essay about sad love story

Get your tissues ready.

Love stories don't always have a happy ending. You might fall for someone who doesn't return your phone calls or dates your best friend or simply doesn't feel the same way you do. DW, heartbreak won't stop you from moving on and pursuing new relationships. But before you get a happy fairytale ending, there's a chance you'll collect a sad love story or two along the way. Sorry to be a downer, friends, but it's true. A sad story is sometimes the best love story.

The end of a relationship doesn't necessarily include betrayal and big blowups. Sometimes, a relationship reaches a quiet conclusion, which can be even more painful than a messy split. People move away, change their priorities, find new careers, and — on the path to finding themselves — they may find their partner doesn't fit into the equation.

Though losing a lover can be an isolating experience, it might make you feel better to know that you're not alone. I came across an AskReddit thread inviting Reddit users to share the most heartbreaking story from their love lives, and hundreds of brokenhearted people replied with their tales of love gone wrong . I hope you have some tissues handy because these sad stories might just make you ugly cry.

My boyfriend and I broke up over religion. We were in a relationship for four years and a couple of months ago, both his parents (who are Jewish) and my parents (who are Hindu) made us break up with each other because both families believed that there was no future for us.

His Jewish parents didn't want a Hindu daughter-in-law and my parents felt the same about him. Although we had tried for the past four years to get our parents to accept the other, they never did, which always led to arguments.

We continue to remain friends now and it breaks my heart every time I see him because I still love him immensely.

— /u/honeycomb29

We dated for over a year and were each other's best friends, we completely understand each other, and we are still madly in love with each other, but it was best for us to break up because we weren't in the same place. She's 20 and wants to be married and have kids soon, and I'm 21 and wanted to date her for a while and get married and have kids around age 30.

It was mutual and we both knew it was best for us, so we decided one day to break up. On the last day of our relationship, I decided to take her out on one last date night. We spent the entire date thinking back and talking about favorite times together, things we'll miss about each other, how we've affected each other's life in so many good ways. I bought her flowers, took her to a nice romantic restaurant with live music, and went to see The Hobbit, through all of which we held hands. It was one of the most perfect, romantic, happy, and yet heartbreaking date we ever had.

At the end of the night, we said our goodbyes as we hugged and kissed passionately for one last time and went our separate ways, never to see each other again. It was the hardest thing I've had to do to this date, but I wouldn't want it to end any other way. It was as perfect as a heartbreak could be.

— /u/hamdalore510

I had a bit of a thing for this girl Caitlin for over a year back in school. I used to speak to her whenever I could — I'd help her with her English homework, sit next to her on the bus, etc. The typical teenage romance crap.

Caitlin and I both had a liking for this local band who had made it relatively big, so for her birthday, I got two tickets to see them at a homecoming show as a way of asking her out. I put the tickets in her card and wrote some crap about looking forward to taking her.

Her birthday comes around, I give her the card, watch her open it, get a hug and a massive thank you, etc., but that was about it. [I] didn't think too much of the lack of comments regarding the 'asking out' part.

Concert day rolls around, I text her asking when she wants to get pick up. She doesn't understand what I mean [and] tells me she's already on her way there with *****.

Turns out she went with another guy. They started dating for a year or two.

— /u/MrAmsterdammit

My first boyfriend of two years dumped me near the beginning of college for another girl and stopped speaking to me cold turkey. Left me friendless in a new place. Didn't even acknowledge me when we passed on the same staircase in campus. Two years together and I was dead to him in a day.

— /u/Mandelish

[I] fell in love with a guy. In an attempt to get closer to him, we became best friends. I fell harder and harder in love with him. We shared everything — we went on trips together, he taught me how to change the oil on my car, I introduced him to some great books/movies/music.

I watched him marry the girl of his dreams. It wasn't me.

— /u/whengaysattack

I met her in college and I fell instantly for her on our first date. We were together for about a year and a half before she got accepted into a grad school across the country. We discussed whether or not we were to have a long-distance relationship and we decided not to since it would be easier on both of us. I've been miserable ever since she's left. It's been about four months since she's been gone. We spent time together over break and it was as if she never left. It was wonderful until she said that she had started dating again.

I couldn't be mad at her because we weren't together. I think the overwhelming shock that the girl I had meant to propose to was already moving on with her life after having such a wonderful relationship with me is what is making me sick to my stomach every day. Every single day I wish that things were different, that she hadn't moved away, and that we were still together.

— /u/cloudy_pants

I realized that I had fallen madly in love with him completely by accident, so I broke up with my boyfriend so I could be with him. He was thrilled with this, and we spent a couple absolutely blissful weeks together where we sang love songs to each other, cooked meals together, danced like crazy, watched old Disney movies, developed hilarious inside jokes (making a duck face every time Skyfall is mentioned, due to Daniel Craig's face), complimented each other every few minutes... He was so wonderfully happy, I was so wonderfully happy, and everyone around us thought we were an amazing couple. Those were a couple of the happiest weeks of my life.

Fast forward another two weeks and he realizes he's not in a position where he can commit to a serious relationship. Feels too young, feels like he wants to explore the world, scared of commitment, etc. He decides he'll try to push aside the doubts because he thinks I'm amazing and that we have something really special going on. We kiss like we're in the movies and everything is great again. One week later, the doubts are back and I can't handle always being afraid he'll end it any minute, so we end it and go back to being friends.

Except that I'm still madly in love with him. But secretly.

— /u/go-with-the-flow

I loved a girl for two years. She was beautiful, and I still think about her every now and then. We were pretty good friends and she told me everything. But last year, she told me she's in love with my best friend. My best friend is a pretty oblivious person, so he often doesn't know anything happening around him. ...And I made one of the stupidest mistakes. I didn't want her to be sad, so I helped her and my best friend to get closer. It ended up [with] them being together, and I was just loner. I have always regretted for not being brave enough to confess to her that I love her. One thing that I feel most jealous of is that my best friend is still a very uncaring person, but she's so tolerant for him, and seeing them everyday at school, I sometimes imagine myself as if I was my best friend.

— /u/justinwongtop

I was 22 when I had my first girlfriend. I loved her a great deal. I had just moved to California (I'm originally from Texas) where she lived after several months of long-distance dating, so getting to spend time with her was great, but I couldn't support myself there and wound up having to move back to Texas. It was heart-breaking for me and I couldn't bear doing the long-distance thing again so I broke up with her. We're still in contact everyday and she has moved on, where I haven't. I've been there for her through every ill-advised relationship, always the shoulder to cry on and the voice of reason to listen to. I used to tell myself that I was over her, but if I'm truly honest, I guess I never will be.

— /u/Nathrie

Sophomore year of high school I was determined to ask my bright-eyed auburn-haired crush (who I spoke to daily) to homecoming. Each day I'd say I'd do it during/after our class together, but each day my nerves would get the better of me. Then, one day, it was different. I was going to ask her today, dammit. The whole day I was brimming with confidence, I was super excited — nervous, but in a good way.

Then during class I hear her talking to her friends and make out what I think is them talking about how some guy had asked her that morning. Crushed, but not yet defeated by some half-heard gossip, I decided to approach her after class and casually ask if anybody had asked her to homecoming yet. She looked a little bit stunned/embarrassed (I guess she knew why I was asking) and told me that she had been asked that morning.

She went with him, and the two have been dating (on and off) ever since (we're seniors in college now).

— /u/Cool-Zip

In my sophomore year of high school, I met a girl at my friend's birthday party. I thought she was amazing. And she liked me enough. We agreed that, since we didn't live that close together or go to the same school, it wouldn't make sense to date, but we did strike a deal. In college, we would go on a date. It doesn't sound like anything now, but at the time it was fantastic. We would talk about what we would do, discuss our plans for the future, essentially plan our lives together. I honestly think I loved this girl, if only for a time.

However, plans never hold up to real life, people grow up, and grow apart. We stopped talking after a long while, never dated, and she's married now.

It's not heartbreaking in a way that makes me sad or has left a scar or anything. Just heartbreaking to think about these emotions that I had, and now they're gone. Not because of her, but simply because of life.

— /u/toaster_waffle

After starting high school and feeling completely out of place for the first year, I finally found the kind of friends that actually made me happy. We all grew really close in the first year we knew each other, and apparently, I managed to charm one of them enough that she fell for me. Pressure from all sides forced me into eventually confronting this fact, and we started dating at the end of that year. The only problem was, I am gay.

I didn't want to start a facade, so I had to just let it die. In two weeks it was over, and both of us were hurt. I know this isn't as tragic as some of the other stories, and she's certainly moved on by now, but what hurts me the most is that I lost one of my best friends. We were both part of a large circle of friends so we regularly came into contact for the rest of high school. Our moms also became best friends, which didn't help. And every time we see each other there's this awful silent barrier between us. I pretend I don't care, and she certainly doesn't, but for some reason I just can't let go. Despite my sexuality, I think I could have loved her, and I think I still do.

We met again at a New Years party. We exchanged a few meaningless words at the beginning, but even excessive drinking didn't take us past that. Since then I keep having dreams about her. In the dreams we're friends again, just enjoying each others company with others. I feel incredibly warm and comforted. But I'll never actually have that again.

— /u/Hcxujhde

Every happy love story probably involves encountering some form of heartbreak along the way. Just remember this: You're not alone in your pain, and you're not any less deserving of a happy ending. The more painful the heartbreak in your past, the more satisfying true love may be when you find it in the future.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated by Elite Daily Staff.

This article was originally published on 10.09.19

Grab a box of tissues. You’ll need them.

Rosy love stories are great and all, but they don’t always scratch that itch. You know, when you just need a tragic love story to completely obliterate your heart, rip it out of your chest, and stomp all over it. For many, this twisted ache began with a little heart-wrenching novel by Nicholas Sparks called The Notebook (ever heard of it?) and basically spiraled out of control from there. Sometimes you truly just need a good crying fit, and becoming emotionally attached to characters doomed with heartbreak and tragedy is a guaranteed ticket to get there.

If all of the general positivity and romantic mushiness in your reading material is just not doing it for you, ground yourself with one of these sad love books that will actually make you feel something. Exactly what makes a story good, after all, is a matter of opinion. Some people prefer tales where the heroes win, the lovers reunite, and everyone lives happily ever after in the end, while others would rather read about the darker side of life. When it comes to stories about love, there are plenty on both sides of the spectrum to keep every reader happy — even if that means the characters in the book might not be.

If you find yourself reveling in the catharsis of a good book-induced cry sesh, these stories are for you. From forbidden affairs to tragic deaths to fairy tales with less-than-happy endings , here are 17 heartbreaking romance books to uncontrollably sob over. Prepare for the ultimate book hangover.

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Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

Two young people fall in love on the Italian Riviera in Call Me by Your Name , a heartrending novel set in the mid-1980s. At age 17, Elio is much younger than the object of his affections — Oliver, a 24-year-old med student living with Elio’s parents for the summer. The pair are drawn together for a few weeks of passion, but can they ever be more than a summer fling?

The Light of the World by Elizabeth Alexander

A finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Biography, poet Elizabeth Alexander’s memoir, The Light of the World , traces the bounds of love, grief, and recovery. The author explores her relationship with her teenage sons in the aftermath of her husband’s sudden death in 2012 at age 49, weaving a story that’s at once tender and beautiful — and sure to leave you feeling raw.

This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith

A recently divorced therapist and a man she’s consoling come together in this quiet romance novel. After inviting Emmett into her home, Tallie doesn’t tell him what she does for a living, and he doesn’t tell her why he planned to die by suicide. Although it’s often described as evoking a hygge-like coziness, This Close to Okay still manages to rip your heart out before the end.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

How is it possible for a book to have a hopeful ending and be sad? Somehow, This Is How You Lose the Time War finds a way. In this epistolary romance, two time travelers on opposite sides of a cosmic war, known as Red and Blue, share messages in secret locations across the timeline. They slowly transition from enemies to lovers, but all’s fair in love and war… and this is both.

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

An American Marriage is a masterclass in tragedy. Tayari Jones’ NAACP Image Award-winning novel centers on Celestial and Roy: a married couple who are separated as newlyweds when Roy is wrongly convicted of a terrible crime. Five years later, Roy is unexpectedly released from prison, and Celestial should be overjoyed by their reunion — but she’s fallen for someone else in the time he’s been away.

High as the Waters Rise by Anja Kampmann

German poet Anja Kampmann’s debut novel follows Waclaw, an oil rig worker who’s caught in a spiral of grief when his companion and co-worker, Mátyás, is lost at sea. As he travels across Europe and Africa, stopping in Morocco, Hungary, Italy, and Germany, Waclaw traces the edges of his life — the parts of it he shared with Mátyás, and the void left behind by his death.

The Lucky Ones by Liz Lawson

In Liz Lawson’s powerful YA debut, a pair of teens are united by grief in the wake of a school shooting. The only survivor of a violent incident that killed her twin brother, May is struggling with survivor’s guilt when she meets Zach: the son of the shooter’s defense attorney, whose friends have all abandoned him. They’ve both lost much in the last few months, but what might they stand to gain from one another?

Kept Animals by Kate Milliken

In Kate Milliken’s deeply affective novel, a complex social network connects three teen girls in early ’90s California. Among them is Rory, a ranch hand who finds herself caught between two love interests: June, a wealthy ranch patron, and Vivian, the daughter of a Hollywood star. Narrated by Rory’s daughter in 2015, Kept Animals is a brooding story of love and loss.

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

Caleb Azumah Nelson’s Open Water centers on two unnamed, Black British creatives: a photographer and a dancer. There’s no doubt that the two fast friends are headed for romance, but the photographer struggles to open up to his partner — with whom he has so much in common — when it comes to matters of life and death. The pair’s relationship may just break under the strain.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Addie has lived through 300 years of historical events, but her participation was never recorded for posterity. That’s the price she paid to live forever: No one can remember her. Then she meets someone who knows exactly who she is, and the trajectory of her entire life shifts, in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue .

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

As a trans brujo, Yadriel faces opposition from his traditional family, who refuse to see him for the young man he is. To prove himself, he attempts to summon the ghost of his missing cousin... but winds up face-to-face with the spirit of Julian instead. This local bad boy has some business to attend to before he leaves this world behind, and Yadriel is just the right guy to help him. But what happens when a brujo can’t bear to exorcise a spirit that needs to cross over?

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

A BookTok favorite , The Song of Achilles is a gripping retelling of Homer’s The Iliad . The reimagined adventure infuses the legend of Achilles and the Trojan War with a page-turning love story. Achilles is the strong and beautiful son of sea goddess Thetis and King Peleus. In a chance encounter, he meets and bonds with Patroclus, an exiled young prince. Seeking glory, Achilles joins the heroes of Greece on their quest to invade Troy after Helen of Sparta is kidnapped. Out of love and fear, Patroclus follows him on his deadly pursuit.

Memorial by Brian Washington

Benson and Mike have been together for several years and live together in Houston — but they aren’t exactly a couple. Or are they? They love each other, but can’t seem to discuss and define what they are or where this relationship is going. Everything is tested when Mike discovers his father is dying and tells Benson he is going to go to Japan to be with him — just as his mother, Mitsuko, is set for an extended visit in Houston. Memorial is a make-you-laugh and cry story exploring all of the devastatingly real sides of a relationship.

A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

A Place For Us follows an Indian-American Muslim family over the span of several decades. Narrated from the perspective of each member, the family gathers in their hometown in California for the wedding of the eldest daughter, Hadia. The youngest sibling, Amar, has made an appearance after three years of estrangement. A Place For Us catalogs the history and decisions of the family’s past that led to this moment. The children struggle to balance the traditions and faith of their parents with their new culture as they navigate what will bring them together — and what will ultimately drive them apart.

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

Dannie Cohan is living life according to her plan, and it’s working out exactly as it’s supposed to. She nailed her life-changing interview at her dream law firm and just accepted her boyfriend’s proposal. She falls asleep knowing her life is exactly on track, but when she wakes up, she’s in a different apartment, has a different ring on her finger, and is looking at a man who is not her fiancé. It’s five years in the future and nothing is right. She spends exactly one hour here before waking up back in her apartment with her fiancé. For the next five years, Dannie does everything in her power to shake that fateful hour and keep life going according to her plan. This becomes exceedingly difficult when she unexpectedly meets the man she spent an hour with five years in the future.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Louisa Clarke is hired as a caregiver for Will Traynor, a man who became paralyzed from the neck down in a motorcycle accident. Will had lived an extraordinary life of adventure before the accident and is now cynical with no desire to live. Louisa is determined to prove to Will that life is worth living and in doing so, discovers a spark she didn’t know she was missing in her own life.

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

When it comes to Nicholas Sparks, you’re pretty much guaranteed a devastatingly tragic love story, and A Walk to Remember is no exception. The high school romance between bad boy Landon Carter and the minister’s daughter, Jamie Sullivan, is unlikely, to say the least. As he falls for Jamie, Landon begins to turn his life around, but everything is thrown to the wayside when he discovers her heart-breaking secret.

This article was originally published on May 5, 2017

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Madam Pearl De Vere wanted me to look eye-catching on the night of the ball and provided a new gown for the occasion. Its hand-embroidered satin and plunging neckline flattered my slim waist and hips, without drawing excessive attention to my cleavage. I had no reason to advertise my wares.   “Tighter, Eliza!” I said, as she strained behind me. “Pull with all your might!”   “That’s as tight as tight can be, Miss Teresa.” By the time Eliza had secured all the laces and buttons, and powdered my tresses, it wa...

“ The Ladies of the Warehouse ” by Dave Bede

“I’m glad you felt well enough to come,” Jimmy said as they stepped out into the cloudy summer heat that would never feel like Valentine’s Day to Kathy. “I’d have hated to have to look at Mrs. Blodgett laid out in there alone. What a bloody awful day for a funeral.” “Is there ever a good day to say goodbye to your true love forever?” Kathy asked.  “But Valentine’s Day weekend most of all!” Jimmy replied. “All right, I know you don’t like that kind of thing as much as I do. It’s like the ladies at the warehouse all used to say, I’m a sap...

“ Break Time ” by Craig Scott

Murray walked out the door and into the late afternoon. Early-evening winds jogged over the blasted topsoil of the parking area; its black surface dominated by itinerant veins of oily leakage sprung from a lineage of underserved and cheap cars. Over this geography, the gust of air lifted itself to meet the concrete structure of the factory, towing in its updraft a chemical bite of chloride and ammonia scraped from the ground. It was a particular breed of wind that tended to burn the nostrils and loiter in the chest.Murry stopped at the topmo...

“ My Best Friend ” by ER Castaneda

TW: Death My best friend died on a sunny Friday morning, two days before National Ice Cream Day. We had planned on going to Baskin-Robbins as we did every year for National Ice Cream Day, each eating one cone with a single scoop of ice cream - plain vanilla for her and a chocolate chip ice cream cone for me. We'd enjoy the cones on a picnic table right near Baskin-Robbins, licking the ice cream from the cones as fast as we could before the summer heat caused the ice cream to melt and drip onto the ground. Then we'd take a walk at the park ne...

“ Seven Minutes Past Seven ” by Hannah Gillam

TW: Child loss and strong themes of griefThe room was silent as the midwives and doctors paused. “What!? What’s wrong? Where is my baby!?” Mallory was breathless, her words were shaky as she cried out for the son she’d just birthed. Her hair was soaked in sweat after a gruelling 19 hour labour and her lower body tingled with the sensation of numbness. Her heart threw itself at her ribs as the silence grew louder. “What!?” her eyes darted from person to person. She lifted her head, and the top of her chest tightened as her eyes found her s...

The Best Sad Short Stories

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many of us like a nice Nicholas-Sparks-level cry from time to time (sharpens those empathy skills, no?). Reading sad short stories can help you release your own emotions, and make you feel more connected to the world around you. Narratives of separation, pain, heartbreak, nostalgia, and loss are undeniably important in bringing people together.

It’s strange but true that reading sad short stories when you’re wallowing in your own negative emotions can actually provide some much-needed comfort. Maybe it’s that we recognize that others have felt our feelings before, in a sort of literary camaraderie; maybe it’s just that we feel validated. Either way, a good sad short story (especially a sad love story!) can be balm for the soul.

You’ve come to the right place

On this page, you can read all the sad short stories submitted to our weekly writing contest — and we’ve put winning or shortlisted stories up top for your convenience. They’re written by a diverse group of writers and are guaranteed to hit you right in the feels. Whatever kind of sadness you’re looking for, we’ll have a story for you. And since this is quite a broad category, you can also look out for additional tags on every story you click on, so you can easily determine which stories suit your mood. You can also find our favorite stories from across genres anthologised in Prompted , our new literary magazine — be sure to pick up your free copy!

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25+ Sad Stories That Will Break Your Heart (And Make You Think About Life)

Sad stories will make you cry, but they will also make you contemplate life in a way that can be very rewarding. A strong sad story will make you feel less alone—more aware of the fact that no one’s experience of this world is all rainbows and unicorns. We all have to trudge through the darker aspects of existence. Read these sad stories because they’re beautiful, and because they reflect real life.

18 Two-Sentence Sad Stories From Reddit

Language is a wonderful medium. In just two carefully crafted sentences, you can tug at a person’s heart strings. Make them think. Move them deeply. In the below sad stories, so much emotion is conveyed with so few words. Brace yourself and read on—if you have the strength.

I found the love of my life. She didn’t.

He promised he would wait for her forever. She kept him to his word.

It was a lot. It just wasn’t enough.

He woke up, rolled over, and reached for her. She wasn’t there, and never would be again.

They told me they could save either my wife or my son. They were wrong.

After months of waiting he finally saw his wife. He’d never been happier but he knew he’d have to wake up soon.

He never wanted to leave his wife. But it was getting late and the graveyard gates were about to be closed.

My owner won’t wake up. My food bowl has been empty for so long.

I pick up your little collar and leash, and I almost expect you to come running at the sound.I will never get used to the awful silence.

I rock my baby in my arms and sing softly to her. It helps me pretend she is only sleeping.

I had carried her to the hospital, half conscious and overdosed, but alive. I was the only one who waited with her for her recovery, and every day she would reiterate how much she loathed me for it.

I became an EMT to save people’s lives. Twenty minutes of CPR on my dad proved that was a lie.

The heart monitor chimed its final tune. Come the end there was no applause.

I told her she would be okay. That was the first lie I ever told.

“He’s not coming, is he?” I asked, squeezing my mother’s hand, the multi-colored party hat on my head slipping down. My mother squeezed back, and without a word walked back inside the house.

9 months of excitement came to an end. She never cried.

I kept the ultrasound. Someone I never met.

Mommy promised her the monsters weren’t real. But mommy didn’t know that daddy was the monster.

10 Tragic Love Stories From Literature That Will Break Your Heart

But V-Day’s contemporary style is as far removed from its origins as your family’s Thanksgiving dinner is from your syphilis-sharing Pilgrim predecessors. Valentine’s Day is rooted in violence and loss. Brutality. Death. The punishment of the innocent. V-Day’s always had love notes and flowers. It’s just that they were written moments before slaughter and placed carefully next to a cracked skull and a fresh grave.

So in the true spirit of Valentine’s Day, here are 10 Tragic Love Stories that Will Break Your Heart. Because as St. Valentine knew better than anyone, the best romances don’t end happily, and the greatest love stories are tragedies above all.

1. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Yes, it’s creepy. But it’s also a tragic love story. Perhaps one of the greatest ever written. A pedophiliac road trip that turns into a suburban farce, it features an entirely unreliable, endlessly nauseating, yet inexplicably compelling narrator–a middle-aged lit professor in love with a 12 year old girl. After causing the death of her mother, then driving her across an American wilderness, Humbert Humbert is part Walter White, part Kevin Spacey in  American Beauty.  And he’s Nabokov’s most magical accomplishment: an at-once pathetic, frustratingly endearing, unquestionably disgusting figure. His final act–to kill a man who has taken advantage of his now-grown Lolita–is both satisfying and ironic. The story ends as you’d imagine: in complete ruination of everyone involved.

2. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Skip the movie–despite Carrie Mulligan and Kiera Knightley.  Read the book. Ishiguro’s sleight of hand will astonish you, and 100 pages in you’ll feel your stomach drop. Then you’ll fly to the end. Teenagers in England, growing up as friends in a strange kind of boarding school, are forced to confront the meaning of their short lives and imagine the possibility that love and friendship can make their years mean more than their commodotized bodies. This novel will crush you. And the pleasure of that pain will make you want to read it again.

3. Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

I read  Giovanni’s Room  for a literature class in college. It is the one novel that has stayed with me after all these years (there is no shortage of good quotes). No one gets closer to the essence of human emotion than Baldwin does—he claws at it, pokes and prods at it, fully exposes it. He understands pain, forces his reader to feel every last ounce of it along with the characters. It’s an intense, fearless love story involving three different people. You’ll fall in love with all of them.

4. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

Astonishingly contemporary for a book written 110 years ago, Wharton’s breakout novel features a young, hot Lily Bart, who might as well be a millennial in modern-day midtown Manhattan. Caught in a sticky social web of wealth and infidelity, Lily clumsily traverses a world of elite parties and stock market gamesmanship, engaging in an endless series of missed connections with the man she’s meant to be with. Scandals in New York lead to scandals in Europe. Millions are lost and gained. Yacht trips are taken. This is Gatsby before F Scott. The moral vacuum of the Manhattanite elite before Wolfe was born to write it. Eventually Lilly has her moral awakening. And the man of her dreams realizes he loves her as she him. But in a master-stroke of love eternally unrequited, he arrives to tell her so mere hours after she has expired from an overdose of sleeping pills. Ouch.

5. This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz

This novel, like Drown and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao , features our favorite reckless bad boy, Yunior. While Diaz’s two other novels focus mainly on Yunior’s childhood and formidable years, in This is How You Lose Her , we zoom in on his tumultuous and confused love life. It’s a side of Diaz that isn’t quite exposed in his other books—we are witness to a different type of hurt, caused by Yunior’s careless/selfish decisions in his encounters with various women.  My favorite line: “And that’s when I know it’s over. As soon as you start thinking about the beginning, it’s the end.”

6. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

If you haven’t yet read or seen the movie, I suggest you do, either by yourself or with a loved one—it’s by far, Nicholas Sparks’ best novel. It’s a story filled with love and loss, and finding love again, and with characters that you find yourself becoming so completely attached to that you refuse to accept anything but a happy ending. You’ll cry—a lot. So keep that pile of tissues close.

7. The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud

This is a book in which nothing happens. And that’s why it’s magic. For anyone who has ever felt like they are living on “the treadmill of the ordinary” in “a cage built of convention and consumerism and obligation and fear,” this book gives you a mirror. A broken woman, lost in her regrets and addicted to replaying the inequities of the past, offers a picture of the invisible, inconsequential person we all fear we’ll become. Reading it forces you to climb deep inside the castle of your own insecurities. Close it and you come back out again, broken and motivated, eyes open to the small tragedies of the lives that stride past you on the snowy sidewalk.

8. The Wings of the Dove by Henry James

If you thought  House of Mirth  harnessed melodrama to drive a dagger through your heart, just wait until Henry James introduces you to Milly Theale. Pristine in every way, wealthy beyond belief, Milly’s flaws number only one: she is dying. Tragic news on its own terms, but more tragic still when the news reaches Densher, the handsome Londoner that Milly has fallen in love with. But Densher, lacking in money or social standing, is in love with Kate, who is no better off than he. You can guess the plan: Densher will trick Milly into thinking he loves her. They’ll marry. She’ll die. And Voila! Densher will inherit her cash and then he’ll marry Kate. Happily ever after. The brilliant plan failed to account for one detail: Milly’s unshakeable kindness, her unflappable spirit. As the con plays out, Densher is won over by the dying woman’s moral brilliance, and after her death he presents Kate with a terrible choice: turn down all the money and marry him, or take all the money and lose him. Few novels ask the reader more directly to imagine which they’d choose: money or love.

9. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

I know, The Bell Jar isn’t your typical lovey-dovey, romance novel–it’s way beyond that. This novel is the closest we’ll ever get to the true Sylvia Plath. But more than that, it’s a twisted coming of age story of a young girl trying to chase her dreams in the city known for its glamour, wealth, and fame. I view it as being about the importance of learning to love yourself, and I don’t think Sylvia Plath’s Esther Greenwood ever had that chance. Instead, she was locked away in a psych ward, essentially pushed into her insanity.

10. Under the Jeweled Sky by Alison McQueen

I had the privilege of reading Under the Jeweled Sky while it was still in draft form, and I hadn’t read such a brilliant and beautiful, emotionally-charged love story in so long. I followed the main character Sophie from her gardens in India to the gloom of London, and back again. It’s a deep exploration into forbidden love, scandal, and leaving a beloved and magical place behind. You’ll be teary-eyed at the end but you’ll have become attached to Sophie, and you’ll be better for it.

Meta Bonus: 14 Thought Catalog Articles That Will Make You Cry

Over the years, life will give you many reasons to just sit around and do some soul searching, quiet reflection, read a little, and maybe get a little emotional and let it all out. Words are powerful, and they can help us heal broken hearts and broken spirits. Here are some of the best Thought Catalog articles for a good cry. 

1.  How To Emotionally Detach Yourself From The Person You Love  — Koty Neelis

“So you’ll end it because you know it’s for the best, it’s the right thing to do. You’ll separate your things into his and her boxes and silently wonder how you’re ever going to feel whole again. You’ll convince yourself you two will stay friends while secretly knowing you’re simply lying to yourself to pass the time.”

2.  38 Gut-Wrenching Photos That Will Leave You Speechless   — Erin Cosetta

“‘If it makes you laugh, if it makes you cry, if it rips out your heart, that’s a good picture’ -Eddie Adams (a Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist)”

3.  What It Feels Like To Be In Love When You Don’t Believe You Are Worth Loving  — Jamie Varon

“You will study your face in the mirror and you will replay conversations in your mind and you will try to find the thing that makes them love you. You will doubt their love so completely and so arduously that they will tire of your doubts and your jealousy. You will not blame them. You will be the first to call off the relationship. You will feel sad but also relieved each time you two break up because, at least now you don’t have to hold out some false belief that you’re worth loving.”

4.  What It’s Like To Grow Up With An Autistic Sibling  — Crissy Milazzo

“When you grow up with an autistic sibling, you learn patience, with strangers, your parents, and the world at large. You hold your sibling when they cry, or you try to. You learn not to cry when they pull your hair on a long car ride. You stop comparing yourself to them.”

5.  Ode To Bucky Goad  — Jim Goad

“Johnny says that with the way Bucky was treated, it’s a miracle he never became a serial killer. But he says Bucky never acted bitter, mean, or violent. Time and time again after being tricked, robbed, shit on, and abused, he merely dusted himself off and came back naively seeking kindness.”

6.  What It Means To Date A Girl Without A Father  — Ari Eastman

“She will shy away from discussing problems. She tiptoes when you wish she would just walk. You don’t understand how someone so feisty, so full of opinions and fire, can go mute when confrontation approaches. She is flight when you would have been sure she’d fight. You get too close, things get too real, and she runs. She has tennis shoes on stand by.”

7.  Deprived Of Romantic Love  — Kovie Biakolo

“No, this sadness would be for desperate people. No, you’re supposed to put a smile on your face and tell everyone that every  single  day is such a beautiful, wonderful day to fall in love with yourself. Even on the days you feel numb inside from the performance of it all. You don’t want to perform – you just want to cry and be intoxicated with feeling empty but full, intense yet devoid of anything real; that cliché of feeling everything and then nothing all at once. And then maybe cry some more.”

8.  One Sentence Love Story  — Nick Cox

“Sometimes when you think you love something what you really love is not the thing itself but just some small and inessential part of it: you think you love banana splits but really you just love the maraschino cherry on top and you think you love autumn but really you just love getting a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks and you think you love  Shrek  but really you just love that montage near the end after Shrek and Fiona have their falling out when he’s sitting in his swamp all alone and she’s getting ready for her wedding and Rufus Wainwright’s cover of “Hallelujah” is playing in the background,”

9.  Reflections On Seeing My Ex-Lover’s Novel For Sale At The Mall  — Oliver MIller

“I experienced all the expected thoughts of failure and jealousy. My cheap new shirt was still in my backpack; suddenly it seemed very cheap and very new. I thought about my ex-lover, who now had a movie coming out. She did not have to live in a house with a bunch of alcoholics; she had met famous actors and did not have to buy cheap shirts.”

10.  Long-Distance Relationships Mean Always Getting to Say Hello  — Ted Pillow

“She’s much braver than me, at a new school in a new state, making new friends, away from her family and her home. How does she do it? I get anxious when it’s time to change the clocks forward an hour for daylight saving time – I could never make it.”

11.  Why Do I Hate My Body?  — Jamie Varon

“To be hot is to be everything. To be hot is to be afforded the luxury of having not be anything else. Female hotness is the ultimate aspiration. And. I. hate. it. Maybe I would hate it less if I were hot, if I was profiting off the system, the game. But, you know, I think I could be hot. I could devote my life to being hot. There are means. There are ways.”

12.  A Letter To My Dead Father  — Ari Eastman

“I closed my eyes, tried to quiet the rest of the world. I took a deep breath. I saw your smile. The gap in between your two front teeth, just like mine. The reason I won’t allow the cosmetic surgeon to touch it. This imperfection in my smile that reminds me of you. But I couldn’t hear your laugh. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t hear it, Dad. I tried, I  really  did. I feel like it’s not so much to ask that I just hear it once more. Just  once.”

13.  The One Who Cares Less  — Kovie Biakolo

“What people don’t seem to realize about the person who cares less or acts like they care less is that they’re usually the one who ends up being hurt the most. It is human to want love and to want to be taken care of and to want to take care of someone else. To deny that, is simply to deny one’s humanity.”

14.  The Soulmate You Deserve  — Cody Gohl

About the author

January Nelson

January Nelson is a writer, editor, and dreamer. She writes about astrology, games, love, relationships, and entertainment. January graduated with an English and Literature degree from Columbia University.

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Super, Sad, True Love Story Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Written by Gary Shteyngart, Super, Sad, True Love Story is a dystopian scientific fiction with Lenny Abramov as the main character in the story. He works in a future New York City with a company that deals with increasing longevity through artificial and dietary means. Lenny’s boss is a 70-year old man but looks younger while Lenny is getting older and desperate.

Lenny falls in love with a beautiful much younger, 24-year old woman, Eunice Park who loves to communicate with her friends and family on her Global Teens account, an all-encompassing social network with slang filled messages while Lenny prefers to make daily diary entries and has the habit of reading physical copies of books. He opens his diary with the declaration of his love for Eunice who is a well-educated woman with a major in Images and a minor in Assertiveness.

However, both of them have trouble writing and Lenny has to re-train himself to write. Lenny has great love for his country; America, even as it collapses around him. His age allows him to develop friendships with male friends despite the rest of the world turning to technology communication and friendships.

Many political world events takes place during this period until eventually America falls apart. The author criticizes the twittering society by introducing the APPARAT as the possible progression of the current technology. The APPARAT device gets for shopping, scanning, and pornographic information from people over the “Global Teens” Network.

This makes individual privacy impossible as the device allows sexual preferences, credit ratings, and cholesterol levels using this advanced technology . Satire is apparent in Lenny’s struggle to fit in a technology-filled world while still holding on to the old way s of doing things. However, later the disasters of these technologies become obvious.

Sarcasm and Satire

The book depicts sarcasm in the way technology has advanced. Everybody has embraces the technology creating a hyper-sexualized culture as a way of establishing friendship connections while at the same time adversely affecting the actual community and intimacy. The Blackberries have evolved into APPARAT that people employ for sharing pornographic information including their sexual preferences and the “Fuckability ratings” over the Global Teens network.

Sarcasm in this book comes through lack of literary values in the way Lenny is devoted to reading smelly old books in a technology-based culture. Lenny’s devotion to physical copies surprises Eunice and even comments on Global Teens network. Her friend reply implies the poor reading culture. The New York Lifestyle Times political analyses are sometimes dropped for stories of new products implying lack of importance attached to issues affecting the public.

Morals standards are so low that a naked muscled man presents the news while being sodomized. At one time, the entire New York loses APPARAT services and many people become depressed. During this time, Eunice ironically, resorts to writing letters to correspond with her friends and family. She has to rediscover her writing down her thoughts since she could not communicate through e-mail.

Despite the great technological advancements, healthcare, education, and transportation remain affected by the new technologies and policies. The currency value fluctuates and the credit markets become unstable affecting the lives of citizens. The poor and the old evacuation give room for exclusive Lifestyle Hubs showing the government’s lack of concern for the welfare of its citizens, which is one of its primary roles.

Gary explores how ironically the society is becoming consumed by techno-lifestyles forgetting the basic principles of a healthy community. Sarcastically, after the APPARAT fails in New York, people start relearning the ‘old ways’ of doing things. In other words, Gary is saying, “stop this madness about technology for very soon it will plunge you into miry mud where you cannot pull yourself out after the systems fail!”

• Earth by Deepa Mehta. When the state is falling apart.
• The Expression of Sarcasm in The Odyssey
• “The Unredeemed Captive” by John Putnam Demos.
• “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• “The Mysterious Stranger” by Mark Twain
• Trends in “Love is a Fallacy”
• Harry Houdini
• The Power of Women in the Society
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2018, August 15). Super, Sad, True Love Story. https://ivypanda.com/essays/super-sad-true-love-story/

"Super, Sad, True Love Story." IvyPanda , 15 Aug. 2018, ivypanda.com/essays/super-sad-true-love-story/.

IvyPanda . (2018) 'Super, Sad, True Love Story'. 15 August.

IvyPanda . 2018. "Super, Sad, True Love Story." August 15, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/super-sad-true-love-story/.

1. IvyPanda . "Super, Sad, True Love Story." August 15, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/super-sad-true-love-story/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Super, Sad, True Love Story." August 15, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/super-sad-true-love-story/.

Suggestions

4 short stories that we guarantee will make you cry.

Since starting college, the short story has become one of my favorite forms of literature, mostly because they allow you to experience a full narrative arc and a wide range of emotions in the fraction of the time it takes to read a novel.

Especially skilled in the art of impactful brevity are those writers who engage with melancholy subjects that drill deep into the human condition and make for a story that is both totally engaging and relatable. These are the types of stories that leave you wanting to cry and say, “That was a damn good story.”

1. Tim O’Brian, “The Lives of the Dead”

Probably the most disturbing and engaging moments in O’Brian’s storytelling come from his appalling and matter-of-fact descriptions of the horror the narrator witnesses, including his platoon’s mockery of a dead corpse.

Throughout the story, O’Brian’s narrative jumps back in time from Vietnam to when he was a child and suffered the loss of who he calls his “first love.” The novelist tells the story of an awkward 9-year-old version of himself falling in love with Linda, a girl the same age as him who wears a distinctive bright red cap, and learning what it truly means to both love and lose someone at such a young age.

 2.  Sherman Alexie, “This is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”

Alexie is a Spokane-Coeur d’Alene American who writes some of the most compelling short stories concerning Native American identity and issues of assimilating to a white America. “This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” is no exception.

The story follows the journey of a Spokane man named Victor, whose father dies in Phoenix of a heart attack. Victor struggles to come up with the funds to travel all the way from Washington to Arizona in order to complete the odious task of collecting his father’s belongings in the house in which he had lain dead for days.

Throughout the story, Alexie utilizes narrative techniques similar to those found in O’Brian’s “The Lives of the Dead.” He often jumps the narrative back to a time to when Victor and Thomas were friends, providing a contextual backstory that helps the reader tune into the emotions throughout the journey and gives insight into Victor’s loss of tradition and his eventual path to forgiveness.

3. Robin Black, “If I Loved You”

Losing a loved one to cancer is heartbreaking, but it can be equally as painful to imagine how you will leave your loved ones behind if you yourself were terminally ill.

Author Robin Black takes on this hypothetical in her unique narrative “If I Loved You,” the title story in a collection of short stories titled “If I Loved You, I would Tell You This.” Unlike most tales, this one addresses a second-person audience.

In light of this, “If I Loved You” is a heartbreakingly beautiful short story that contains invaluable lessons on respect and compassion.

4. Brian Doyle, “Joyas Voladoras”

This essay by the late Brian Doyle is exceptionally short, but loaded with somber undertones. “Joyas Voladoras” (which translates to flying jewels in English) is a bit different from the other short stories in this list because it doesn’t exactly read like a story, but rather a man’s contemplations.

Thomas Turner, University of Rhode Island

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135+ Sad Writing Prompts to Stir Deep Emotions in Readers

By: Author Hiuyan Lam

Posted on Last updated: October 20, 2023

Categories Writing Prompts

The benefits of using sad writing prompts

Unlocking creative depths.

Enhancing writing skills

Exploring emotions and improving mental health

Sad writing prompts to unleash creative depths

Exploring health challenges and personal struggles.

Tackling social challenges and environmental crises

Delving into personal relationships and trust issues

Artistic expressions of emotions

Sad writing prompts to develop students’ writing skills

Addressing academic pressure and anxiety.

Understanding family dynamics and common issues

Confronting bullying and peer pressure

Navigating friendship and unexpected setbacks

Sad writing prompts to facilitate emotional expressions and personal growth

Facing anxiety and fear.

Examining loneliness and isolation

Reflecting on regrets and mistakes

Dealing with loss and heartbreak

Unraveling betrayal, conflict, and misunderstandings

Do sad writing prompts have to be with a sad or tragic ending?

Conclusion: Gateways to emotional depth, imagination, and transformation

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Super Sad True Love Story

By gary shteyngart, super sad true love story analysis.

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Written by Julia  Wolf

Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart is not a typical dystopia. Probably everyone remembers that boom of dystopias about brave teenagers who want to change the unfair world order which were released in recent years. This novel has nothing to do with that. There are no “flawless” characters with big hearts and flaming souls. It is about usual people who try to adjust to a life in the world where everyone tries to find “a fountain of youth”, a good job and earn popularity. It is tragicomic, fascinating and might be even thought-provoking story about the future we might be able to see in several decades.

Lenny Abramov is a simple man who has never tried to swim against the current, for he has been always lucky enough to have the most difficult work done for him. His parents left the Soviet Union to give him a better life, his boss doesn’t fire him for his poor selling skills, even Eunice starts dating him not because he manages to gain her affection but because she needs his love, care and protection. So, Lenny Abramov is not a classic dystopian hero, but it makes him easy to understand. The younger readers are the more difficult it is going to be for them to compare their own experience with Lenny’s. The thing is that there are still many people for whom such an important role of the social networks is unclear. Even thirty-forty years ago, no one could imagine that someone would find it interesting to film their daily routine. No wonder that Lenny struggles to adjust! One more thing that should be said about Lenny is his naivety. His unrequited crush doesn’t irritate, it evokes only sadness, for it becomes clear that their relationship is doomed from the very beginning. It is not possible to build a healthy family life on one sided love.

Eunice Park seems to be a child of her time, the one who has no trouble to spark and be in the center of people’s attention, but it is just an illusion which is could be artificially maintained with the help of the social media. The woman struggles to find her own identity, a path to her own happiness. On the one hand, she can’t shake off a feeling that she let her family down. On the other hand, Eunice doesn’t want to live like her parents. It is not mentioned directly whether her father used to abuse her, but readers do know that the man is cruel to her mother.

This dystopia is definitely worth reading, for it doesn’t describe untrustworthy scenario. The events described in it can actually happen and it is up to us whether the world in which there is no place for thinking becomes our future. Let’s be reasonable and don’t put selling before thinking.

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Super Sad True Love Story Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Super Sad True Love Story is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Study Guide for Super Sad True Love Story

Super Sad True Love Story study guide contains a biography of Gary Shteyngart, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Super Sad True Love Story
• Super Sad True Love Story Summary
• Character List

Essays for Super Sad True Love Story

Super Sad True Love Story essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart.

• Super Sad True Love Story Compared and the Threat of American Dystopia
• Should We All Just Get Along?: Shteyngart's Exploration of the Pros and Cons of Societal Unity

Wikipedia Entries for Super Sad True Love Story

• Introduction
• Plot summary
• Critical reception
• TV adaptation

Sample details

• Literature,
• Philosophy,
• Love stories

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Sad Love Story: My Love and Broken Heart

Life can be very cruel when you aren’t expecting it. Have you ever been so immersed in a specific situation to the point you thought nothing could ever beat it? Everyone usually does, and to this, I am no exception. We as humans are not perfect despite our intent to be. I thought I had everything figured out, but life was going to teach me that I didn’t really know anything about love at all.

I met him when I was just starting middle school, as naive as that may be. I found myself to be captivated by the way he held himself in the presence of others and how it all crumbled a bit when others weren’t there. That same sense of self along with the charm he was blessed with kept me hooked and captivated for the years to follow. I was blinded by it all as it developed over the years of our progressing friendship. That friendship soon blossomed into romance during our sophomore year in high school. I was so happy, content with what had been presented to me. That is until he wasn’t so happy.

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He grew to think I was not enough like I had become an overused toy. He wanted an upgrade, the better opportunities in like he had said to me that fateful day. Hearing this made me notice how he was really behaving; he was resentful, rude you could even call it and didn’t try as hard as I ever did. Yet, despite this treatment, I was blinded by what I believe to be love. I thought what we had was the real love you read about in books. 7 years of my young life dedicated to this love, only for him to decide it wasn’t long-term like I had planned.

I spent the rest of high school trying to find myself. I had wasted a large portion of my time devoted to him, so I didn’t pay attention to my own needs the way my peers had. It was difficult since I was so accustomed to the one mindset of him and I. I know now that we were never “the one” for each other, it was bound to end sometime. As fate may have it, the road is kind to those who seek its help. Like led me to amazing people who I love more than I ever loved him. They don’t make me sad, and I don’t cry for him anymore. I had changed into a better person.

The events circling around him were a big milestone in my life. I know his face will never truly leave my mind, but I’ve been taught to be grateful it was even there in the first place. I know that if I had never come to the realization that he wasn’t the best thing for me I would not be the woman I am today. This is the person I was always meant to be. Although I thought everything was meant to be, I learned that life can be a bumpy ride and totally unexpected.

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Super Sad True Love Story

73 pages • 2 hours read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

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Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Chapters 10-12

Chapters 13-15

Chapters 16-18

Chapters 19-21

Chapters 22-24

Chapters 25-27

Character Analysis

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Summary and Study Guide

Gary Shteyngart’s 2010 novel Super Sad True Love Story is a futuristic tale of love, mortality, family, and technology. In the tradition of science fiction and apocalyptic storytelling, Shteyngart creates a world full of all-consuming technology that distracts from the fall of America and the rise of a new global economy. Told through the diaries of an old-timey Russian Jewish protagonist , Lenny Abramov , and the online messages of his youthful Korean-American love interest, Eunice Park , Super Sad True Love Story is just what it aims to be: a dystopian love story.

Lenny falls in love with Eunice on his last night of a year spent in Italy and then returns home to an America, whose decline in world order has picked up rapidly in his absence. Even though Lenny notices worrying details around him, he is consumed by his love for Eunice. In his diary, he comes up with six goals: to work hard for his boss, Joshie, whom he loves; to make Joshie protect him; to “love Eunice” (48), who he has just met; to care for his friends; to be nice to his parents; and to celebrate what he has. Across the text, Lenny reminds himself of these goals, although some help him and some lead him to despair.

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The society in which Lenny and Eunice live is obsessed with youth, sex, and data. Although Lenny loves books, everyone else thinks they smell. The populace lives through his or her äppärät, through which they stream and view streams of the world around them, buy new things, and rate one another on features like “Fuckability” (27). Eunice, who writes exclusively to others via an app called GlobalTeens, initially embodies these self-centered values. She is the youth that others long for. For this reason, she appeals not only to Lenny but also to his boss, Joshie, the founder of the Post-Human life extending company, Staatling-Wapachung, for which Lenny works.

As the society around them falls apart, Low Net Worth Individuals targeted by the rising authoritarian regime revolt. Eunice becomes involved in their cause, along with the cause of the elderly who live in Lenny’s building and who are victims of discrimination. Her rising desire to do well in the world connects her to her sister and to her father. Although both Eunice and Lenny have been abused by their families, the eroding political environment around them calls them to think of, be inspired by, and find a way to live with their family, cultural, and religious heritages.

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Ultimately, Lenny learns to accept the death that everyone else around him fears. The story of America, and the story of every individual, is a story of mortality. Even Joshie, who steals Lenny’s girl and facilitates the death of his friend, comes to face the dissatisfaction of his work to stay young forever. With humor and tenderness, Lenny uses the record of his diary and Eunice’s words to make the written word—the regressive art of the book—relevant again and to question the use of the all-consuming technocracy in which he lives.

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‘Now and Then, I Miss You’: The Love Story at the Heart of the Last Beatles Song

By Ian Leslie

Mr. Leslie is writing “John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs,” a book about the relationship between John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Sixty-one years after releasing their first single, “Love Me Do,” the Beatles have released their last. “ Now and Then ” mirrors, in the three beats of its title, its antecedent, which is on the other side. The single accompanies a new version of the group’s Red and Blue greatest hits albums.

It may be considered a cynical marketing ploy, but the story of its long gestation suggests otherwise. Inside the story of “Love Me Do” to “Now and Then” is the love story of John Lennon and Paul McCartney — which is our story, too.

Over half a century since the Beatles split up, their songs still permeate our lives. We sing them in nurseries and in stadiums; we cry to them at weddings and funerals and in the privacy of our bedrooms. The appeal is multigenerational; Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish are avowed fans.

Beatles songs still speak to us so directly because they are vehicles for the transmission of feelings too powerful for normal speech. Mr. Lennon and Mr. McCartney were intense young men who grew up in an era before men were encouraged to speak about their feelings, either in therapy or to one another. They gained their emotional education from music, especially the music of Black artists like Smokey Robinson, Arthur Alexander and the Shirelles. Almost everything they felt — and they felt a lot — was poured into music, including their feelings about each other.

“Now and Then” was not intended as a Beatles song. Well after the band’s breakup, Mr. Lennon wrote it at the piano sometime during his retreat from the public eye in the late 1970s. It was recorded on a tape machine and squirreled away. In 1994 his wife, Yoko Ono, uncovered a pair of cassettes of her husband’s demos and contributed them to the Beatles retrospective project “Anthology.” On the label of one, Mr. Lennon had scrawled “Now + Then,” as if to make a note of that song in particular. But because the sound quality was very poor (George Harrison called it “rubbish”), “Now and Then” didn’t get far.

But Mr. McCartney never forgot about it. He sent the demo to Peter Jackson, the director of the Beatles documentary “ Get Back ,” who used cutting-edge audio technology to clean the tape so thoroughly that it sounded as if Mr. Lennon were back in the room.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Dystopia — Dystopian Society in “Super Sad True Love Story”

Dystopian Society in "Super Sad True Love Story"

• Categories: Dystopia

About this sample

Words: 1668 |

Published: Jul 17, 2018

Words: 1668 | Pages: 4 | 9 min read

Works Cited

• Shteyngart, Gary. Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel. New York: Random House, 2010 print.

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