10 of the most heartbreaking books from the Booker Library

It’s a cliché of book jacket blurbs that a novel with seriously sad content will be described as a tearjerker, an emotional rollercoaster, or a devastating read. And for many readers, this is just our cup of tea. 

We’re drawn to the cathartic experience of becoming deeply engaged with a story that tugs on the heart strings. There’s comfort in shared pain, empathy in harrowing adversity and consolation in knowing that an injustice has been experienced and, often, overcome.  

Many Booker-nominated novels don’t shy away from emotionally shattering experiences, with subjects ranging from brutal war to devastating personal loss. And of course, many of these tragic tales also incorporate a good dose of humour, because great writers know that lightness can still be found in the bleakest of situations.  

We’ve combed through the Booker Prizes archives to offer this list of novels which are especially emotional. Warning: these stories may cause a buried memory to resurface, make you pine for a lost love or weep for the cruelty many people must endure. But if you’ve ever realised that tears are streaming down your face while reading a book but still feel compelled to read on, then browse through this list of recommendations. Prepare to be broken in the best possible way – but make sure you’ve got a box of tissues on hand.  

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak

Scientists speculate that the brain remains active for a number of minutes after a person’s heart stops. The opening of this novel, shortlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize recounts the final memories and reflections of its protagonist Leila after she has been murdered and left in a dumpster. As the clock ticks down to the inevitable expiration of her consciousness, we follow her life’s journey, from being raised in a conservative religious family to her experiences as a sex worker in Istanbul. Shafak deals boldly with many social issues, including child abuse, religious extremism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, the plight of immigrants, poverty and sexual slavery. However, Leila’s personality and resilience shine throughout her tumultuous journey, giving this sorrowful tale an engaging momentum. This is a riveting and utterly convincing tale which draws the reader right into the heart of Leila’s plight. 

Sabrina by Nick Drnaso

Sabrina has gone missing. Longlisted for the 2018 Booker Prize, this groundbreaking graphic novel – the first and so far only one to be nominated for the prize – focuses on the lives of Sabrina’s sister Sandra and her boyfriend Teddy as they try to deal with her sudden absence and the aftermath, when the shocking truth of what happened to her is revealed. The drawings which accompany the clipped, awkward dialogue and text are very understated in how they convey small details and, together with the muted facial expressions of the characters, who are paralysed with confusion and inaction, has the odd effect of imbuing the story with more emotion. Many of the interior and outdoor spaces are portrayed as very stark, as if the environment is just as sombre as the grief-stricken characters. However, there are many moments of simple kindness throughout the story which offers a hopeful sense of our ability to be our best selves in moments of real need.  

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

This novel, shortlisted for the 2005 Booker Prize, initially appears to simply be about a delicately-balanced love triangle taking place at a pleasantly old-fashioned English boarding school. But things quickly turn sinister when students Kathy, Ruth and Tommy learn that they’ve been raised for a specific purpose – which will drastically reduce their lifespan. The way this devastating knowledge is gradually revealed, and the events that follow, are truly heart-wrenching. Kathy describes her experiences and memories in a breathtaking way, conveying the full gravity of what has been lost and the future she has been cruelly denied. Jealousy, pride and betrayal place even more pressure on this trio’s strained circumstances. Set in an alternate contemporary reality, the book’s unique blend of dystopian science fiction and gripping romance raises pertinent questions about morality and mortality, while examining the nature of love under the most nightmarish circumstances. 

Reading Turgenev by William Trevor

Set in a small Irish town in the mid-1950s, this short 1991 Booker-shortlisted novel follows the life of country girl Mary Louise Dallon. As she enters adulthood there are few prospects for leaving the family farm until an older, relatively prosperous local merchant begins courting her. This seems like a way of escaping her provincial surroundings, but married life comes with its own restrictions. Like many who are trapped in circumstances from which they cannot escape, Mary’s main outlet becomes her imagination – and her renewed acquaintance with a frail cousin she knew in her youth. His love of reading the books of Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev opens a world to Mary beyond her cloistered existence with an alcoholic husband and her vicious unmarried sisters-in-law. As her marriage deteriorates, Mary’s secret alternative life emboldens her to assert her independence in new ways. This is not only a devastatingly beautiful story of lost love, but a powerful tribute to the way literature can connect us to others and open fresh avenues of opportunity.  

Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor

As we inevitably age and lose loved ones, the prospect of spending our remaining years in lonesome solitude is deeply unsettling. That’s the predicament in which Elizabeth Taylor’s titular heroine finds herself in at the beginning of this 1971 Booker-shortlisted novel. Mrs Palfrey has moved into a London hotel which partly functions as a long-term residence for the elderly. Her husband is deceased, she has a strained relationship with her daughter who lives in Scotland and her grandson who does live in London won’t respond to her letters. As a result, she becomes fearful of each new day which is filled with emptiness and an overwhelming lack of companionship. But a chance meeting with a young man who is experiencing his own form of loneliness opens up new possibilities that neither could anticipate. The brilliance of this novel is in the balance the author achieves between tragedy and comedy. There’s a lightness of touch where descriptions of debilitating solitude are paired with wry observations about the absurd things the hotel residents will do to fill the time. Engrossing and compact, this is an eye-opening account of the emotional needs of the elderly, peppered with small, precious acts of kindness.