I suffer from clinical depression, and I'm currently going through perhaps my worst bout ever with it. For context, I am a married 42M with no kids. I'm in therapy and I'm on an antidepressant/possibly trying another one soon. One of the things that my depression robs me of is the joy I used to get from reading a good book. However, one of the many measures I'm trying to take to combat my depression is to rekindle my love of reading.
I'm not looking for a self-help book. I really want a novel that I can get a little lost in and perhaps gain some hope and insight from about life (as I am sorely lacking these things currently in my life). I don't want something that's all sunshine and rainbows, but rather something that is realistic and has characters that I can possibly relate to/learn something from in relation to my struggle. Thanks in advance!
tl;dr: I'm a very depressed middle-aged man, and I am looking for a novel that might offer some hope and perspective about that.
by bwahhhhhhh
6 Comments
The Hike by Drew Magary
The Guncle by Stephen Rowley
Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn
Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum
I’m sorry that you’re suffering, depression is so hard.
Maybe A Gentleman in Moscow would suit you? It does have some sucidal ideation if I remember correctly but it’s mostly a hopeful book about doing the best with what life has dealt you. The main character gets sentenced to house arrest in a luxury hotel in Moscow and lives almost his entire life there.
The Hour I First Believed, by Wally Lamb
The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty
I’d try walking with audio books (42f). I was really struggling to focus and depressed (bf suicide) and was pleasantly surprised at how totally immersive walking with headphones in can feel. You have to sample the readers tho before you start as some are like nails on a chalkboard. Not sure if you are UK but library card holders can get free audio books online…
Not sure what types of books you like but The Storm We Made was good (PoW camps run by Japanese in Malaya) and The List of Suspicious Things – fiction about the Yorkshire Ripper (neither are about depression but just interesting and good to get you wanting to walk).
Hope that helps, sucks being depressed and tbh learning may not be the best thing to start with but Desert Island Discs on iplayer never fails to make me feel inspired.