3 books I've read so far this year have this in common... (trigger warning)

Submitted by Mindless-Bend-2662 t3_119n49k in books

  1. The Midnight Library
  2. A Man Called Ove
  3. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Suicide was something discussed in each of these books. The main character in the first book attempted suicide which led to her experience in this in-between world called the "midnight library". In the second book Ove repeatedly was trying to attempt suicide but is stopped or interrupted because of situations with his new neighbors. They are the reason in the end he decides he doesn't want to die yet. And in the third book the title character tells her life story and concludes it by committing suicide.

I had heard positive things about these books and they seem like popular ones that people enjoyed reading so I wanted to give them a try. I didn't realize suicide would be in any of them so it feels like a coincidence that I chose 3 books in a row that had this in common. Have you read any of these and what were your thoughts on them? My opinion is that it was dark to read a character contemplating or going through with those thoughts. However in each book that seemed to be a main part of how they developed and came to the ending, which was either deciding to continue on with their life or feeling ready to end it after all she accomplished.

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denimcat2k t1_j9noakd wrote

I've read all three of these as well. "Library" I thought was just OK, but I LOVED the other two. Easily two of the top 10 books I've read in the last 5 years.

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boxer_dogs_dance t1_j9n9tx7 wrote

I found a Man Called Ove truly moving and appreciated the ending after the struggle. Midnight library didn't speak to me. I haven't read the other one.

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chummybuckett t1_j9oy0tz wrote

Despite the fact that all three of those books utilize suicide as a major character point, I didn't feel like the tone of any of those books was particularly dark. In fact, there were more moments in those books that felt downright saccharine to me. I think that an author's writing style and ability to convey the realities of human emotion are key when it comes to my own emotional experience with a book. I've read other books with less overtly "dark" subject matter that left me feeling far more morose.

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Mindless-Bend-2662 OP t1_j9oylr7 wrote

That’s true, for me reading Nora’s thoughts in the midnight library specifically I felt depressed and it brought up some anxiety but the tone in the end was more positive

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Amphy64 t1_j9nfpba wrote

Oh, maybe I should then as I'm particularly interested in this theme. I don't understand why it would be dark or why it's even still taboo at all, it's especially an Anglosphere thing I think.

It was part of why I wanted to read The Satanic Verses: it didn't go into it as much as I expected but definitely had a sense of accuracy to it. The Sorrows of Young Werther, absolutely loved that one, it's different in that Werther seems to have been depressed for a long time, but the psychological realism is what makes it stand out and part of why it's still a classic. Edith Wharton's >!The House of Mirth is less direct, it's presented as a possible 'accident' but a character clearly doesn't interpret it that way!<. Trollope's scene in The Prime Minister is amazing for the shift in the reader's perspective: also stands out that it was written by someone who'd actually experienced suicidal ideation. I appreciate novels capturing that it's not necessarily easy for a character to do, and that there can be a suddenness to it.

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Mindless-Bend-2662 OP t1_j9ouz53 wrote

I think it could be triggering if someone had struggled with that before reading them, which is why I said it felt dark to me

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Amphy64 t1_j9ru1uo wrote

Ah, see, this is why I'm interested in the topic. It might be triggering to some and wouldn't want to judge that, but often find that those who do have experience with suicidal ideation tend to be more interested than squeamish about it, if that makes sense. Some find it helpful: the approach in some countries is more to allow than shut down discussion of it, including allowing the idea that it's a completely valid option.

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