12 Books to Make You Ugly Cry

When readers start Under the Whispering Door, its protagonist, Wallace Price, is already dead. The worst is over, yes? No. Wallace wasn’t such a great person in life, but as two strangers escort him to a strange tea shop where he’ll cross over to the other side, he sees he might have a chance to do better in death. Wallace has seven days to learn that there’s more to life than money and success. This book’s reflections on life, death, loss, and purpose are incredibly moving and will quite possibly make you ugly cry. But the good news is that it’s ultimately a hopeful, sweet, and uplifting story that won’t leave you miserable.

Leave it to poets to get readers all up in their feels. Ocean Vuong’s poetry is stunning and also liable to make you cry (see Time is a Mother), but his debut novel is what we’re crying over here today. This alone is enough to get you started: the story is told through a series of letters from a son called Little Dog to his mother who can’t read. In shifting timelines, Little Dog explores his youth, his family history rooted in Vietnam, his queer identity, and so much more. It’s hard to describe this book, but trust me, it’s absolutely stunning and will break your heart before sewing it right back together.

Thanks to an unsatisfying career and a cheating husband, Frida is having a rough time. The only bright spot is her daughter Harriet, who sees Frida as perfect. But a government program on the lookout for bad mothers disagrees. One bad day could lead to Harriet being taken to a reform school while Frida is taken into custody until she proves she can be a good mother. Yet again, children being forcibly separated from their parents and parents being made to feel inadequate hits hard. This may be set in a dystopian world, but it’s going to turn you into a human puddle in this world right here.

You might think a sci-fi/fantasy novel about violins and a donut shop owned by an intergalactic spaceship captain couldn’t possibly make you cry. But if you give it a read, you’ll probably prove yourself wrong. In order to save herself from eternal damnation, Shizuka made a deal with the devil to deliver the souls of seven other violin prodigies. She only needs one more, and she’s certain a young trans runaway named Katrina Nguyen is her key to breaking her curse. But Shizuka’s plans go awry when she’s charmed by retired starship captain Lan. Light from Uncommon Stars is a delightful and unexpected adventure, but it’s also a moving tale of finding belonging in a hostile world. Pick up an extra box of tissues before you settle down to read it, is all I’m saying.

The women of the North family have had more than their share of tragedy — violent men, racism, and lynching, to name a few. But they also have incredible gifts. Some can heal through nursing. August has a singing voice that can blow people away. And Joan’s paintings might just change the world. Following three generations of the North family, this book is a love letter to Memphis and to the resilience and passion of Black women. And if you thought you were crying before, wait until you realize this novel is based on the author’s real family history.

Antonia Vega expects peace and quiet after retiring from her job as an English professor. But then her husband dies, her sister disappears, and a pregnant, undocumented teen shows up on her doorstep. In an increasingly distrustful world, Antonia’s plight explores what we owe to our families, and how wide the net of family extends. Who is Antonia without her beloved? How can she gather the pieces of her life without him? How can she grapple with the mental illness of someone she loves? This book had a stop-drop-and-cry moment for me, where I had to put it down to let out all the tears. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I mean, come on, crying is right there in the name! This memoir by Michelle Zauner, also known as the musical artist Japanese Breakfast, isn’t your typical musician’s memoir. It talks a little about her music career, but is primarily focused on losing her mother to cancer, her relationship to her Korean heritage, and the food that tied it all together. It’s a vulnerable, emotional, and deeply human story of grief and its impact on identity. Read it and you’ll never look at your old family recipes the same way again.

“Unwelcome” is an understatement for how Casey Parks felt in her home state of Louisiana after coming out as a lesbian. Not only did her family reject her; her pastor outright asked God to kill her. But then her grandmother pulled her aside with a fascinating secret: “I grew up across the street from a woman who lived as a man.” He sang country music under the name Roy Hudgins. Casey’s questions about Roy brought her back to rural Louisiana for a decade of research about him. In this nuanced memoir and journalistic exploration of Roy Hudgins’s life, Casey Parks examines how her acceptance of her own queer identity became wrapped up in the story of a stranger. It’s a beautiful tale of family, belonging, and self-acceptance.

It’s probably pretty obvious that the biography of someone who died of cancer at the age of 29 will be a tearjerker. But Pakistani chef Fatima Ali’s story is so much more than just her death, and the stunning way her story is told here had me downright sobbing. Top Chef fan favorite Fatima Ali’s star was only beginning to rise when she was given a terminal cancer diagnosis. She was determined to complete her bucket list in her last year, traveling the world and eating all the delicious food she’d always dreamed of trying. This memoir includes writing by Ali, writer Tarajia Morrell who she hired to help record her story, and interludes by her mother. The way their voices are woven together creates a complex and poignant portrait of a beautiful life cut far too short.

Abi Morgan may not be asking for pity, but her story will likely give you some very big feelings. Abi Morgan’s life was upended one day when she found her partner Jacob unconscious in their home. She spent a hellish six months trying to hold their family together as Jacob was in a coma, with doctors desperately trying to find out what had gone wrong and how to save him. When Jacob finally woke up, it seemed like their family had been granted a second chance — until they realized Jacob didn’t recognize Abi and was convinced she was an imposter.