Most Depressing Books

Showing 1-50 of 90
1984 1984 (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.20 — 5,390,343 ratings — published 1949
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My Dark Vanessa My Dark Vanessa (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.10 — 419,722 ratings — published 2020
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Alchemised Alchemised (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.45 — 115,298 ratings — published 2025
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rekt rekt (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 3.69 — 1,524 ratings — published 2025
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Minor Detail Minor Detail (Paperback)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.17 — 41,286 ratings — published 2017
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You Weren't Meant to Be Human You Weren't Meant to Be Human (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.01 — 5,643 ratings — published 2025
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The Malevolent Volume The Malevolent Volume (Paperback)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.05 — 313 ratings — published 2020
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Blob: A Love Story – A Witty and Heartfelt Debut Novel About Identity and What It Means to Be Human Blob: A Love Story – A Witty and Heartfelt Debut Novel About Identity and What It Means to Be Human (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 3.29 — 11,472 ratings — published 2025
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In the Dream House In the Dream House (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.39 — 159,896 ratings — published 2019
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The Book of X The Book of X (Paperback)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 3.95 — 4,908 ratings — published 2019
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No Exit No Exit (Paperback)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.11 — 46,271 ratings — published 1944
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Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 3.99 — 26,682 ratings — published 2024
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My Time to Stand My Time to Stand (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 3.51 — 9,324 ratings — published 2024
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A Good Happy Girl A Good Happy Girl (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 2.89 — 2,925 ratings — published 2024
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Blue Sisters Blue Sisters (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 3.92 — 280,190 ratings — published 2024
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Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.16 — 87,622 ratings — published 2025
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The Drunk, The Gambler, and The Lover The Drunk, The Gambler, and The Lover (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 3.52 — 63 ratings — published
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Keeping His Whims in Check Keeping His Whims in Check (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 3.59 — 129 ratings — published 2016
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Down the Drain Down the Drain (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.36 — 90,326 ratings — published 2023
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カーストヘヴン 1 (Caste Heaven, #1) カーストヘヴン 1 (Caste Heaven, #1)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 3.69 — 1,750 ratings — published 2015
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In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories (Paperback)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.30 — 5,601 ratings — published 1984
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Love You Hate You Miss You Love You Hate You Miss You (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 3.75 — 7,899 ratings — published 2009
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The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #13) The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #13)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.04 — 116,131 ratings — published 2006
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The Penultimate Peril (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #12) The Penultimate Peril (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #12)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.08 — 116,327 ratings — published 2005
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Good Material Good Material (Paperback)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 3.82 — 248,749 ratings — published 2023
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Paris: The Memoir Paris: The Memoir (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.21 — 87,483 ratings — published 2023
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I Who Have Never Known Men I Who Have Never Known Men (Paperback)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.11 — 422,301 ratings — published 1995
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The Grim Grotto (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #11) The Grim Grotto (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #11)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.03 — 123,959 ratings — published 2004
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I’m Glad My Mom Died I’m Glad My Mom Died (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.44 — 1,429,527 ratings — published 2022
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The Slippery Slope (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #10) The Slippery Slope (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #10)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.05 — 135,053 ratings — published 2003
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The Flame The Flame (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.04 — 4,487 ratings — published 2018
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Slut Vomit: An Anthology of Sex Work (Outcast-Press Anthologies) Slut Vomit: An Anthology of Sex Work (Outcast-Press Anthologies)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.47 — 30 ratings — published 2022
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The Carnivorous Carnival (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #9) The Carnivorous Carnival (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #9)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.01 — 139,675 ratings — published 2002
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The Hostile Hospital (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #8) The Hostile Hospital (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #8)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 3.99 — 128,250 ratings — published 2001
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The Vile Village (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #7) The Vile Village (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #7)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 3.97 — 153,067 ratings — published 2001
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The Ersatz Elevator (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #6) The Ersatz Elevator (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #6)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.06 — 158,988 ratings — published 2001
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The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #5) The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #5)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.01 — 173,147 ratings — published 2000
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The Miserable Mill (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #4) The Miserable Mill (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #4)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 3.86 — 183,702 ratings — published 2000
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The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #3) The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #3)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 3.95 — 210,117 ratings — published 2000
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The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #2) The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #2)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.02 — 243,902 ratings — published 1999
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The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #1) The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #1)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.02 — 567,135 ratings — published 1999
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Piglet Piglet (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 3.39 — 42,451 ratings — published 2024
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The Yellow Wall-Paper The Yellow Wall-Paper (Paperback)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.07 — 352,797 ratings — published 1892
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Age of Vice Age of Vice (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 3.61 — 33,795 ratings — published 2023
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Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.47 — 112,943 ratings — published 2016
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Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 3.51 — 32,392 ratings — published 2009
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Going to Meet the Man Going to Meet the Man (Paperback)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.37 — 8,423 ratings — published 1965
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Sonny's Blues (Story collection) Sonny's Blues (Story collection)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.33 — 8,955 ratings — published 1957
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The Only Thing Worth Dying For: How Eleven Green Berets Forged a New Afghanistan The Only Thing Worth Dying For: How Eleven Green Berets Forged a New Afghanistan (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.32 — 4,539 ratings — published 2010
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A Little Life A Little Life (Hardcover)
by (shelved 1 time as most-depressing)
avg rating 4.28 — 909,362 ratings — published 2015
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