Books that can help with grief after a death or bereavement

In this article, we share a selection of book recommendations from Sue Ryder Online Bereavement Community members, some of our ambassadors and Bereavement Counsellors.

These books offer insight into different experiences of loss and the many ways people cope. They also highlight that everyone grieves differently, and there is no “right” or “wrong” way to feel.

However, some of these books contain detailed description of death, trauma and grief. If you are finding your grief overwhelming you may wish to read them gradually or speak to someone you trust alongside reading.

Members of our Online Community often share how books have helped them feel understood during bereavement. These recommendations come directly from people coping with the death of someone close, a partner, parent, child, or friend.

Levels of Life book explores the deep connection between love and grief, combining a memoir of the loss of his wife, the literary agent Pat Kavanagh, with elements of history, reflection and storytelling.

The book weaves together stories of 19th-century balloonists and photographers with Barnes’ own reflections, showing how moments of emotional uplift can be followed by profound loss.

With honesty and clarity, Barnes examines what it means to live with grief, capturing the loneliness, disorientation and enduring presence of someone who has died.

Gentle yet powerful, this book offers a thoughtful exploration of mourning and may resonate with anyone trying to make sense of life after loss.

Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking is a deeply personal account of grief following the sudden death of her husband. In the aftermath, she reflects on the disorienting nature of loss, describing how everyday routines and memories become charged with longing and confusion.

Didion captures the ‘magical thinking’ that can accompany bereavement, the quiet belief that a loved one might somehow return if certain actions are avoided or preserved. Alongside mourning her husband, she also navigates her daughter’s serious illness, adding another layer of emotional strain.

The book offers an honest exploration of how grief can feel unpredictable, intellectual, and deeply physical all at once. Ultimately, it is a powerful meditation on love, memory, and the slow, uneven process of coming to terms with loss.

C.S. Lewis’s A Grief Observed is a candid and deeply reflective account of his sorrow after the death of his wife. Written as a series of journal-like entries, the book captures the raw, shifting emotions of grief, including anger, doubt, and profound loneliness.

Lewis wrestles with his faith, questioning previously held beliefs as he tries to reconcile his loss with his understanding of God. He illustrates how grief can feel isolating and disorienting, altering one’s sense of reality and self. Over time, the book shows a slow and gentle move towards accepting what has happened and seeing things in a new way.

The book offers an honest and compassionate exploration of mourning, resonating with anyone navigating loss.

Richard Coles’s The Madness of Grief is a heartfelt and often darkly humorous account of his life after the sudden death of his husband. Blending honesty with wit, Coles describes the chaos and intensity of early grief, from shock and anger to unexpected moments of absurdity.

He reflects on the practical and emotional challenges of loss, including loneliness, identity, and the way grief can disrupt everyday life. The book also explores how memories, love, and faith shape the grieving process over time. It’s a moving exploration of how grief can feel overwhelming, as well as how support and small moments of connection can help carry someone through.

Sonali Deraniyagala’s Wave is a powerful memoir about losing her husband, two young sons, and parents in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. She describes the overwhelming shock and disbelief that follows such sudden and devastating loss, and how grief can feel both all-consuming and isolating.

Deraniyagala writes with honesty about the anger, numbness, and longing she experiences as she tries to make sense of her world that has changed completely. Over time, she begins to reconnect with memories of her family, finding ways to hold onto love while continuing to live. It is both deeply moving and compassionate, offering insight into the long and difficult process of coping after unimaginable loss.

Sue Ryder Ambassador Clover Stroud, a writer and journalist, also explores grief through both her writing and her podcast work. As host of Sue Ryder’s “Grief Kind” podcast, she speaks with guests about their personal experiences of bereavement, helping to open up honest conversations about loss and how we support one another.

In her memoir The Wild Other, Clover reflects on love, loss and resilience following her mother’s life-changing accident, offering a raw and honest account of grief and the search for healing.

In the list below are a selection of six books recommended by the Sue Ryder Online Bereavement Counsellors. Varying in length and covering a range of topics, you may find one or more of these books useful as you navigate through your grief journey and process your bereavement.

Written by someone who has both experienced grief and worked as a grief therapist, this book from Megan Devine challenges society’s tendency to want to ‘solve’ grief.

She writes about how this approach can make it more difficult for those who are navigating through life after a bereavement, while also sharing her own advice and tips to help you feel less alone in your grief.

Languages of Loss: A Psychotherapist’s Journey Through Grief is an honest and raw account in which Sasha Bates explores the sudden death of her husband. She shares her experience both as a grieving wife and as a psychotherapist, gently reflecting on the complex thoughts and emotions that can come with loss.

When Cathy was a teenager, Matty, her brother, was involved in a car accident that left him in a permanent vegetative state. She recounts this tragedy and the unimaginable pain she and her family experienced in the memoir ‘The Last Act of Love’, as they came to terms with the decision they would eventually make: to let Matty go.

In ‘A Manual for Heartache’, Cathy brings comfort and hope to readers as she shares what she’s learnt about grief, and how to get through it.

Described as both hopeful and realistic by one of the counsellors, Mary Sheepshanks’s honest account of the death of her baby and husband can be viewed as a comforting guide for those experiencing grief.

What can children who have experienced extreme stress and trauma teach us about love, losses and the healing process to becoming healthy adults? In this powerful and moving book, child physiatrist Bruce D. Parry shares these learnings alongside stories of courage and hope from the children he has treated over the years.

We also recognise that supporting children and young people before and after a bereavement can feel especially challenging. It can be hard to know what to say or how to help. Books can offer a gentle way to start conversations, helping children understand what is happening and express their feelings in a safe, accessible way.

While Sue Ryder does not directly support children, we aim to support the adults around them as part of caring for the whole family. You can explore our separate guide to children’s books about dying for recommendations and expert guidance tailored to younger readers. You can explore our full list of children’s books by visiting our page Book list: Supporting a child when someone is dying.