I am an extremely depressed, lonely, individual. I am not looking for any self help books nor any book to bring me any remote sense of hope. Before I seek any shape of hope, I want to find a book that serves me as a sort of lighthouse amidst my dark cloud of despair. By lighthouse, I mean a book that will meet me where I am at in my mental health. I do not have the energy to seek out any form of optimism right now, I am more concerned with finding a book that focuses on an extremely depressed, lonely character that I can relate to.
In summary: I am looking for a *classic fiction* book that follows a protagonist amidst a deep, dark depression and state of loneliness.
I want to emphasize the classic part, that is what I prefer.
Thank you.
by Usual_Competition_49
4 Comments
The Bell Jar is technically fiction, but also based on Sylvia Plath’s life as she struggled with depression at one point.
‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee is a classic I always come back to for its powerful narrative on racial injustice and the loss of innocence. Through the eyes of the young protagonist Scout, Lee addresses complex social issues with warmth and humor.
Dostoevsky- Notes from Underground
Kafka- The Metamorphosis
The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot is a poem you may also enjoy.
Edit: just thought of
The Stranger by Camus
and
The Moviegoer by Walker Percy
The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles also has the feel I think you’re looking for.