Dear Reader:
I have a question for you; what happens when a book is just too sad to read?
I’m grappling with this particular question in the newest release from one of my favorite series and one of my favorite authors. Bad Moon Rising by Sherrilyn Kenyon, the latest book in her Were-Hunters series, is just such a book for me. I’m having a hard time getting through it, it’s just so sad.
Truth be told, I couldn’t wait to read this book. It’s about Fang and Aimee and I’ve been waiting impatiently for their story; so much so that I ran out and brought the hardcover. But like her book Acheron (Ms. Kenyon’s last book in the correlating/corresponding Dark-Hunter series) the angst, anxiety, emotional and physical violence and the sadness are wearing me down.
The book is pure Kenyon, well written, developed, consistent, interesting, and heart wrenching. It’s a great story. But, seriously, this book is breaking my heart. I’m half way through it and I have a confession to make. I skipped to the last chapter. I NEVER do that, to me skipping to the end of a book is tantamount to a criminal act. But, I had to. I had to read the last chapter and read the HEA in order to go on. I admit I’m sounding melodramatic to say the least, but please have mercy on my soul, I couldn’t think of another way to continue.
Obviously, since I haven’t read the entire book, this is not a review (I’ll write that as soon as I wipe the tears from my eyes so I can go back to where I left off and continue reading the book). Instead it’s a… what’s the right word here? Plea? Cry for help? I’m not sure. In any event, I need to know two things from you dear reader:
1. What do you do when a book is so sad you can barely go on; yet, you know there is a happy ending if you just continue reading. All you have to do is take the journey the author has set out and be willing to ‘man up’ to get there?
2. Have any of you read Dark Moon Rising? What are your thoughts?
Thanks so much for your kind indulgence and I look forward to reading your thoughts on the subject.
Yours truly,
Marisa
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LisaK
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 4:48 am:
Hey Marisa,
I often wondered if I’m the only person on earth for whom it sometimes is an agony to read a book – and not because it’s badly written!
The last time I felt that way was in Karin Tabke’s Master of Torment (an excellent book, btw!), when
***********************SPOILER*************************
Tarian, the heroine, loses her baby and almost dies. That was hard. Oh my. In Germany, we call what I did “Rotz und Wasser heulen”, literally “Cry snot and water”, and I’ve never before experienced a situation where that expression fit more. It’s a strange thing because you know that there’ll be a happy ending but still your heart is breaking.
What I did? I wrote an email to Ms. Tabke and told her how very much I liked her book but how sad I found that part of the story. Her answer was so very nice and after she’d explained to me why it had to be that way, I could handle it much better. It still hurts, though.
azteclady
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 10:48 am:
(((Marisa)))
I know what you mean–and it depends on my trust on the author. If the author delivers romance convincingly when the book is labeled a romance, then I am more likely to brace myself and keep going. If it’s a new-to-me author… well, then it would probably depend on what else I knew about the book–such as some reassurance (no spoilers) from people whose tastes I trust.
Maria Lokken
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 11:07 am:
Miss Marisa – you know my feelings on this – it’s very hard for me to suffer through too much angst.
One of the reasons I gave up on one of my favorite series “Outlander” was because the characters were going through way too much by the fourth book. I just couldn’t take it.
I know romance means an HEA – but sometimes, I’m just not willing to go through the journey to get there.
Vanessa Kelly
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 11:17 am:
Depending on my frame of mind, sometimes I just can’t take a book that’s too angsty. I’ll set it aside for another day, and pick something that fits my mood. I especially do this when I’m dealing with challenges in my own life. Don’t need to put myself through the emotional wringer when I’m trying to escape from life’s daily problems!
Laura Essendine
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 11:23 am:
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult had me in floods of tears and I haven’t dared read another one of hers since. Luckily I was at home when it happened.
I sobbed all the way through Lucia Lucia by Adrianna Trigiani although I’ve read several more of hers since. And the Bridges of Madison County reduced me to jelly (my guilty secret?)
I cried so hard at the end of Sebastian Faulks’ Birdsong that my husband came in to see what was happening.
And A Prayer For Owen Meany took me weeks to recover from.
Plus I have a tear in my eye during the sad bits of the novel I’m currently working on.
OMG,I didn’t realise I was such a cry baby. What a great thread.
Laura Essendine
The Accidental Guru Blog
Marisa
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 12:39 pm:
Lisa! “Rotz und Wasser heulen” – what a terrific phrase and so appropriate for what I am experiencing. I agree with you, when it’s an author I trust, who I know will deliver, I will continue to read a book despite or in spite of the heartaches along the way. I guess that’s why I’m still reading Bad Moon Rising. I trust Ms. Kenyon, and her books always deliver; but they sure do take the hard road – and while the journey is fraught with such incredible low points for the characters, I know, with a certainty that she will deliver the high points.
Marisa
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 12:43 pm:
Azteclady – looks as if I’m bracing myself even as we speak. Yes, as I said – I agree with you, trusting the author is a big part of why I’m continuing to read this book.
Hey Maria and Vanessa- I know exactly how you feel.
Laura – I almost forgot how sad A Prayer for Owen Meany is – great book, but you’re right, I cried throughout that one. As for Ms. Picoult’s books, it’s a given that when I read them I have a box of tissues by my side.
Dee
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 1:34 pm:
Most of the books that have made me cry, I still continue to read on. I don’t think it’s because I know the HEA is coming, but because I just want to see how it all works out.
I have not read Bad Moon Rising yet, hopefully I will soon. It might or might not be one of my birthday gifts next Sunday, so we’ll see how soon I actually do read it.
However, when reading Acheron or even Seize the Night by SK, I remember those books taking it all out of me. The tears wouldn’t stop…it was a step below watching Beaches or The Notebook. I still remember my roommate’s mom saying she couldn’t understand how we could be that affected by a movie until she saw it herself.
Marisa
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 4:05 pm:
Dee, while Acheron was one of my favorite books last year, I must admit it laid me flat out for a few days. I haven’t yet read Seize the Night, but I think I’m going to have to wait a bit after finishing Bad Moon Rising before I start it. I think in between I’ll read something a bit less emotionally demanding, perhaps a romantic comedy.
cheryl c.
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 4:16 pm:
I just cannot handle sad books and movies. They just bum me out for days. Like you, Maria, I had to quit reading the Outlander books.
Sometimes I can get through a sad part if I know the happy ending is coming. I have been known to peek at the last page just to be sure! Even so, I don’t know that the ending makes the sad parts worth going through.
I know that there are some ChickLit books that don’t necessarily have a HEA ending, so I wish books (and movies) came with a “sob rating.”
Are there any books/movies that you KNOW that somebody like me should avoid?
Marisa
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 4:27 pm:
Hi Cheryl! I’m totally with you. So many books come with a rating for the ‘hot factor’ – but I’m thinking books should definitely come with a sob factor. One book I really loved and had me crying for days with a sob factor of 5, was Beach Music by Pat Conroy – wonderful book, but oh so sad. I also really enjoyed The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, but it did have a sob factor of about 4.
I guess those are two books you should avoid. However, although I’m adamant about avoiding movies that are too sad or angst ridden, not so with my books. If I avoided books with a sob factor over 2, I know I’d miss out on too many good books. I know… I’m a conundrum wrapped in an enigma.
Dee
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 4:35 pm:
When my friend Jan recommends a book to me, she will actually include tissue alerts. I usually find it very helpful.
Cheryl, if you don’t want to start crying while watching a movie, I’d avoid The Notebook [although I love it], Beaches and Stella. I had never heard much about Stella before my roommate told me to watch…but I was bawling. The first 10 minutes of Star Trek also got me. I smacked my brother in the arm for not warning me. He just laughed.
As far as books…it depends on the plot and why I’m crying. Is it a heroine who no one ever truly saw and the hero realizes how beautiful she really is? [I am so a sucker for that storyline]. Acheron made me cry because he endured so much and got so little in return.
Andrea
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 4:37 pm:
Marisa, I felt that way when I read SUZANNE’S DIARY FOR NICHOLAS by James Patterson. I cried and cried and cried, but it was so very good.
Marisa
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 4:40 pm:
Andrea, you just hit on it. A book that can move me to tears? Well that’s saying something, isn’t it.
cheryl c.
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 4:54 pm:
Thanks for the “sob advisories”, ladies!
I have been side-swiped by a few books and movies in the past!
Linda
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 5:21 pm:
I recently completed Bad Moon Rising and I was sooo caught up in the story and how it move so smoothly between several different previous stories. Yes Fang story was sad but it did not have me crying as hard as Acheron story. Now that was sooo sad. I pushed through and kept reminding myself that a happy ending was coming. It was just great!! I can hardly wait for the next book!!!
Maria Lokken
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 5:21 pm:
Cheryl C – talk about being side swiped by a movie. I’d never read Nights at the Rodanthe, but I rented the movie starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane – I didn’t see the end coming and I WEPT uncontrollably.
cheryl c.
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 5:27 pm:
You know, Maria, it just completely ruins a movie for me if it ends badly. I go to movies and read books to relieve stress and be entertained. I do not want to end up feeling worse!
cheryl c.
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 7:13 pm:
Marissa, one book that I am glad that I toughed out was Untouched by Anna Campbell. I did have to look at the last page for reassurement about halfway through, though.
Wendy
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 8:26 pm:
Oh thank goodness someone else had a hard time reading this book. I got my copy early since I ordered it signed and started reading right then. Bad Moon Rising is sad but it does have a happy ending, really it does but man Fang had it much rougher than I had even imagined from the previous books. But it is a good book even with the sadness. I usually get through it by getting caught up with the book. If the book is just sad but does not seem to have a good plot I often can’t get through it. But with this book I wanted it to get to the HEA so badly it got me right through the book to the end which gave the HEA.
Marisa
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 9:54 pm:
Cheryl, so true about Anna Campbell’s Untouched. But just like Kenyon – both both authors can move me to tears – they take me on unparalleled journeys.
Wendy – I agree, I’m certainly caught up in Bad Moon Rising. And as sad as Fang’s journey is, and although I had to read the last chapter before finishing the book, and in spite of the fact that I had to take a break, I’ve picked up where I left off and I can’t stop reading it. So I guess I’ve answered my own question – When a book is too sad for me to read, but the author takes me on an incredible, thought provoking and emotional journey – I guess I’m in with both feet. I might balk in the middle, but when it comes right down to it, I just get out another box of tissues and keep reading.
Helen
on Aug 16th, 2009
@ 11:11 pm:
Marisa,
I too had trouble getting through Acheron. It was so torturous to read. Actually, I still haven’t read the whole thing. (And I didn’t peek at the ending either.) It is still sitting on my “to read” shelf and I can’t seem to make myself pick it back up. When this happens, I have to give myself a large and sometimes permanent break from an author. I don’t know if I will attempt to read Bad Moon Rising even though the werehunters are my favorite among Sherrilyn Kenyon’s characters.
Marisa
on Aug 17th, 2009
@ 1:03 am:
Helen, I totally hear you on Acheron… I have to say, for me, it was well worth it. I loved to hear from you when you finally get around to ‘facing’ it again.
Donna
on Aug 17th, 2009
@ 8:14 am:
Marissa, I agree about the Outlander series its sometimes too hard to go on with all the grief. I just finished Henry’s Sisters by Cathy Lamb and the whole book was hard to read especiall near the end where they find out Henry has pancreatic cancer. I was sobbing byt this part due to he bing the connecting one that held the whole family together. (he was mentally challenged) great book!!! Of course I sobbed in Marley and Me also near the end when they had to put the dog to sleep….
Donna
Nicole
on Aug 17th, 2009
@ 11:39 am:
I’ve definitely had to pause or completely give up on some books due to an excess of angst. Sometimes I feel like it’s useful to advance the story and I’m just not in the right frame of mind to deal with it, and I’ll put down the book and come back to it at some point in the future. Sometimes I think it’s unnecessary and untrue to the story, and I may put down the book and never finish it. This is pretty rare for me, as I rarely stop reading a book without finishing it; still, as I get older, I find that I have less patience for books that I find ridiculous and am less willing to waste my time on them.
I Heart Book Gossip
on Aug 17th, 2009
@ 11:42 am:
1. I suck it up and try to get to the end, or read a contemporary to save me from this sadness. True Kenyon writes really sad books, but they are quite compelling. It’s a type of story that other authors might not be able to do.
2. I have read all of the Dark Hunter series and Bad Moon Rising isn’t my favorite. It made me confused and sad all at the same time.
Chrissy
on Aug 19th, 2009
@ 11:13 am:
I just finished reading Bad Moon Rising a few days ago. Like you I couldn’t wait to see how in the world a wolf and bear would end up together.
Although I liked the book very much, and parts did break my heart, I had one problem with it. So much of BMR were the same parts from Vane’s book Night Play (another fav of mine) Even with the point of view coming from Fang and not Vane is was the same scenes. Other then feeling like I was rereading something I found the book enjoyable.
Sherrilyn has always had a way of bring a tear to your eye (I cried though most of Ash’s book!) but she “almost” always has a HEA. As long as she doesn’t kill off any important characters I’ll keep reading.
FYI if you didn’t know Dev is up next and he hooks up with a female Dar-Hunter. Sounds interesting!