Sometimes, it just feels good to read a great book about the problems of others. Maybe it’s Schadenfreude, but I think sometimes it’s easier, too, to surrender to the emotional honesty in a book than it is in real life. So in honour of the general malaise brought about by the Ides of March, brace yourselves for the feels occasioned by these emotional reads of varying genres.

Mexican Journal
P.K. Page

Memoir

“Black, black, black is the colour of a Mexican night.” From the first line of Mexican Journal, P. K. Page manages to convey the onset of troubling phobias and spiritual barrenness that haunted her during her time in Mexico. Her journal is a fascinating account of working through crippling lack of inspiration, and of finding meaning—and light—in the darkness. With Page’s signature lyrical prose, you can’ t help but be drawn into her life and mind.

What the Furies Bring
Kenneth Sherman

Essays

Out of trauma and tragedy can often spring wisdom. What the Furies Bring is Ken Sherman’s attempt to philosophically work through the ways in which literature and writing have enabled authors to weather some of the most horrific experiences of the 20th century.

Every Minute Is a Suicide
Bruce McDougall

Short Stories

Growing up is hard, and harder still without a father. Every Minute Is a Suicide is a story that grapples with the disappointments of childhood, the difficulties of adolescence, and the sorrows and spiritual crises of middle age occasioned after a boy’s father mysteriously disappears. It goes to show that no life, no matter how privileged, is ever perfect, and that everyone struggles to find his or her place in the world.

On Shaving Off His Face
Shane Neilson

Poetry

I’ve saved the feeling-est for last. I’m not exactly what you’d call a crier when it comes to books and movies, but this one had me sobbing. Pain, grief, anxiety—so many emotions are so beautifully and heartbreakingly expressed in this collection of poems. If this book doesn’t make you think and feel, nothing will!

And there you have it. Four reads guaranteed to bring out the angsty, emo teen in all of us. Have some tissues on hand and get to reading.

Hope you enjoy,