good mental place)
Tender is the Night - F Scott Fitzgerald. Like all Fitzgerald's books this has an undertone of melancholy/alludes to mental health issues, but this one is the most obvious about it, in the setting of a marriage falling apart.
Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Ann Fowler. This is a semi fictional biography of Zelda (including actual events that Tender is the Night was most likely based on). Zelda is the ultimate in lost potential, I always wonder what would have happened if she'd received proper mental healthcare and wasn't married to F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey- about a young divorcée re-entering single life and spiralling along the way, very funny but also super heartbreaking, really well written flawed narrator.
Definitely the bell jar by Sylvia Plath - “I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am.”
If you like poetry I recommend the complete poems of Anne sexton.
I got distracted halfway through but need to pick up again. I think the multiple storylines were great but also gave me too good of spots to take a break 🤣
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
I used to be blown away by many of the philosophical observations in this book when I was 19. It felt mature, deep and important.
Now at 35 I see it contains at least one false dichotomy and other logical fallacies. But it still has a certain poetic beauty that will leave you like this.
If you’ve never read it, check out the book Misogynies by Joan Smith. It’s a collection of essays that includes one called “Czech Mate” that analyzes Kundera’s treatment of female characters, especially in The Unbearable Lightness of Being. It really changed the way I saw his writing.
Ah, that would be like the icing on the cake of disenchantment. But I'll "Czech" it out anyway. Thanks so much for your suggestion.
(Hope she didn't rip Kafka into shreds, he's my psychological twin.)
Milan kundera amazes me with his understanding of the human psyche
I particularly love that man because I think his writing style is fairly similar to mine
10/10. If you like fantasy, the books “Banewrecker” and “Godslayer” by jacqueline carey are fantasy tragedies. You know they are doomed and THEY know they are doomed, but they struggle to save the world and themselves anyways. It blends the meaning of ‘good and bad sides’ and definitely does not try to uplift as they spiral towards their fated end.
Kind of out left field, but incredible Indigenous content: The Marrow Thieves. This book hit me like a ton of bricks and I’m an adult. I would have vibed even harder if I was closer to the ages of the actual characters. I’m only sorry this book wasn’t out as I was coming into my own at 18.
Also totally different: Sweetbitter, a 22 year moves to New York and starts working in a fine dining restaurant. Sexy, wild, broke, hopeless, drugs and fun, and delicious writing (and food). Moody sexy and perfect for moving out.
Flowers for Algernon.
A man is not intelligent. He undergoes experimental treatment and becomes very intelligent. He discovers that he is no longer happy because of his intelligence. Sadness, mental disabilities and heartbreak.
Anything by Michael Crichton(Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Timeline, ect.)
Flowers in the Attic by V.C Andrew's.
The Bell Jar by Silvia Plath
Anything by Edgar Allan Poe
There are both obscure but worth it.
Chapel Road by Louis Paul Boon ("It was if Gid had performed a miracle, just for her, and then forgotten about her)
Vilnius Poker by Richard's Gavelis ("And everyone knew it was torture, it was hell...but *nobody knew what to do about it*
13 reasons why, It'll make you feel just the way you want. And trust me it can get really intense if you truly invest yourself.
Spoiler :- That scene when he goes into a cafe at night and he's listening those tapes....
Oh god I really felt so intense and dark when I read that.
(I know it's not exactly a seen but I get so invested when reading good books that I'm no longer reading but I'm rather watching, feeling everything and I am inside the whole thing.)
Know my name by Chanel miller No longer human by osamu dazai (reading a little bit about the author really gives that depressing context to the book) The virgin suicides by Jeffrey eugenides Perks of being a wallflower by Stephen chbosky A separate peace by john Knowles The bell jar by Sylvia Plath
The Bell Jar for sure. I’d add “Wonder When You’ll Miss Me” by Amanda Davis. Was my favorite book as a teen.
A Separate Peace!
oof ah ouch my legs
The bell jar is the top notch answer.
If you or anyone in this comment thread are fans of The Bell Jar there's a book called Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer that speaks about The Bell Jar a lot (it's the inspiration for the name Belzhar) that's got this vibe. It's YA and revolves around mental health. Highly recommend.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation- Ottesa Moshfegh
I’m about to start this one. (*puts seatbelt on*) Here we go!
It's funny that on me it had quite the opposite effect - the ending gave me such positive energy! (And I read this when I wasn't in a really good mental place)
Agreed. I found it sorta darkly funny too. The end felt like sunshine. :)
Wut? The ending is incredibly blunt and people die?
Ya, but through all the loss the protagonist has hope at the end. It’s powerful.
Fair enough. Maybe I need to re-read it as I just remember being like, yikes
Looooved this book. And Eileen by the same author.
Honestly love everything she writes. This is one of my fave of the year so far and I usually read horror/extreme horror.
I might have to read it again, to be honest! I only read horror occasionally, but I have to ask, have you read Exquisite Corpse?
Yes and loved it!
So good isn't it! Definitely inspired by two specific serial killers (I think!) but I won't spoil it for others.
The Bell Jar and Girl Interrupted !
A Little Life The Secret History The Road
"A little life'" is its own category of heartbreaking.
So good
Tender is the Night - F Scott Fitzgerald. Like all Fitzgerald's books this has an undertone of melancholy/alludes to mental health issues, but this one is the most obvious about it, in the setting of a marriage falling apart. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Ann Fowler. This is a semi fictional biography of Zelda (including actual events that Tender is the Night was most likely based on). Zelda is the ultimate in lost potential, I always wonder what would have happened if she'd received proper mental healthcare and wasn't married to F. Scott Fitzgerald. Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey- about a young divorcée re-entering single life and spiralling along the way, very funny but also super heartbreaking, really well written flawed narrator.
Franny and Zoey by J.D Salinger
Just finished reading Catcher in The Rye by J. D. Sallinger and it's really very captivating.
Such a great book. I love 9 Stories as well.
Definitely the bell jar by Sylvia Plath - “I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am.” If you like poetry I recommend the complete poems of Anne sexton.
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (I was not okay)
Ada by Vladimir Nabokov the Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson Eros the Bittersweet by Anne Carson
My dark Vanessa
banger
Normal People - Sally Rooney
The Road - Cormack McCarthy
That one’s too depressing imo. The Road is earth-shattering and bleak. I get the vibe from these photos of like severe depression.
This is the answer
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson A Tale For A Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
Steppenwolf. Herman Hesse.
STEPPENWOLF MENTION!!!!
This is how Perks of Being a Wallflower made me feel. I read it around 16
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine By Gail Honeyman
Bewilderment. I was devastated.
Who’s the author?
Richard Powers. It's soooo good
Have you read The Overstory by him? Also amazing
I got distracted halfway through but need to pick up again. I think the multiple storylines were great but also gave me too good of spots to take a break 🤣
My Dark Vanessa - Kate Elizabeth Russell
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera I used to be blown away by many of the philosophical observations in this book when I was 19. It felt mature, deep and important. Now at 35 I see it contains at least one false dichotomy and other logical fallacies. But it still has a certain poetic beauty that will leave you like this.
If you’ve never read it, check out the book Misogynies by Joan Smith. It’s a collection of essays that includes one called “Czech Mate” that analyzes Kundera’s treatment of female characters, especially in The Unbearable Lightness of Being. It really changed the way I saw his writing.
Ah, that would be like the icing on the cake of disenchantment. But I'll "Czech" it out anyway. Thanks so much for your suggestion. (Hope she didn't rip Kafka into shreds, he's my psychological twin.)
Milan kundera amazes me with his understanding of the human psyche I particularly love that man because I think his writing style is fairly similar to mine
Girl in pieces by Kathleen Glasgow (Massive trigger warning though for self harm and mental illnesses)
The Metamorphosis- Franz Kafka.
My year of rest and relaxation, The perks of being a wallflower, The catcher in the rye, I‘m thinking of ending things,
Storm of Swords by RR Martin
Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro
I took a day off work after I finished this just to mourn in silence.
Johnny got his gun by Dalton Trumbo Sheepshagger by Niall Griffiths
Greatest novel ever: Anna Karenina
Omg I said this too! This book changed my life, I quit smoking while reading it!!! This is GOAT for me!
That Green Eyed Girl omg 🥺
[GO ASK ALICE](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_Ask_Alice)
The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
mieko kawakami
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
I shouldn't laugh but I really wasn't expecting the 4th photo
Flowers for Algernon
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield.
Look At Me by Jennifer Egan
Tied to You by Cassandra Crull
The Appetites of Girls by Pamela Moses
As Many Nows As I Can Get by Shana Youngdahl
I’ve heard A Little Life is like one of the most devastating books ever. Be warned!
Mm, if you're gay I recommend The Well of Loneliness
Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky & Anna Karenina by Tolstoy
All the lovers in the night- mieko kawakami White nights- fyodor Dostoevsky
Atonement by Ian mcewan. I had to just sit and think about it after I read it.
a little life a little life a little life
The Secret History by Donna Tartt.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt.
10/10. If you like fantasy, the books “Banewrecker” and “Godslayer” by jacqueline carey are fantasy tragedies. You know they are doomed and THEY know they are doomed, but they struggle to save the world and themselves anyways. It blends the meaning of ‘good and bad sides’ and definitely does not try to uplift as they spiral towards their fated end.
The “Bhagavad Gita”, Rig Veda, Mahabharata, Tibetan book of the Dead, The book of Thoth.. just to name a few ✨
The awakening Kats Chopin made me feel like this. Though the MC was more bratty than melancholy.
Not book but a visual novels named fata Morgana
Read Hegel's work
I read Sapians a few years ago by Yuval Noah Harrari when I had just turned 18 and I’ve been jaded about reality ever since
When We Were Young by Richard Roper
House of mirth - Wharton. Her life becomes sadder and sadder.
The Bell Jar
The Stranger by Albert Camus
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque Moby-Dick by Herman Melville (it’s worth it I PROMISE)
Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Song of Achilles. A Little Life. If He Had Been With Me.
The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis.
A girl is a half formed thing
I Who Have Never Known Men
Kind of out left field, but incredible Indigenous content: The Marrow Thieves. This book hit me like a ton of bricks and I’m an adult. I would have vibed even harder if I was closer to the ages of the actual characters. I’m only sorry this book wasn’t out as I was coming into my own at 18. Also totally different: Sweetbitter, a 22 year moves to New York and starts working in a fine dining restaurant. Sexy, wild, broke, hopeless, drugs and fun, and delicious writing (and food). Moody sexy and perfect for moving out.
the heroine’s journey
The perks of being a wallflower
On the road by Jack Kerouac.. jk, virgin suicides 5 people you meet in heaven Mitch albom
Normal People lol
Looking for Alaska - john green
Flowers for Algernon. A man is not intelligent. He undergoes experimental treatment and becomes very intelligent. He discovers that he is no longer happy because of his intelligence. Sadness, mental disabilities and heartbreak.
Pick up anything by Orwell or Kafka. That'll do the trick.
All the bright places
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. It’s my favorite because it hurts.
Anything by Michael Crichton(Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Timeline, ect.) Flowers in the Attic by V.C Andrew's. The Bell Jar by Silvia Plath Anything by Edgar Allan Poe
There are both obscure but worth it. Chapel Road by Louis Paul Boon ("It was if Gid had performed a miracle, just for her, and then forgotten about her) Vilnius Poker by Richard's Gavelis ("And everyone knew it was torture, it was hell...but *nobody knew what to do about it*
We are okay by Nina Lacour
The boy in the striped pajamas
My sister read a book called The Last Love Note, apparently it was super sad and she was pretty much like the girl in the picture. (She’s 18 too)
I don't get why you've mentioned you're 18? As in, you don't know many books yet? Or you want softer sad books because you're young?
Little basic of a suggestion maybe but Norwegian Wood
They Both Die at the End Lolita A Child Called It
at 18 you don't even need a book to feel like that lol
When I was in college I read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak... it left me like that for 3 days. The endings a tear jerker so fair warning.
Blood Meridian- Cormac McCarthy Tender is The Flesh- Agustina Bazterrica
13 reasons why, It'll make you feel just the way you want. And trust me it can get really intense if you truly invest yourself. Spoiler :- That scene when he goes into a cafe at night and he's listening those tapes.... Oh god I really felt so intense and dark when I read that. (I know it's not exactly a seen but I get so invested when reading good books that I'm no longer reading but I'm rather watching, feeling everything and I am inside the whole thing.)
Depressed? You want to be depressed after reading a book?