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/lit/ - Literature

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2392472 No.2392472 [Reply] [Original]

Hey /lit/

This is my first time ever visiting this board, I usually don't discuss what I read (it's kind of a "solo activity" for me), but this is a bit more serious, so I turn here.

So I read a lot of positive reviews and opinions about Jay Asher's book "Thirteen reasons why". Since I've been... well... in the mood, I thought I'd give a shot for a novel about suicide, but it was a disappointment. I just can't take it seriously. I mean it's not a bad really. It's a good read and you can go through it in several hours, but I expected some deep thoughts and maybe something to shed some light for me, but I couldn't connect, it's too "lightweight".

So I need some novel suggestions that really hit the nerves. Suicide, depression, nihilism, existentialism, and not on a silly way like the above mentioned teen novel. Novels written in the past ~2 decades would be preferred, but I can read older books too of course.

Also, if you've read the novel, you can go ahead and give your opinions about it.

>> No.2392475

Clay Jensen, a somewhat shy California high school student, returns home from school one day to find an anonymously-sent package sitting on his doorstep. Upon opening it, he discovers that it is a shoebox containing seven cassette tapes recorded by the late Hannah Baker, his classmate and emotional crush who recently committed suicide. The tapes were initially mailed to one classmate with instructions to pass them from one student to another, in the style of a chain letter. On the tapes, Hannah explains to thirteen people how they played a role in her death, by giving thirteen reasons to explain why she took her life. Hannah has given a second set of tapes to one of their classmates, the identity of whom Clay later discovers, and warns the people on the tapes that if they do not pass them on, the second set will be leaked to the entire student body. This could lead to the public embarrassment and shame of certain people, while others could face physical harassment charges or jail time. Through the audio narrative, Hannah reveals her pain and suffering and the slide into depression that ultimately leads to her suicide.

.9/10 you can do better op.

>> No.2392476
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2392476

Infinite Jest

>> No.2392477

welcome, hope you enjoy your stay.
Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler comes to mind. very bleak. He also wrote some non fiction on suicide and committed it himself.

>> No.2392478

Why would I read that pointless garbage.

This thread sucks and you should feel bad for posting it.

>> No.2392486
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2392486

a lot of girls in my class chose the virgin suicides for their dissertation OP

mite b cool

>> No.2392491

>>2392476
>>2392477
Thanks for the suggestions, I'll check them out!

>>2392475
Not trolling. I also don't think it's that bad, and it only took like 5 hours of my life to read it, so nothing of value was lost.

>>2392478
>haven't read the book
>calls it pointless garbage

Grow up.


Also, my thread is mainly about suggestions, because I KNOW that this books is silly and an easy read, nothing mind-shattering. I saw it popping up in Kobo and the positive reviews so I gave it a shot, and now I want some more in the deeper in the same topic, hence I opened this thread.

>> No.2392495
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2392495

>>2392491
>he is about to "check out" Infinite Jest

>> No.2392496

>>2392486
Wow, I've had that movie in my to-watch list forever now, and I didn't even know it was based on a novel.

Time to give it a shot in written form then, thanks.

>> No.2392500

>>2392495
I only read the wikipedia description, I don't know what it's about so if that was trolling, fine, you got me.

(Nevertheless, the book seems interesting, even if it's not about the topic I'm interested in right now)

>> No.2392505

>>2392486

I read that after catching the movie one time. I thought it was a waste of time. One of the few times I will say just watch the movie. And I can't believe there is a suicide thread and The Bell Jar hasn't been said yet

>> No.2392510
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2392510

>> No.2392522
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2392522

>>2392500
It wasn't trolling per se; you just don't check out a 1079 page, densely and demandingly written book. And IJ does deal with suicides. If the last book you read was featherweight teenlit about existentialist crisis, then I'd bid you'd be best by not reading IJ just yet.

Welcome to /lit/ anyhow. Don't take everything said here at face value.

>> No.2392551

>>2392522
By "checking out" I meant I'll look them up. See what the suggested books are about, when they were written and other trivial information about them. And as I said, I have read the wikipedia page and it seems interesting.

"Thirteen reasons" is just a sidenote here, it popped up in my face as some "hot topic" and I read it. That's it. As I said, I don't think it's a serious and deep book at all, I agree with you on that. It's mainly some high-school teen's struggling with parties and boys, it's silly as I mentioned before. But it was short and it was enough for me to look for something serious.