5 Novels To Read On Mental Health

Inspiring works of literature!

Mental health told through the stories of real or fictional characters can help anyone get a better understanding of the intricacies of mental health struggles, to overcome the stigmas and assumptions, to facilitate positive dialogue, and to better navigate any struggles they themselves are facing. So, on this Mental Health Awareness Month, we bring you five novels that will have you sitting back and reading at every opportunity:

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Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Known as one of Virginia Woolf's best-known novels, Mrs Dalloway details a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a fictional, high-society woman married to a member of Parliament living in post–First World War England. First published in 1925, Mrs Dalloway is a story depicted in a single day, yet filled with multitudes and layers, a story told from the perspective of a number of characters, and one that offers many glimpses into the author’s own struggle with severe depression.

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Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

This is Jeff Garvin’s first novel, described as a powerful, honest, and moving portrait of Riley, a teenager in today’s world struggling with high school, relationships, and what it means to be a person. Tenderly written and vacillating between funny and heart wrenching, this is a novel that is relatable to all ages and should be hight on your reading list.

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Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

Originally published in 1993 and released as a movie in 1999 starring Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie, this book is actually the best-selling memoir by author Susanna Kaysen, sharing her two years of experiences as a young woman in a psychiatric hospital in the 1960s, after being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Set in the early 1990s, this is a young adult coming-of-age epistolary story that follows introverted teenager Charlie through his freshman year of high school, revealing to the reader along the way his unconventional style of thinking as he navigates between the worlds of adolescence and adulthood, touching on various topics including mental health.

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Everything Here Is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee

This captivating novel is many stories rolled into one: the story of an immigrant family, the story of a woman in search of fulfillment while living a life unconstrained by her incurable illness, and the story of the sacrifices we make to truly love someone.

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5 Novels To Read On Mental Health

Inspiring works of literature!

Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Everything Here Is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee

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