Top 5 Books With ‘Hard’ Topics

One of my favourite things to read are books that are based around characters that portray a difficulty. Whether this is sexual assault, mental health issues whatever. If a book is very well written with a difficult topic in mind, it usually ends up to be an incredible book! Here are my top 5 reads that have harder topics than average.

Reasons To Stay Alive by Matt Haig
One of the most life changing books I’ve ever read was Reasons To Stay Alive. That is a simple fact. Although it tells the story of Matt’s depression and his struggle in life, it tells how he achieved happiness and how he got out of the spiral he found himself in. Even if you’ve never suffered with a form of anxiety or depression, this book can truly change your life.

The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Perks is one of the most famous novels for being associated with difficult topics and mental health issues. The main character Charlie writes to an unknown character during this book, illustrating how he is coping with his life without his aunt and his traumatic past. This is one of my favourite novels of all time, not just one that i think dealt with mental illness pretty well.

It’s Kind Of A Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
This novel was one of the greatest I’ve ever read that focuses on depression and mental health issues. Not many novels can pull off the writing of these topics very well. But I found It’s Kind Of A Funny Story to be truthful and interesting all along with being painfully true for teenagers with mental disorders.

Girl Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
Whereas Girl Interrupted was not my favourite book of all time, I found the way that it read like a novel to be interesting. Effectively it is a memoir of Susanna’s time in a mental institution. As it is a memoir it’s painfully true to life and an all-around interesting read.

Room by Emma Donoghue
I’m not sure this could be completely classed as a book that deals with a difficult topic, the child narrator seems to dull down a lot of those difficult topics. But for me it creates a realness of the situation. Room explores the idea of rape, kidnap and depression from Jack’s mother as she deals with being in the outside world for the first time in seven years. It’s incredibly told and focuses on these topics in a subtle way. Absolutely incredible novel.

Top 5 Wednesday was started on Good Reads and can be done by any blogger or vlogger! HERE is the information if you want to join in!