A curated collection of books that center on the theme of grief. I've always found it helpful to read about grief as I'm going through it, and feel like I've always learned a lot from books.
Sections
2
Adult
Children's / Young Adult
Adult
Adults of all ages will love these books.
A classic book about a grumpy man and the relationships he makes!
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
This is a story about sisterhood and how grief can pull a family apart
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
A memoir describing life as a rebellious youth trying to reconcile her Asian heritage in a very white Eugene, Oregon.
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
A form-shifting and soul-crunching chronicle of grief and crisis
Dead in Long Beach, California by Venita Blackburn
A novel of family and friendship that challenges expectations—a dramatic story of loss and transcendence
The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
Witty and full of heart, this unapologetically queer transformative journey of love, grief and a found witchy family takes us on a whimsical disco ride through Fire Island's history.
Disco Witches of Fire Island by Blair Fell
Alison Bechdel’s groundbreaking, bestselling graphic memoir that charts her fraught relationship with her late father.
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
One of my all time favorite reads about Shakespeare's son, Hamnet
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
For two grieving brothers and the people they love, this is a new interlude
Intermezzo: A Novel by Sally Rooney
Returning to their hometown after the death of their parents, the Maxwell siblings discover that the sinister presence lurking in their home wasn’t just in their imagination in this chilling take on a haunted house story.
Model Home: A Novel by Rivers Solomon
In the wake of her father’s suicide, Jessa has stepped up to manage his failing taxidermy business while the rest of the Morton family crumbles
Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett
Ocean Vuong writes of people caught between disparate worlds, and asks how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are.
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
A detective octopus helps a grieving aquarium employee solve the mystery of her missing son.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
A darkly comic and warm-hearted novel about an old man on a cross-country mission to reunite with his high school crush
The Road to Tender Hearts: A Novel by Annie Hartnett
A gorgeous love story from one of the finest romance writers out there.
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
A beautiful debut novel of marriage, motherhood, metamorphosis, and letting go
Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck
It is about art, life, death, love, and family and it is beautifully and sharply written.
They're Going to Love You: A Novel by Meg Howrey
Bold and prescient, and a testament to tenderness in the face of violence, Time Is a Mother is a return and a forging forth all at once.
Time Is a Mother by Ocean Vuong
An unabashed ode to living with, and despite, pain and mortality.
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
Children's / Young Adult
Books for teens and middle grade kids. All ages deserve to feel represented.
A middle grade novel in verse about a young trans boy dealing with the loss of his friend by writing to his favorite cryptid, Mothman
Dear Mothman by Robin Gow
With a lingering terror that will lurk well after you finish, this psychological horror is packed with monsters of fairytale, folklore and so much more.
Don't Let the Forest In by CG Drews
An explosive examination of grief, mental illness, and the devastating consequences of refusing to let go of the past.
History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera
This is a bighearted, sprawling epic about friendship and love and the revolutionary act of living life to the fullest in the face of impossible odds.
Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian
A middle grade novel in verse about a boy who has to climb 46 mountain peaks.
The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner
An achingly beautiful novel about grief, the enduring power of friendship, and the healing effects of kindness
