Books To Make You Cry

There are many reasons why books make us cry, but often it is death or serious harm coming to a beloved character, which causes the tears to start. Certainly for my younger self this was the case and the two books above were guilty of this. In both cases, my mum was woken up in the early hours of the morning (when I should most definitely have been asleep!) to find her teenage daughter sobbing into her pillow. On hearing that I was absolutely fine and was merely distraught at the deaths I had just read about, she probably rolled her eyes and told me to go to sleep and as a parent, I completely understand this reaction. However, in my defence, I was genuinely devastated by them - as borne out by the fact I have never re-read the latter book and the former still makes me cry as an adult!

Nevertheless, these are far from the only books which have caused me to shed a tear or two. My husband has never understood why I enjoy books that upset me, but I maintain it can be incredibly therapeutic. It is far less stressful to cry over fictional characters than over real life events and sometimes, those tears just need to come out. Dr Michael Bader, in his article 'Why We Cry At Movies' agrees with me. “[P]eople repress feelings and perceptions that are too dangerous to experience, but, under conditions of safety, are able to finally begin to let them out.”

However, I think it also speaks to the quality of the author's craft when a reader develops such a connection with a character and their world, that events in the story evoke such a guttural reaction. I have a friend who purposely avoids anything that will upset her, but most others agree that sometimes it's good to read a 'weepie' and generally admit to feeling much better after they've had a good cry. For myself, I want to feel that level of deep, emotional connection with the characters. I want to lose myself so completely in a book that I become part of that world and the characters become real to me. When that doesn't happen, I have to be honest - I feel short-changed.

So here are a few of my favourite books to make you cry.

This is one of those books where you know even before you start reading, that you're going to be in bits by the end. There is such a feeling of inevitability about the plot that I had anticipated every event I didn't want to read about and even that wasn't enough to stop my heart being ripped out and trampled upon. I had to keep putting the book down to remind myself that it was fiction and yet there is such an authenticity about it, that it could be real (and heartbreakingly, probably reflects the lived experience of many children). I sympathised and empathised with all the characters because there were reasons for their actions, but it didn't stop me simultaneously condemning them. This is a beautifully written piece of fiction, but you need to read it with a box of tissues handy.

This is one of those books where it's good to have a cry because the story itself is far from depressing. 95% of the book provides some genuine laugh out loud moments and I found myself constantly giggling as I read. However, it is the last 5% which delivers the ultimate sucker punch because it sort comes a bit out of the blue. It is a fantastic read and has become one of those books everyone talks about, but it is the last few chapters which give it the added depth and take it beyond a 'good' read, to a 'brilliant' one. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.

This choice might seem a bit 'left-field' as this series is renowned for being funny. This one asbolutely delivers on that front. However, when I read it, I found unexpected tears sliding down my face at one specific scene. I think the fact the character was so beloved meant I had kind of assumed that the series would continue to muddle along with them there. Consequently, it was even more of a shock and upset me much more than it might ordinarily have done.

I read this as a young adult and remember sobbing when Dobby died. It seemed so unfair that such a loving creature should have been cut off simply because he had been trying to help Harry and the others. It still makes me well up every time I read the book or watch the film. However, as an adult, it is the deaths of Fred, Tonks and Lupin which most upset me. Tonks and Lupin leave behind their infant son and there isn't enough made of this in the film (imho) because it shows that effectively they are making the same sacrifice Harry's parents did, trying to create a better world for their child to grow up in. That they were together in spite of prejudice and opposition makes this separation seem doubly unfair. And Fred? He was always my favourite of the Weasley twins, but it is George's reaction more than anyone else's that makes me howl. That they are twins just seems to make it so much worse.

I read this when I was in my early 30s as my eldest son wanted to read it and I'd been warned that it was a bit of a tear-jerker. After I'd cried my eyes out, I said he could read it, but warned him it would probably make him said and suggested he read the second half while I was sat in the same room. I watched his face as he read and knew when he was getting to the bit that had made me cry. All of a sudden, he dropped the book, threw his arms around me and sobbed into my shoulder for a while. He had wanted to watch the film, btu after reading the book, decided he didn't want to put himself through another lot of trauma and has refused to watch it to this day - he is now 19! I really want my youngest to read it, but he is a lot more sensitive and I'm not sure how he will cope with it, so at the moment it is still sitting on the 'for when he's a bit older' pile.

So, is there a book you love, but which made you cry? If so, please share them in the comments or on social media and let us know what your favourite weepie book is.