I’m doing a piece of work that deals with the topic of grief and suicide – specifically a teenager dealing the loss of a family member who has taken their life, and the fact he’s a queer person in the 1980s.
Mental health and suicide is extremely personal to me, it’s been my biggest threat and struggle since I was thirteen and I am now an adult. Regardless of how well I know my own struggle of suicide, I don’t want to assume I can just write that and be done with it. I want to learn many peoples thoughts through watching documentaries, reading, and speaking to other people who have been touched with suicide.
One thing I’m interested in is books you’ve read that you thought portrayed these topics well and books that didn’t (and why.)
Of course there’s always mixed opinions on these things (I’ve found very dramatic different opinions when looking through goodreads reviews). *A little life* for example, I’ve read reviews that say it’s hopeless and sets a bad example to people struggling (the trauma p*rn review is one I’ve seen a lot) but I’ve also read some that say it’s done in a way that doesn’t romanticise suicide, and it’s accurate to how life can be. Another example I’ve found is *all the bright places* – some think it’s accurate and amazing, other people think it’s teaching all the wrong lessons.
Regardless I want to know *your* opinions on the different books you’ve read. It’s a very sensitive topic, like a lot of what is talked about in novels, and I want to compare notes and see the general idea of what makes a good book about mental health and suicide, and what doesn’t.
by Illustrious_Memory38