I want a very depressing book

I think there’s a difference between a book that has bleak subject matter but is worth reading and beautifully written or one that you can’t wait to finish as it is mindnumbingly terrible , either as a story or how it is written . A recent one that for me fills this latter criteria is surprisingly (or not!) on this year’s Booker shortlist !

I found The Silence Factory by Budget Collins
very hard going. Actually couldn't finish reading it. Give it a go, see what you think.

Books by the Brontes, specially Wuthering Heights.

Down to a sunless sea. Gulp!

the latest Karl Ove Knausgaard: 'The School of Night' will definitely put you on the right track. it will dig deep.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.
Badly written AND a depressing tale, so win-win!

Cancer Ward, Solzhenitsyn. The Grapes of Wrath. Mostly, I try to avoid very depressing books. Life is too short!

Another vote for The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. A bleak read.

Try The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson. Very depressing in places.

A Fatewell To Arms , which is on TV now is another deeply depressing book.
It 's a long time since I read it.
The film reduced ne to floods of tears when I saw it .
I didn't know that it's semi autobiographical. .

The Tobacconist by Robert Seethaler

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Wanted to end it all after reading it! Book club choice by Richard and Judy. Says it all really…..

W.Somerset Maugham
Liza of Lambeth
Of Human Bondage

CabbageWars13

How about "Frozen In Time" (1985) written by one of the team of archeologists who uncovered three of the graves of seamen who perished on the Franklin expedition to discover the NorthWest passage.

It's both fascinating - a damn good read - and pretty depressing as the team uncover more information about the fate of the entire 129 officers and crew. Not one came back.

The Terror was my favourite tv series from a couple of years back. Made even more fascinating by the fact that they found the remains of ( I think?) The Erebus (sp) round about the same time.

How about "Frozen In Time" (1985) written by one of the team of archeologists who uncovered three of the graves of seamen who perished on the Franklin expedition to discover the NorthWest passage.

It's both fascinating - a damn good read - and pretty depressing as the team uncover more information about the fate of the entire 129 officers and crew. Not one came back.

If you 'enjoyed' Germinal, then why not try "Earth', also by Emile Zola?

'Diary of Anne Frank'

I’m the King of the Castle by Susan Hill. A very dark book dealing with the cruelty and malevolence of children but also their vulnerability.

Madame Bovary is depressing and so is Therese Raquin - another woman set to self destruct .

Madame Bovary and several others here are amongst my favourites.

I think we all have different ideas regarding shat is a very depressing book

The Narrow Road to the Far North by Richard Flanagan is unremittingly grim about Japanese prisoners of war camps

Madame Bovary, any novel by Russian writers, A ale of Two Cities

Les Miserables, the book, Germinal, by Emil Zola, I believe Zola wrote a lot of miderable books, bu Germinal sufficed for me.

On The Beach by Nevil Shute

In the springtime of the year. By Susan Hill. About bereavement.

Somebody recommended 'The Gambler' by Dostoevsky to me as being "A great laugh." All I can say is either they must have read a different translation to the one I read, or I lack a sense of humour. I know Russian humour can be very bleak.