Books That Made Me Cry: Part Two

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Continuing on from Books That Made Me Cry: Part One which consisted of 4 books out of the 9 that have made me cry. As I mentioned, I cannot believe that the number is so low and I hope I get to read more emotionally impactful books in the future.

So let’s continue:

5) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

You’d be crazy to think that this book wouldn’t appear on this list!

I want to say that Fred’s death had me crying my eyes out but I couldn’t cry. It was so unexpected and I couldn’t believe that J. K. Rowling was doing this that I actually ended up reading that part a number of times just to make sure that this was real. My shock and anger absorbed all my grief.

Tonks and Lupin’s death made me miserable and angry. But I kind of expected it to happen, I don’t know why. Theirs was a doomed tale.

The moments that really had me bawling my eyes out were Dobby’s death (when I watched it at the cinema, I actually cried and shielded my eyes from my friends so they couldn’t see) and when Harry delves into the Pensieve in ‘The Prince’s Tale’ and especially more so when the “always” line is delivered. My young heart was not ready for this moment. Honestly, I don’t know why our teachers didn’t give us a sick day just to recover. Rude.

6) The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

I remember watching the first half of the film in school first and feeling tremendously sorry for Hassan. I knew that I would read the book one day.

Amir, our protagonist, isn’t likeable but I would say that he is, at the very least, fairly understandable. Having to constantly compete against someone (Hassan) who is so unaware of his goodness for your fathers affections can have a debilitating effect on a youths growth. But… Hassan is so wonderful that it becomes difficult to empathise with Amir.

The disgustingly violent things that occur throughout the book is enough to make anyone cry. The heartbreaking kindness, loyalty, bravery and friendship of Hassan and his proclamation: “For you, a thousand times over,” will have you crying a waterfall of tears enough to equal the magnificence of Niagara Falls.

I wish us all a friend like Hassan and I wish us all his heart and courage too.

7) Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

I’m surprising myself by entering another romance book into this list. Although, it wasn’t actually the romance that made me cry, I rooted for Louisa and Will.

There was an important part in the book that was left out in the film (which didn’t make sense to me) and this is the part that had me crying.

This part includes what happens to Louisa, our protagonist, years before she meets Will. A drunken moment leads to a drunken disaster and it explains why Louisa is unsure of moving out of her comfort zone. I was devastated for her. Although, I didn’t agree with Will’s commentary on the incident: “Some mistakes just have greater consequences than others.” Isn’t this victim-shaming? The consequences are a result of the perpetrators action regardless of how drunk someone is, no, even more so. Perhaps, it was better that it was left out if this dodgy line was going to be spoken by Will.

8) The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins

I get it, the characters are not exactly likeable. I’m not making any excuses for Anna, she’s just as bad as her husband Tom. Rachel and Megan, on the other hand, are much more relatable.

Personally, I related and empathised with Megan very much. She’s a self-confessed “mistress of reinvention” which I feel as an individual that we are always reinventing ourselves according to the stage of life we are in.

She, also, has severe abandonment and commitment issues stemming from the death of her brother and a failed relationship because of a mistake she makes which causes her to become self-destructive. You make a mistake, a huge mistake, and it takes a long while to come to terms with it and forgive yourself never mind not being forgiven by others in the first place. I think when we are young and naive, we may make a mistake out of lack of knowledge and self-awareness and people define you for it and are reluctant to change their mind. So, you have to move on from it and them and build a new life without having really dealt with it properly. And that’s why I loved the book and why it made me cry, it captured a part of youth that we lose and the efforts we take to erase it.

9) A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Oh, Jude. What can I say? Life was so hard on you and whatever ‘little life’ you had was snatched so soon. What’s terrifying is that there are many Jude’s out there who go through a similar fate or have gone through it and as a result, believe that they are not worthy of being loved or being treated with decency.

Everyone should read this book. I know the length is intimidating but it’s so worth it. So worth the tears. At one point, I had to put the book down and I just cried for a whole hour.

To all the Judes’ out there… illegitimi non carborundum. Illegitimi. Non. Carborundum.

Can I just add how happy I am that I began the list (Part One) and concluded it with the two books that made cry the most. Again, let me know in the comment section which books have made you cry, get recommending some sobfests and let me know if you’ve read any of the books on this list!

Sophski out.

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24 Comments

    1. I believe the “this is the next book to read if you enjoyed Gone Girl” was simply a marketing ploy trying to bank on the success of Gone Girl. Yes, it had a similar theme of troublesome and complex women but the characters themselves are wholly different to Amy Dunne. It was predictable in some parts, but the baby reveal was really tragic and just, to put it bluntly, messed up. She was a much more sympathetic character than Amy who was just cold, cold, cold.

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            1. Okay, awesome! It would be interesting to read a males perspective on the book other than my brothers brief review of the film which was basically: “It’s rubbish.” (I’m using a euphemism).

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    1. Yay! What parts in particular (Me Before You) Made you cry?
      And I’m not surprised about Harry Potter continuing to make readers cry even with rereads, it just shows it stands the test of time and continues to have a hold on you.

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  4. “For you, a thousand times over,” this breaks my heart. Khaled is an absolute genius in all his three books.
    And I have this fear that I’d cry terribly if I read Me Before You. One of my friends recommended it, adding she couldn’t complete it with the amount of sadness that’s at the ending. I’m still to read it more than 15 pages. Every time I start reading it, I feel really bad and then I don’t open it again for few months. 🙂

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    1. I know, it’s possibly one of the best lines in literature. 💔 I am yet to read And The Mountains Echoed, apparently it’s a very marmite book.
      Oh my God, your poor friend. The ending is foreshadowed throughout the book so it makes it all the more harder to even simply read it knowing what’s coming. Oh, bless you! It will make you cry but it’s a beautiful love story and you mustn’t miss out on it, give it a try one day because romance aside, it does contain some vital lessons that I think you’ll really appreciate. 😊

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      1. I’d surely make it a point to read it someday, I so wish to. Thank you for that. And yes, Hosseine does know to break your heart and it’s all worth crying for his stories. Read it soon girl. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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  5. I just finished a reread of The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope. There is a scene in the book that always makes me cry. I also cry when Eustace cries about being turned into a dragon. However, those tears are nothing compared to the deluge that accompanies a reading (aloud) of The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock by T. S. Eliot.

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    1. Oo, they sound like they would be great reads (must add to my TBR)! I’m wondering what that scene in the book is about and The Lovesong seems particularly interesting… I haven’t read romance in a while. Are there any reviews of the two available on your blog? And thank you for the recommendations. 😁

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  7. I’ve read the girl on the train it did hit me with shock but I think Harry potter and the deathly hallows is the one that made me cry. Mostly Dobby’s death and Fred Weasly’s death. 😭

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