The Most Depressing 12 Books in World Literature

8/13/2019 The Most Depressing 12 Books in World Literature

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The most depressing 12 books in world literature

There are few better feelings than that of getting home after a long day in order topamper yourself with a good book and a cup of tea. What could possibly go wrongin such a scenario? Well, you may just lose your faith in humanity before finishing

the last page, but thats a pretty common risk nowadays anyway. Thus, here is themost e !uisitely depressing material you could e"er read, while still enjoying e"erypage.

#ophies $hoice by William #tyron. % source 1 &.

This story, probably one of the most memorable in recent literature, is narratedfrom the perspecti"e of a young man who tries to find his way in life, while battlingthe se ual frustrations caused by the prudishness of the time %late '(s&. )sunpleasant as that may seem , the depressi"e story is not his own, but that of#ophie, a lo"ely and troubled young *olish woman he starts to fancy, in spite of her

relationship with a rich and short+tempered man that he befriends. ut #ophie ismore than the se ual and delicate being he encountered the first time, actuallybeing a sur"i"or of the -olocaust with a "ery grim story behind. "en though thepace of the book is rather slow at first, the reali/ation youll make !uite soon %theactual choice #ophie had to make& will gi"e you the most intense state ofhopelessness you ha"e e"er felt. #o prepare for an emotional rollercoaster and oneof the most ama/ing books youll e"er read.

0lowers for )lgernon by aniel eyes % source 2 &.

3eet $harlie. -e is a mentally challenged 42+year old man who li"es rather happilyin his own little world until he becomes the first human test subject for a proceduremeant to increase his intelligence. 5t surely did so for )lgernon 6 a super+intelligentmouse that ama/ed the world with its ability to e it ma/es. The procedure works,turning $harlie into a true genius, able to learn anything from foreign languages tocomplicated e!uations7 so what could possibly go wrong? Well, a lot of thingsapparently. #o prepare for a few tough lessons on happiness, success, kindness,feelings and a big sigh at the end.

The 8ulag )rchipelago by )leksandr #ol/henitsyn % source 3 &

9ust like in the case of the -olocaust and the diary of )nne 0rank, one cannot get agood understanding of the e"il caused by communists without reading this thick,chilling "olume. Wrote in the most natural style one could imagine, The 8ulag)rchipelago will gi"e you a claustrophobic feeling and will make you empathi/e witheach and e"ery character presented in the book, hoping he or she will li"e until theend, which does not always happen. 5t is a truly essential work for understandingthe true human spirit and the essence of the desire to sur"i"e, in spite of allhardships, whether by escaping into the Taiga or by memori/ing hundreds ofpoems, hoping to make them known someday.


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The :irgin #uicides by 9effrey ugenides % source 4 &

This short and less+known "olume of the author is the proof that one does not needthe conte t of a totalitarian regime or a war to create a truly sad, yet hopeful story.#o browse through this book to find out about the ; teenage sisters imprisoned by

their o"erly+conser"ati"e and protecti"e parents and about the boys who becomefascinated by them, trying to find out their secrets. 5ne"itably, the first relationshipsde"elop and the arri"al of the prom can only mean more new feelings and risks forthe teenagers. The tragedy that unfolds shortly after changes the small town andremains imprinted in the memories of the boys, now turned men.

The 3aid #ilja by 0. . #illanpaa % source 5 &

)lthough not particularly famous, this no"el is one of the most important creationsof the 0innish writer, ha"ing a particular gloomy style, specific to many "ercoat by


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hungry most of the time, as the title says. With "ery few chances to make somemoney, he tries his best to sell his writing, but with little success. The book is filledwith strategies on how to sur"i"e until the following day and sad scenes with themain character trying to sell his buttons for food. ut unlike other titles in this list,this one lea"es out some hope at the end so the readers can build whate"er

endings they want.

@ord of the 0lies by William 8olding % source 9 &

This is one of the books that made us all !uestion our basic good nature, as well aschildrens innocence. The book starts with an unfortunate accident, which lea"es agroup of boys capti"e on an apparently deserted island, allowing them to createtheir rules and sur"i"al strategies, while also trying to be sa"ed. The characterspro"e to be "ery resourceful, going way past their age both concerning their skillsand cruelty as well. )n apparent innocent play leads to increased bullying,"iolence, delusions and one of the most shocking stories about human nature. )ll in

less than 4(( pages.

*obby and ingan by en =ice % source 10 &

This "ery short book can be a true tear+jerker. 5t presents the story of an A+year+oldwho refuses to let go of her imaginary friends7 ellyanne becomes truly frantic asher friends get lost and tries her best to bring them back, stressing her family, whoconsider her too old for such childish thoughts. 5nitially her worries are dismissed bythe adults, but as her health deteriorates as well, the entire town starts a desperatesearch for something they cannot see in order to make her wish come true beforeits too late. -ilarity and sad moments ensue, turning the short story of the young

writer into one worth reading, especially for the powerful last scenes.

)n )merican Tragedy by Theodore reiser % source 11 &.

5n order to write this impossible+to+forget masterpiece, reiser made a lot ofresearch on young men who had killed their lo"ers in order to escape an unwantedmarriage or child. #o does $lyde 8riffiths. The "ery intelligent and charming son of afamily of poor e"angelists, he would do anything to become rich and thus he useshis skills and lack of morality to go up the social ladder. -owe"er, an affair with afactory worker gets in his way, so $lyde decides to take radical measures. This bookis known for making readers feel e"en worse as they get to empathi/e with the

killer, which shows just what a master reiser was. The lue #now by *iotr ednarsky % source 12 &

>ne cannot possibly end such a list without e periencing the horrors of totalitarianregimes once again, more e actly those of the #iberian e iles during the period ofthe B##=. *etia, the little boy who narrates the story, has no one else to rely on buthis beautiful and powerful mother, knowing nothing about his father, who was most


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likely killed. Trying to find joy e"en in this tough en"ironment, *etia meets all sortsof unforgettable characters and learns about the hopelessness of the regime. >neof the haunting scenes is that in which a fatherless boy hugs a 8ulag prisoner, sothe two become father and son for a few minutes, before tragedy hits. ednarskymanages to write one of the most powerful recollections of the period due to the

fact that he actually li"ed such e"ents as a child, which makes the entireperspecti"e e"en more depressi"e.

#ource 1 httpCDDwww.enotes.comDtopicsDsophies+choice+william+styron

#ource 2 httpCDDwww.cliffsnotes.comDliteratureDfDflowers+for+algernonDbook+summary

#ource 4 httpCDDwww.nytimes.comDbooksDEAD(4D(1DhomeDsol/+gulag.html

#ource ' httpCDDwww.sparknotes.comDlitD"irginsuicidesDsummary.html

#ource ; httpCDDwww."!ronline.orgDarticlesD1E'(DspringDrothery+finnish+no"elsD

#ource F httpCDDwww.shmoop.comDmetamorphosisD

#ource G httpCDDwww.independent.co.ukDarts+entertainmentDbooksDre"iewsDbook+of+a+lifetime+the+o"ercoat+by+nikolai+gogol+21G1E1G.html

#ource A httpCDDwww.independent.co.ukDarts+entertainmentDbooksDre"iewsDbook+of+a+lifetime+hunger+by+knut+hamsun+1EA;;AE.html

#ource E httpCDDwww.sparknotes.comDlitDfliesDconte t.html

#ource 1( httpCDDwww.teenink.comDre"iewsDbookHre"iewsDarticleD;1G;2FD*obby+and+

ingan+by+ en+=iceD

#ource 11 httpCDDwww.cliffsnotes.comDliteratureDaDan+american+tragedyDabout+an+american+tragedy

#ource 12 httpCDDwww.frenchpubagency.comDTitle+1EE441+0iction+@iteratureD@es+neiges+bleues.html

Top 1( lo"e stories romantic, but werent no, not twilight7 what happens after thekiss?

#leeping beauty

=omeo and 9uliet

8one with the wind

@o"e in the time of cholera
http://www.enotes.com/topics/sophies-choice-william-styronhttp://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/f/flowers-for-algernon/book-summaryhttp://www.nytimes.com/books/98/03/01/home/solz-gulag.htmlhttp://www.sparknotes.com/lit/virginsuicides/summary.htmlhttp://www.vqronline.org/articles/1940/spring/rothery-finnish-novels/http://www.shmoop.com/metamorphosis/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/book-of-a-lifetime-the-overcoat-by-nikolai-gogol-2171917.htmlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/book-of-a-lifetime-the-overcoat-by-nikolai-gogol-2171917.htmlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/book-of-a-lifetime-hunger-by-knut-hamsun-1985589.htmlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/book-of-a-lifetime-hunger-by-knut-hamsun-1985589.htmlhttp://www.sparknotes.com/lit/flies/context.htmlhttp://www.teenink.com/reviews/book_reviews/article/517526/Pobby-and-Dingan-by-Ben-Rice/http://www.teenink.com/reviews/book_reviews/article/517526/Pobby-and-Dingan-by-Ben-Rice/http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/a/an-american-tragedy/about-an-american-tragedyhttp://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/a/an-american-tragedy/about-an-american-tragedyhttp://www.frenchpubagency.com/Title-199331-Fiction-Literature/Les-neiges-bleues.htmlhttp://www.frenchpubagency.com/Title-199331-Fiction-Literature/Les-neiges-bleues.htmlhttp://www.enotes.com/topics/sophies-choice-william-styronhttp://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/f/flowers-for-algernon/book-summaryhttp://www.nytimes.com/books/98/03/01/home/solz-gulag.htmlhttp://www.sparknotes.com/lit/virginsuicides/summary.htmlhttp://www.vqronline.org/articles/1940/spring/rothery-finnish-novels/http://www.shmoop.com/metamorphosis/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/book-of-a-lifetime-the-overcoat-by-nikolai-gogol-2171917.htmlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/book-of-a-lifetime-the-overcoat-by-nikolai-gogol-2171917.htmlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/book-of-a-lifetime-hunger-by-knut-hamsun-1985589.htmlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/book-of-a-lifetime-hunger-by-knut-hamsun-1985589.htmlhttp://www.sparknotes.com/lit/flies/context.htmlhttp://www.teenink.com/reviews/book_reviews/article/517526/Pobby-and-Dingan-by-Ben-Rice/http://www.teenink.com/reviews/book_reviews/article/517526/Pobby-and-Dingan-by-Ben-Rice/http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/a/an-american-tragedy/about-an-american-tragedyhttp://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/a/an-american-tragedy/about-an-american-tragedyhttp://www.frenchpubagency.com/Title-199331-Fiction-Literature/Les-neiges-bleues.htmlhttp://www.frenchpubagency.com/Title-199331-Fiction-Literature/Les-neiges-bleues.html


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The Most Depressing 12 Books in World Literature