Seven books that will make you feel happy to be sad

Emily R. Austin was born in Ontario, Canada, and received a writing grant from the Canadian Council for the Arts in 2020. She studied English literature and library science at Western University. She currently lives in Ottawa.

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead is her first novel.

At Electric Lit she tagged seven books

for people who feel like crying but are having trouble determining whether the cathartic release they seek should involve tears of laughter or sadness. These books will break your heart and have you in stitches. You will feel like you would sitting in the audience of a depressed comedian whose poignant wit will have you cackling, blubbering, and feeling alive.

One title on the list:

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Eleanor is a gut-wrenching character who, despite the title of her story, is actually not doing that great. She has no friends, no ambition, scars on her face, no filter, bad social skills, a humdrum existence, a drinking problem, a story that will punch you in the gut, and yet—she is so funny.

Read about another entry on the list.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is among Fay Bound Alberti's top ten books about loneliness and Liese O'Halloran Schwarz's top ten books about self-reinvention.

--Marshal Zeringue