What To Read

Books About Grief, Loss, and Healing: 20 Powerful Reads for Every Kind of Mourning

From heart-wrenching memoirs to quiet novels and comforting reads for kids, these books offer insight and solace to anyone navigating grief.

Natalie Shaw •

Jul 11st, 2025

Whether you're mourning the loss of a loved one, navigating heartbreak, or supporting someone through their pain, books can offer comfort, clarity, and connection in moments when words feel hard to find.

This list brings together some of the most powerful books about grief — from raw, honest memoirs to beautifully written novels, from spiritual reflections to children’s books that gently explain loss. Each title is here because it speaks to a different kind of mourning, helping readers move through sorrow with insight and, sometimes, healing.

If you're searching for books on grief, loss, or emotional recovery, these stories can help you feel a little less alone.

Memoirs About Grief

Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks (2024)

Pulitzer-winning Brooks chronicles the sudden death of her partner and her journey toward peace through solo travel and quiet reflection—making this one of the most soul-stirring memoirs about grief.

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (2005)

A landmark in memoirs about grief, Didion’s piercing account of the year following her husband’s sudden death is spare, precise, and unforgettable. She examines memory, mourning, and the instability of life with devastating clarity.

Stay True by Hua Hsu (2022)

A Pulitzer Prize–winning memoir about an unlikely friendship with a college friend killed in a carjacking. Hsu reflects on grief, identity, and the fragility of memory with quiet elegance.

Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley (2024)

A candid and darkly funny take on losing a dear friend to suicide, Crosley blends memoir and philosophy to search for meaning beyond the pain.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (2016)

In this Pulitzer Prize–finalist, neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi reflects on life, death, and purpose after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. His poignant, philosophical journey is one of the most moving grief books in recent years.

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (2021)

Indie rocker Michelle Zauner (Japanese Breakfast) writes a raw, sensory-rich memoir of losing her mother to cancer. Through food and memory, she explores cultural identity and maternal grief. “In losing her mother and cooking to bring her back to life, Zauner became herself.,” praised NPR.

Bluets by Maggie Nelson (2009)

While technically a lyric essay, Bluets reads like a novel in fragments—documenting Nelson’s heartbreak, her friend’s injury, and her obsession with the color blue. A meditation on grief and beauty, it's one of the most original books about loss and healing.

Lost & Found by Kathryn Schulz (2022)

A Pulitzer-winning New Yorker staff writer weaves together the death of her father and the emergence of a new love. Schulz’s writing is both deeply personal and philosophically rich.

Novels That Explore Loss

Grief Is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter (2015)

After the sudden death of their mother, a father and his two sons are visited by a talking, chaotic crow—a shape-shifting force of grief itself. This genre-bending novel blends poetry, myth, and raw emotion into a startlingly original exploration of mourning. San Francisco Chronicle called it "a powerful, surreal novella-poem of grief and healing."

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (2012)

Ove is a grumpy, lonely widower ready to give up on life—until new neighbors and unexpected friendships pull him back into the world. Tender, funny, and quietly profound, it’s a beautiful reminder that grief and love often live side by side.

The Friend by Sigrid Nunez (2018)

After her close friend and mentor dies by suicide, an unnamed writer adopts his grieving Great Dane and begins a thoughtful journey through memory, loss, and companionship. Praised for its quiet depth, emotional precision, and reflections on writing and mourning, this National Book Award–winning grief book blends personal narrative with literary meditation.

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (2024)

One of the most acclaimed voices of her generation, Rooney delivers a quietly shattering portrait of two brothers drifting in the wake of their father’s death. With her trademark emotional precision, Intermezzo captures the silence, guilt, and longing that shape modern grief. "A mature, sophisticated weeper," praised The New York Times. "It makes a lot of feelings begin to slide around in you."

Children’s Books About Grief (Ages 2–8)

The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld (2018)

Taylor’s towering block creation comes crashing down, and while many animals offer solutions, only the rabbit stays to listen. A gentle and affirming story about holding space for grief, it’s become a go-to children’s book about grief.

Sending Balloons to Heaven by Lindsey Coker Luckey (2021)

A little girl sends messages to her late grandmother on balloons, creating a ritual of remembrance. This sweet and comforting picture book introduces the idea of honoring lost loved ones with tenderness and clarity.

The Invisible String by Patrice Karst (2000)

A timeless bestseller that reassures kids that the ones we love are never truly gone. Whether facing death, separation, or anxiety, this book gently affirms that love connects us—even when we’re apart.

Middle Grade & YA Books About Grief (Ages 9+)

Watership Down by Richard Adams (1972)

This literary epic follows a group of rabbits on a perilous journey after their home is destroyed. Full of allegory, courage, and loss, it offers a powerful lens for understanding grief, mortality, and survival—perfect for thoughtful older children and teens.

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (1968)

When a unicorn sets out to discover what became of the rest of her kind, she confronts sorrow, mortality, and the strange beauty of becoming human. This classic fantasy is also a quiet elegy for loss—of innocence, magic, and time. A lyrical, beloved story for readers navigating complex grief.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (1977)

Jess and Leslie build an imaginary kingdom in the woods—until tragedy reshapes their world forever. A classic middle grade grief book, it remains one of the most impactful explorations of loss and resilience in children’s literature.