The immersive power of books cannot be understated. Through the words of a skilled author, even the most stoic of readers can embark on an emotional journey of colossal proportions.
The following books are well-known and recognized tear-jerkers. Whether through poignant narratives, haunting recollections, or powerful moments of human connection, these sad books will make you cry—and hopefully, leave a lasting impact.
A Man Called Ove
📙 Genre(s): Contemporary Adult, Adult Fiction
Ove is a cantankerous gentleman. He is principled yet taciturn, correct yet short-tempered—the very image of an ill-tempered senior citizen. But when a young family moves next door, he will be forced to face his life and past as unlikely bonds form.
In fact, another book by this author, Anxious People, is considered one of the best Feel Good Books.
A Thousand Splendid Suns
📙 Genre(s): Historical Fiction, War
In Afghanistan, Mariam is a young woman forced at fifteen to marry the much older and deeply misogynistic Rasheed. Two decades later, fifteen-year-old Laila ends up becoming Rasheed’s second wife. Then, the country’s wound deepens.
A Thousand Splendid Suns is a sad book to read. Still, it is also a necessary one that depicts the cruel reality of Afghanistan and the importance of female friendship.
The Song of Achilles
📙 Genre(s): Historical Fiction, LGBT Literature, Fantasy, Mythology
Achilles is the perfect Greek hero. Patroclus is everything Achilles is not. Despite this, the two young men grow inseparable, yet their fate is set in stone when Helen of Sparta is kidnapped, and war against Troy begins.
The Song of Achilles is more than just a sad LGBTQ+ romance novel—it carefully reimagines one of the most famous Greek tales. We recommend exploring more books by Madeline Miller, as not all of them may be as emotionally heavy as this one.
A Little Life
📙 Genre(s): Contemporary Adult, LGBT Literature
Four friends move from college in Massachusetts to New York, seeking to make their way in life. Their lives intersect and separate throughout the decades, marked by dark paths. Jude is at the center of it all, a broken man haunted by a terrible past that marks his future.
As a constant frontrunner in the list of sad books that will make you cry, A Little Life can be a triggering read, so proceed cautiously.
We Were Liars
📙 Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery, Romance
Cadence Sinclair is a wealthy young woman of the rich and beautiful elite. However, a tragic accident at 15 left her with memory gaps, unexplained broken connections with those she was close to, and an enduring mystery she hopes to solve.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
📙 Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Holocaust, War Literature
Bruno is a seven-year-old boy who knows many things, such as that his family is moving to Out-With because of his father’s new job. However, there are many more things he doesn’t know—such as why he cannot play with Shmuel, his friend on the other side of the fence, or why Shmuel always wears striped pajamas.
The Heart’s Invisible Furies
📙 Genre(s): Historical Fiction, LGBT Literature
From his birth in Ireland’s rural countryside to an unwed teenage mother to his eventual death in his seventies, Cyril Avery’s life has been eventful—even more so as a gay man living through Ireland’s tumultuous history.
As one of the finest works of gay historical fiction, this book may interest you.
Flowers for Algernon
📙 Genre(s): Classics, Science Fiction
Experimentation to increase intelligence has been successful, as demonstrated by the results of a mouse named Algernon. Following this, a man with a low IQ named Charlie Gordon becomes the first human subject in this new treatment, to resounding success. However, it bears questioning—what is the cost of intelligence?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
📙 Genre(s): Young Adult, Children’s, Fantasy
Love it or hate it, the conclusion of the Harry Potter series defined a generation. In the last book, Harry and his friends must destroy Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes and get the courage to take a last stand where only one of the two will survive.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
📙 Genre(s): Contemporary, Religious Fiction, Philosophical Fiction
War veteran and park ride mechanic Eddie dies on the day of his 83rd birthday after trying to rescue a little girl. Upon arriving in the afterlife, he discovers that he must embark on a journey where he will meet five people whose lives are—knowingly or not—profoundly connected with his.
The Fault in Our Stars
📙 Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, Coming of Age
Hazel is a 16-year-old oncological patient with thyroid cancer that has expanded to her lungs. Without much hope, she agrees to attend the Cancer Kid Support Group, where she meets Augustus. Nothing is the same after that.
The Fault in Our Stars is a young adult romance book that will make you cry—as it has done since its release.
The Book Thief
📙 Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Holocaust
Death watches over Nazi Germany, particularly over a young girl named Liesel Meminger, who has a passion for book thievery. Whether it is rescuing them from Nazi book burnings or taking them from the mayor’s wife’s library, she learns the power of words and the impact they may have in these dangerous times.
Bridge to Terabithia
📙 Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, Fantasy
Jess and Leslie are in the fifth grade and, upon meeting, clicked instantly. Now the best of friends, they spend countless hours in the woods near Leslie’s house, exploring their imaginary enchanted land called Terabithia. Then, tragedy strikes.
The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto
📙 Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Magical Realism
Music narrates the story of Frankie Presto, starting with his funeral. Born in the Spanish Civil War and gifted with music, Frankie Presto became the greatest guitar player ever—one magic blue string at a time.
The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity
📙 Genre(s): Christian Fiction, Spirituality, Adult Fiction
When Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, goes missing and seems to have been brutally murdered, he succumbs to what he calls his Great Sadness. But four years later, he receives a suspicious note asking him to return to the shack where he lost his daughter. He has reason to believe this note comes from God, so he goes.
The Diary of a Young Girl
📙 Genre(s): Nonfiction, Autobiography, Holocaust
Best known as The Diary of Anne Frank, it is a haunting diary written by young Anne Frank over two years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, covering her time in hiding, arrival at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, and untimely death at 15.
In fact, the very first edition of this book is considered one of the most expensive and rare first editions. Check your shelves; you may have a hidden treasure.
Nightcrawling
📙 Genre(s): Contemporary Fiction
At 17, Kiara has more on her plate than she should have. A high school dropout, she has to sustain her brother Marcus and the abandoned nine-year-old boy next door. But without many options, she has no choice but to become yet another exploited victim of the city’s underbelly.
Notes on Grief
📙 Genre(s): Nonfiction, Memoir, Self-Help
After losing her father to kidney failure during the summer of 2020—amid the COVID-19 pandemic and away from her family—Adichie comes to terms with her grief. She touches upon one of the most universal emotions, from the personal to the intrinsically human.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo
📙 Genre(s): Historical Fiction, War
Afra is a beekeeper, and his wife Nuri is an artist. Their simple life is rich in all the ways it matters—until the Syrian Civil War. After losing almost everything, they give up what little is left and begin a journey toward safety in Europe.
