Jojo Moyes' best-selling novel isn’t the only devastating book on the shelf
The film adaption ofMe Before You,Jojo Moyes' stunning tale of loss and romance, hit theaters on June 3, 2016, and follows the tragic relationship between Will Traynor (Sam Claflin), a man with quadriplegia who uses a wheelchair, and his quirky caretaker Louisa Clark (Emilia Clarke).
EW looks back at nine other books with devastating love stories that will send you into a pit of literary despair.
Anna Kareninaby Leo Tolstoy
Anna Kareninaisn’t just a tragic love story for the ages; it’s one of the best novels ever written, period.
Credit: Alex Bailey
From the titular character struggling for true love and independence to the nobleman trying to empathize with his peasant workers, Tolstoy’s vivid characters paint a beautiful portrait of life in all its multi-faceted glory.Christian Holub
Before I Dieby Jenny Downham
After being diagnosed with terminal acute lymphoblastic leukemia at 16, Tessa sets out to experience as much as she can.
With her best friend Zoey, she comes up with a bucket list of wild activities, most importantly to find love.
Told from Tessa’s point of view,Before I Dieunravels a story of blooming romance amid certain tragedy.Dylan Kickham
Wuthering Heightsby Emily Bronte
Emily Bronte’s only novel stands alone as a masterpiece in grief and longing.
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group; Random House Large Print; Penguin Young Readers Group; Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Read widely in classrooms,Wuthering Heightstells the epic story of star-crossed lovers Heathcliff and Catherine, who can’t be together because of their differing classes.
They and their offspring march toward their tortured fates, casting aside happiness for extreme despair through decades in the English moors.Jessica Goodman
Atonementby Ian McEwan
InMcEwan’s acclaimed novel, set on the cusp of and during World War II, 13-year-old aspiring writer Briony makes a series of mistaken assumptions about the relationship between her older sister Cecilia and her lover Robbie, which ruins both of their lives and haunts Briony for the rest of hers.Isabella Biedenharn
Never Let Me Goby Kazuo Ishiguro
Kazuo Ishiguro’s sci-fi dystopian tale centers around three friendsKathy, Tommy, and Ruthas they come of age in a mysterious private school, Hailsham, in the English countryside.
As they grow older, their instructors treat them with fear and pity, and the trio soon discovers a horrifying truth about their existence.
Adapted into a stellar2010 feature filmstarringCarey Mulligan,Andrew Garfield, andKeira Knightley,Never Let Me Gocontinues to grip audiences across multiple mediums with its disturbing and honest fusion of terror and tragic romance.Joey Nolfi
Love Storyby Erich Segal
Erich Segal’s 1970 novelLove Storybegins as a hopeful tale of young romance: Wealthy Harvard jock Ollie falls for music student Jenny.
Their unlikely love carries them through familial death and devastation, but is tried the hardest when Jenny is diagnosed with leukemia.D.K.
The Fault in Our Starsby John Green
Not only didGreen’s novel set offthe teen tragedy trendof the 2010s, but it also broughtrealistic YA literatureto the forefront of the publishing industry.
Readers of all ages fell for the story of Hazel Grace Lancaster, a 17-year-old with terminal thyroid cancer who constantly worries about leaving her parents behind after she dies, and Augustus Waters, an easygoing, charming boy with all the confidence of someone in remission.
The two bond over books, and jet off to Amsterdam to track down Hazel’s favorite authorall while falling deeply in love.I.B.
One Day by David Nicholls
July 15 becomes the only day that matters inDavid Nicholls' 2009 novel.
Dexter and Emma spend one night together as they ready to leave college and after they say goodbye, we revisit them every year on July 15.
Chapter after chapter, readers watch their relationship devolve and then flourish until one tragic event changes their lives forever.J.G.
A Walk to Rememberby Nicholas Sparks
Nicholas Sparks’weeperfollows 17-year-old Jamie Sullivan, a sweet, quiet church-going girl, and Landon Carter, the jock who is surprised to find himself falling in love with her.
When Jamie finally tells Landon she has leukemia, he speeds up their courtship so she can get a happily ever after in her short life.
Inspired by Sparks' own sister who died of cancer, the author has saidA Walk to Rememberis the only one of his books that made him cry while writing it.I.B.
