Saddest book you have read?
Discussion
Saddest book is a difficult question. I have found books sad because they deal with historic tragedies- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee was mentioned earlier, but I would include the in some ways similar but easier for a Brit to identify with : The Highland Clearances by John Prebble.
For me though the saddest books are ones about more individual tragedy. And in this category, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, the story of the 1996 Everest tragedy where 8 climbers died in a few hours. Two reasons, on first reading you cannot believe that Rich Hall will be the leader to die, with his previous reputation for caution and safety, and then there is the aftermath of first publication, dealt with in later editions, where another climber and his representatives take exception to his portrayal in the book, and a feud starts to develop- just when it looks like ending, the other guy dies in another climbing accident so making reconciliation impossible.
Desperately sad.
For me though the saddest books are ones about more individual tragedy. And in this category, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, the story of the 1996 Everest tragedy where 8 climbers died in a few hours. Two reasons, on first reading you cannot believe that Rich Hall will be the leader to die, with his previous reputation for caution and safety, and then there is the aftermath of first publication, dealt with in later editions, where another climber and his representatives take exception to his portrayal in the book, and a feud starts to develop- just when it looks like ending, the other guy dies in another climbing accident so making reconciliation impossible.
Desperately sad.
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