Books About Death or Grieving: Fiction

Fictional stories and novels about death, grief, sadness, and healing

Updated June 7, 2023
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When you read this : a novel
Adkins, Mary
Paper Book
Mostly dead things : a novel
Arnett, Kristen N.
Paper Book
'Messed-up families, scandalous love affairs, art, life, death and the great state of Florida in one delicious, darkly funny package. Kristen Arnett is a wickedly talented and a wholly original voice' Jami Attenberg What does it take to come back to life? ...
In the unlikely event
Blume, Judy.
Paper Book
In 1987, Miri Ammerman returns to her hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey, to attend a commemoration of the worst year of her life.Thirty-five years earlier, when Miri was fifteen and in love for the first time, three planes fell from the sky within three months, leaving a community reeling. Against...
The grief of others
Cohen, Leah Hager.
Paper Book
Is keeping a secret from a spouse an act of infidelity? And what cost does such a secret exact on a family?
The familiar dark : a novel
Engel, Amy
Paper Book
'A high quality, sharply written thriller whose motley cast of deviants and misfits delivers some breathtaking twists on the way to a bleak but very satisfying conclusion. This is the reality of motherhood - red in tooth and claw' Sarah J Naughton, bestselling author of The Festival...
The music of bees : a novel
Garvin, Eileen
Paper Book
Where reasons end : a novel
Li, Yiyun
Paper Book
'Profoundly moving. An astonishing book, a true work of art' Max Porter, author of Grief is the Thing with Feathers 'A masterpiece. This book haunts me more than any other novel I've read in recent years' Garth Greenwell, author of What Belongs to You ...
Monogamy : a novel
Miller, Sue
Paper Book
A New York Times Book of the YearDAILY MAIL 'BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR TO GIFT FOR CHRISTMAS'SUNDAY EXPRESS' S MAGAZINE 'WINTER WARMERS'GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 'BEST BOOKS OF 2020' ONLINE'One of the most emotionally truthful novels I have ever read'...
I am homeless if this is not my home
Moore, Lorrie
Paper Book
From one of the most celebrated imaginations in American literature, Lorrie Moore's new novel is a magic box of longing and surprise.
Dear Edward : a novel
Napolitano, Ann
Paper Book
Everything I never told you
Ng, Celeste.
Paper Book
'There is much here that might impress Pulitzer and Man Booker judges...Ng brilliantly depicts the destruction that parents can inflict on their children and on each other' Mark Lawson, Guardian 'This intriguing tale of unhappy families will have...
The friend
Nunez, Sigrid
Paper Book
A moving story of love, friendship, grief, healing, and the magical bond between a woman and her dog - NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING NAOMI WATTS ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST 100 BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURY WINNER OF THE 2018 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD ...
Someday, Maybe
Nwabineli, Onyi
Paper Book
  *Shortlisted for the Diverse Book Awards* 'An astonishing debut, rich in both heartbreak and humour' Jendella Benson, author of Hope & Glory Stunningly honest and bursting with wit, Someday Maybe is the story of grief and resilience that you won't be able to...
Grief is the thing with feathers : a novel
Porter, Max
Paper Book
Shortlisted for The Goldsmiths Prize 2015Longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award 2015'Dazzlingly good . . . Anyone who has ever loved someone, or lost someone, or both, will be gripped by it. It's very sad and very funny.' Robert Macfarlane'In this slyly funny and thrillingly original work, Max...
Summerland
Rajaniemi, Hannu
Paper Book
I burned through it . . . Great book: Tinker Tailer Soldier Spook' Ian McDonald Loss is a thing of the past. Murder is obsolete. Death is just the beginning. ***** How do you catch a spy who's already dead? In 1938,...
The lovely bones
Sebold, Alice.
Audiobook
Susie Salmon is speaking to us from heaven. It looks a lot like her school playground. There are counsellors to help newcomers adjust, and friends to room with. Everything she wants appears as soon as she thinks of it - except the thing she wants most: to be back with the people she loved. From...
The furrows : an elegy : a novel
Serpell, Namwali
Paper Book
***ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S BEST BOOKS OF 2022*** ***NYT BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR*** *** GUARDIAN BEST FICTION OF 2022*** I don't want to tell you what happened. I want to tell you how it felt. Cassandra Williams is twelve; her...
The pilot's wife : a novel
Shreve, Anita.
Paper Book
An Oprah's Book Club selection, this gripping and powerfully wrought novel from the bestselling author of The Weight of Water is a stunning meditation on grief, betrayal and 'the ultimate unknowability of those closest to us' (Daily Telegraph) Who can guess what...

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