24 Books That Are Straightforward About Mental Illness
Because sometimes it’s hard to explain or understand on your own.
Maritsa Patrinos / BuzzFeed
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
Ozeki tackles depression from two angles — through the protagonist, 16-year-old Nao, who falls into a suicidal depression after moving back to Tokyo; and through Nao’s father, who falls into a deeper depression after losing his job.
After Birth by Elisa Albert
Albert never explicitly names postpartum depression in her 2015 novel on a woman in the first year of motherhood, but Ari’s resentment over her experience of childbirth, alienation from the rest of the world, and complicated feelings about her son ring true to the dark and confusing period that often comes, well, after birth.
