My brother-in-law recently sent me a twitter feed in which people were asked to name books that made them cry. One person listed his organic chemistry text. For the record, I didn’t cry over organic chemistry. Physical chemistry might have been a different story.
Not everyone is moved by the same things. I’m most likely to choke up when a character demonstrates courage. I’m not referring to the kind of bravery required to face enemies or monsters; I mean the guts required to achieve the thing that was once absolutely impossible for that character. Some might argue that every character arc involves this sort of achievement. Yet, I rarely cry when reading. The character’s quest, fears and setbacks must express the essence of his or her personality. The writer must depict the character so skillfully that the reader transcends the written word.
Writing a brief plot summary of books that choked me up will never express the beauty of the writing or the talent of the authors. Instead, I’ll post some covers below. I welcome you to add to this list in the comments.
The depiction of grief in ORBITING JUPITER is exquisite in its accuracy. My heart breaks for THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN every time I read about the death of his best friend. The depiction of Ally is so true in FISH IN A TREE that I cried because I could not help her learn to read. THE WAR I FINALLY WON inspired this post.
Yes to All of the above! The War That Saved My Life also made me cry.
The Art of Racing In the Rain made me sob.
I actually got very emotional reading Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.
Great post!
I forgot about THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN. I cried over that one too. I’m reserving ELEANOR OLIPHANT at the library right now.
You made great choices! Very fine post.
Thanks, Vicky. Sometimes at LAST meetings, we bring in books we like to use as examples of something. Way too many times, I haven’t been able to read my selection all the way through.
Yes, the Art of Racing in the Rain – I sobbed. Same with The Book Thief. A lot of books make me tear up, and sometimes it’s a small moment – I need to pay attention to when that happens in a story, so I can better understand why and how the author did that.
Probably the reader’s state of mind has something to do with it. If I read a book when I’m coming down with a cold, I’m more emotional.
I remember how strange it was to cry in the opening chapters of The Queen of Attolia. Yes, it was a sequel, so I’d already become attached to the main character, but still!
Yes. Sequels and series have special powers.
Several books have made me cry this fall. I think they were all mid-grade, as that’s mostly what I read.
I cried hardest over “The Key to Everything” by Pat Schmatz. Simple, contemporary, moving. A good example of stakes being important to the protagonist. Lovely supporting characters, humane, warm. Not a perfect book, but hey, pretty darn good.
Close behind that for tears was “The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle” by Victoria Williamson, a fine debut novel. Despite the title, it’s contemporary, no magic. The first page and chapter are so strong, and there is a real sense of a real place (Glasgow) throughout. The ending’s not as strong, but that’s all right.
“The Boy, the Bird, and the Coffin Maker” by Matilda Woods, a debut novel. Has magic and metaphors (I guess), but it still worked for me.
Tim: Thanks for mentioning those books. I’ll add them to my reading list.