6 Heartbreaking YA Books About Teen Suicide
2015 was a huge year of YA Illness Books, which include these 6 Heartbreaking YA Books About Teen Suicide. Mental health is a crucial issue. Let’s talk about all of them and see which one might be the right book for you to read to educate yourself about this important issue.
6 Heartbreaking YA Books About Teen Suicide
First, the easiest thing to explain: why did I read four YA books dealing with suicide in a span of two weeks in 2015? I didn’t intend to. I often request review books months ahead of time. Then I keep a list by release date and try to read chronologically. Many times when I pick up a book I don’t remember what it’s about.
I didn’t realize until recently that at least six YA books about teen suicide will be published in January and February. How to explain that?
I’m not sure, but I definitely see a I’m not sure, but I definitely see a huge trend toward serious issue books (particularly illness books) in 2015, something I have mixed feelings about as a reader. I enjoy books that tackle weighty and important subjects, but there’s a limit to how many I want to read in a short span of time.
I Was Here by Gayle Forman
A girl tries to pick up the pieces after her best friend takes her own life. She finds that she didn’t know Meg as well as she thought.
Check out my Review of I Was Here by Gayle Forman.
The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand (Harper, February 10)
In the aftermath of her brother taking his own life, Lex tries to put her life back together and deliver a message for her brother.
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (Knopf, January 6)
After Violet, depressed over her sister’s tragic accidental death, and Finch, who is struggling with family problems and a mood disorder, are assigned to a school project, they begin a journey that encompasses friendship, love and loss.
Check out my Review of All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven.
Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falkoff (Harper, January 13)
After his best friend takes his own life, Sam listens to a playlist of songs that Hayden left for him and struggles to understand.
Check out my Review of Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falloff
These books definitely have similarities. Three of them are stories of characters trying to understand a suicide after the fact. One (All the Bright Places) is sort of the opposite. When something unexpected and tragic occurs, I guess it’s human nature to try to understand why it happened and/or figure out how it might have been prevented. And yet, in all these books, I kept feeling that there was never going to be a simple, definitive answer to those questions.
- Three of the books featured main characters whose friend committed suicide, while one main characters lost a sibling (another also lost a sibling, but not to suicide)
- Three of the suicides were male, one was female
- At least three of the characters who took their own lives had been diagnosed with a mood disorder or mental illness.
- At least two of the authors had a personal connection to someone who committed suicide
Which of These 6 Heartbreaking YA Books About Teen Suicide Should YOU Read?
–Read All the Bright Places if you want a John Green-esque story of a larger than life character, and if you want a (tragic) romance — think Looking for Alaska. I liked the fact that most of this story takes place before the suicide rather than after.
–Read The Last Time We Say Goodbye or Playlist for the Dead if you want a bit of a ghost story feel. In Playlist, this had a bit of a magical realism feel, and in The Last Time, there was more of a psychological explanation.
—The Last Time We Say Goodbye and All the Bright Places explore sibling relationships.
— I Was Here was the bleakest, but also the most dramatic — at times it had the bit of a feel of a Law and Order episode. And I would have preferred this book as a friendship story, without the romance.
In case you’re interested, here are two more 2015 YA books that, from their descriptions on Goodreads, seem to deal with teen suicide:
My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga
When Reason Breaks by Cindy L. Rodriguez
I have read I Was Here and Playlist for the Dead. I liked the darkness in I Was Here, but see how it might be for older YA audiences? It's a tough subject and one that I'm glad authors are writing about.
Kate @ Ex Libris
I agree that I Was Here was pretty dark. And teen suicide definitely seems like a hard subject to write about. I think that's maybe why I decided I couldn't really review these in the way I usually do. I found all of them took a long time for me to process.
Oh, Jen. These all sound like strong, beautiful and emotional reads, and being a Gayle Forman fan, I know what you mean about bleak. I haven't gotten around to reading any of these yet, but I will soon enough. I need to go on a feels binge read.
I found some more emotional than others, and some bleaker than others. I think as a writer it must be hard to find balance when tackling a subject like this.
This is such a thoughtful post, Jen. I tend to avoid heavy issue books and will be staying clear of the other 5 suicide books that I didn't read. I read mostly for fun and enjoyment, and books like this though powerful, aren't usually fun for me. I also agree that suicide is not something you can explain easily, though often mental illness does play a role. The way you explained and compared these is very interesting, however. I think if I was going to read a second one it would be Hand's book.
I enjoy issue books but I have to be in the right mindset for them. I completely understand the feeling of wanting to read for enjoyment, escape, etc.
I think you'd like Hand's — and unlike the Unearthly series… NO triangle 🙂
Great post and I agree with reading some of those books I had no idea it was about suicide. I loved all the bright places, and The last time we said goodbye. Those books touched me more than those other books. I do that suicide affects many people , and I knew of someone who killed himself and he had a mental disorder. Thanks for this great post.
I agree — I found those two the most moving as well.
I'm glad these books are out there. I have Gayle Forman's on my list and have good things about the others.
I'm glad too.
Great post. I read All The Bright Places and it was so well done. I have the Forman book on my list to read. I also have a copy of the Cynthia Hand book that I intend to read. I have to put space between these books b/c they tend to drain me emotionally. But I think Niven did a fantastic job with her book.
I loved the writing in All the Bright Places!
Not to sound weird or morbid… but I like books like this. Like This Song Will Save Your Life was so sad and depressing, but it was also freaking beautiful. I hope these are like that as opposed to just sad and depressing.
I liked TSWSYL because it ended up being hopeful and life-affirming. These books are definitely darker. But I'm with you in that I do enjoy books that are sad or tackle serious subjects.
As a reader who leans towards happier books, I tend to avoid books that deal with issues like suicide but once in a while, when a book seems like something I'd like in spite of it's intensity, pick it up and because of how selective I tend to be, I usually end up liking it. I actually don't know what it says when so many books coming out deal with suicide. Will this be one of the important topics that will lose it's importance in literature as a result of trends? I hope not!
Lovely post, Jen! 🙂
Rashika @ The Social Potato
That's an excellent point, and I hope not. I mean, I understand that it might not be a topic that every reader wants to read about, but I'm glad the books are out there for those who want to read them.
I've read Playlist, The Last Time We Say Goodbye and My Heart and Other Black Holes and I've really enjoyed each one of them. I have All the Bright Places but I needed a break after TLTWSG so I haven't read it yet.
For some reason I've always been drawn to the book with tough subjects, I don't know what it is about them, it seems like I connect to the characters more and I usually really enjoy them.
I thought The Last Time We Say Goodbye was very moving — hope you enjoy it!
Great post Jen. I always tend to be apprehensive with YA books that deal with mental illness / suicide because I have gotten very offended and upset reading some books who simply treat it as a plot device or don't do their research. Also, I'm not one for extremely dark books with no silver lining (like I avoid sad movies). I do read adult books that have mental illness though, and I have been thinking to try YA ones, but didn't know which to choose! Thanks for the breakdown. I'll have to think about it. Which one do you think was the most accurate or closest to being believable? I know it's hard to say. 😀
It is hard to say, because suicide is not something that's touched my life personally. Interestingly, though, the two books that I found the most moving were those written by authors who revealed in a foreword or afterword that they'd had a personal connection to someone who committed suicide, and those were All the Bright Places and The Last Time We Say Goodbye.
I just read All the bright places and it was so incredibly good. I plan on reading I was here because I love Gayle Foreman.
It is VERY different from her other books. Look forward to seeing what you think!
I haven't read too many novels dealing with this subject, but I plan on reading some of the books you mentioned above because they make me curious.
Andreea
https://toallthebooksivelovedbefore.wordpress.com/
I do like issue books but finding one that treats the subject respectfully is a whole other matter. And even when they do I can only read so many in a row.
Karen @ For What It's Worth
Quick comment to say I had a very similar experience, suddenly realizing that there were a lot of teen suicide books suddenly coming out (I wonder if winter is supposed to be a more ideal time to release them? Like around the holidays, people get sad; same with the cold and winter?). This was after I'd also listened to Forgive Me Leonard Peacock, which was an audiosync book I'd just gotten around to, and when I was angry about one of my own friend's suicide//grief hit me again. More on this later — but I'm really glad you wrote this post.
I was thinking about these books some days ago, when I realized I have 5 books about suicide on top of my TBR pile. It's weird, though, because they are sad and touching but many readers love them, and I am one of them.
I really want to read All The Bright Places.
Playlist for the Dead and My Heart and Other Black Holes as well as All the Bright Places (a lot of long titles!) are all on my TBR. I wonder why this trend started?
I loved this post, very sensitive and helpful. Just wanted to say that 🙂 Thanks!
I like books that deal with real issues cause that's life. Nothing is ever perfect.