VERY DEPRESSING BOOKS OR GRAPHIC NOVELS


AlienatedHeroes's avatar
Hello, do you people know any very depressing books or comics. Can be about anything. Thanks:D
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KaizenKitty's avatar
why? Do you want to be depressed?


anyway, here goes:
(warning: all of these distinguished pieces of "literature" are unmeasurably terrible)

1. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
2. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
3. Death Note -- manga by Tsugumi Ohba
4. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
5. The Moon and Sixpence by Somerset Maugham
6. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
7. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
8. I Am The King of the Castle by Susan Hill
9. Kill Me Once by Jon Osborne (is simply very badly written. I'm surprised this got published.)
meteoric-iron's avatar
I don't know if anyone mentioned it yet, but Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami is super sad and depresing
Paul-A-Newman's avatar
My webcomic has lots of depressing stories.  Death, despair.  Not to brag, but it's kind of what I do!  Check out these stories:

THE TOWER -- a twisted retelling of a classic fairy tale --> bookofliescomic.webcomic.ws/co…
THE GIRL I SHOULDN'T LOVE -- a boy falls in love with a mermaid with disastrous results --> bookofliescomic.webcomic.ws/co…
AND SO IT IS WRITTEN -- tattoos, prophesies and madness --> bookofliescomic.webcomic.ws/co…
BEING OTHER PEOPLE -- a wife begins to role play too much --> bookofliescomic.webcomic.ws/co…
spuggey's avatar
A Sunday By the Pool in Kigali. It's an excellent book. About the Rwandan genocide. Armin Arlert (Scared) [V2] 
unicornomics's avatar
Anything by Kafka (which is exactly why I avoid his work)
Puella Magi Madoka I heard is completely bleak and depressing
Lovecraft is full of existential angst
Lord of the Flies is one I actually read,dark but captivating 
If you like dark fairy tales,Hans Christian Anderson had issues with happy endings
fbwdm's avatar
Anyone else suggested Oyasumi Punpun yet? Haha.
belarusian's avatar
Maus, BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS, game of thrones
AEonVicious's avatar
If I had to say...The Demon Ororon. - a little obscure, manga about the prince of hell who tries to get away from his responsibilities meeting a half-angel in the human world. Explores a lot of dark morality themes. Short series though, 4 books long. Good read.

The other one I found good but really depressing was 'We Three' - American style comic about three research animals trying to make their way to freedom. Really kind of 'graphic' though. It's one volume, so again very short. Makes you think though, which is why I like it.

For books - Bambi. Seriously the original Bambi is depressing as all hell. Good, but so so sad.
LizzyChrome's avatar
I could name a whole bunch, like "The Crow" or "Hellsing" or "Sin City," but I think "Maus" probably takes the cake. :| 
ParadigmFallen's avatar
Have you read The Cape? It will make you not want to read a super-hero comic for a long while.
Cosmic--Chaos's avatar
Written by Joe Hill? I just read a summary- it looks interesting.

Well, it certainly shows how bitterness can warp a person into a monster.
ParadigmFallen's avatar
Yeah... still, when I picked it up without knowing anything, the darkness hits you like a freight train. It makes Locke & Key look UPLIFTING by comparison. It's amazingly well done, but unsettling all the same.
Cosmic--Chaos's avatar
I just checked out Locke & Key- that looks good as well.
GoldenOne96's avatar
The Road - Cormac Mccarthy
ellensaurus's avatar
Omg don't even go there... Waaaah! 
TheGeekyNobody's avatar
If you have not read The Pride of Bagdad you should. It's a short, poignant graphic novel about a group of lion that escape a zoo in Vietnam during war times.

Also, the Odd Thomas series. The first and last books are the worst about ripping out your heart and stomping on it. 

I read a lot so I could probably come up with a list if I sat and thought about it.
Mdmzll91's avatar
Harry Potter by JK Rowling when Dumbledore died, and Wuthering height by Emily Bronte.
AspiringMangakah's avatar
Elfen Lied. And Higurashi. XD
RaggedVixen's avatar
"Go Ask Alice" by Beatrice Sparks.
GrendalUnleashed's avatar
Depends on your perspective but Bryan Talbot's 'The Tale of One Bad Rat' is an emotionally challenging story.
Lucr3tcia's avatar
Well I could give you some depressing kind of sad manga?
Death Note
Tokyo Ghoul
Angel Beats kind of
.hack can be depressing as at the start his best friend gets put in a coma
SunshineSelahObadiah's avatar
(Spoiler) The one and only book that made me cry was Fight Club when Tyler Durdan died at the end...
sJibbi's avatar
Maus
The Bluest Eye
TheFlameSkinAlchemis's avatar
Elfen Lied. A manga style graphic novel (that counts right?)
I just finished reading it and dang my soul is broken.