The 52 Book Club: 2025 / 2026 Challenge discussion

14. A Grieving Character

For this character-based prompt, we are looking for a character who is grieving. Grief comes in many different forms and is displayed in a variety of ways, and our reads will reflect that. Reads may be as heavy or light-hearted as you desire.

The character can be either a main character or a secondary character.

The grief aspect can play a main role in the plot and character development, or it may be something that is mentioned but not deeply explored. Characters may be mourning the death of a loved one or pet, grieving a broken relationship, grieving over societal or global injustices, mourning a life change like a move, loss of employment, not getting into the school of their choice, etc. Any type of loss that a character is grieving works toward this prompt. It is up to you to decide how central to the story you want the theme of grief and loss to be.

You may also choose a memoir about an individual grieving a loss, or interpret this prompt as any non-fiction book about grief.


Click here for our Goodreads List of suggestions

I'm going to read The Collective by Alison Gaylin

I plan on reading Fever House.

I suggest Terry Fallis’s latest, A New Season. It was a great read.

I plan to read I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez

The Last Love Note by Emma Grey

I am planning on reading Forever Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I recommend Legendborn for this. It was a surprising take on grief. I wasn’t expecting it, but it was handled beautifully.

We were Liars by E. Lockhart

Michelle Zauner – Crying in H Mart

I'm planning on reading The Jinn Daughter: A Novel by Rania Hanna

I plan to read a biography for this prompt - Victoria The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire by Julia Baird. Queen Victoria mourned the loss of her husband for many years.

I plan to read 'living the life unexpected' by Jodi Day, it's been on my bookshelf for a while

I will read Joe Biden by Beatrice Gormley, since he experienced many losses during his political career.

I’m going to be reading my heart and other black holes by Jazmine Warga

I'm thinking about Mary: Mrs. A. Lincoln by Janis Cooke Newman. She did plenty of grieving in her life.

When All Is Said - Anne Griffin.

Mia wrote: "When All is Said by Anne Griffin."

Excellent book!

I started but did not finish To Paradise. I will finish it for this prompt

Switched to this interesting sounding book, as a new to me, Tell The Wolves I'm Home

Going with The Jinn Daughter by Rania Hanna



middle eastern folklore and legend mixed with magical realism and features a storytelling jinn whose job is to tell the stories of the dead

I’m going with Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer is one of my favorite books of 2023.

I plan on reading A magic steeped in poison by Judy I. Lin.

Tell The Wolves I'm Home

My book choice is Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult

I will be reading Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

This is my first book in the challenge and I'm reading Daughter of the Moon Goddess. The main character, Xingyin, is forced to flee her home and her mother.

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

I've watched Lessons in Chemistry, and since "the book is always better," I'm excited to listen to it.

This was my first completed prompt-A Marvellous Light. Featured several grieving characters.

I read Oona out of Order.

I just read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and am using that for this prompt

The Stationary Shop

i read "A Man Called Ove" for this prompt. 5 emotional ⭐

I have already finished "MaameMaame" by Jessica George this week and I heartly recommend it.Maame

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

I read Before We Were Yours. Several grieving characters and different types of grief.

Multiple grieving characters: A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum. 5 ⭐️

I'm Glad My Mom Died finished 01/12. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I read In Desolate Heaven by Robert Edric. Set in 1919, it has many characters with grief, including the central character.
It would also work for a book with more than 40 chapters.
https://cdnbookworm.blogspot.com/2024...

I listened to Counting The Cost by Jill Duggar finished 1-10-24

A Dream of Death by Connie Berry

I read Neighbors by Danielle Steele.

I'm excited to listen to The Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis. I purchased this audiobook back in October and am looking forward to it.

I read Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman. Although this book would fit in a few other categories, I'm placing it in "grieving character" for now.

I just finished reading Amazing Grace Adams.
I had planned to read it for prompt 41 - A Sticker on the Cover, but when I finished reading it, I thought this book was full of grieving characters, especially Grace Adams.

I'm reading Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. The main character is grieving the loss of her husband and disappearance of her son.

I read the Book of Job for this prompt.

Sheets (1) by Brenna Thummler

I read Grief Is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter.