As an English student, I am inherently an avid reader and a complete and utter hopeless romantic. Bit of a cliché right? But if there’s anything I’ve learnt by the time the third year of my degree has rolled around, it’s the power of a good book. And of course, there’s no better time to have a boost of confidence and feeling of intellectual superiority than after a pretty gritty break-up. Therefore, I have compiled a list of actually read (not googled) fictional novels to get you through what feels like the toughest time of your life. Curl up in bed or your favourite reading-nook, get the ice-cream out and enjoy.
Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte
As perhaps one of the most tumultuous love stories ever written, at the very least it will make you thankful that your past relationship wasn’t anywhere near as dramatic. Without giving away spoilers, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre will most likely satisfy every need for your melancholy heart. With a female protagonist who is both equally as intelligent as she is independent, the tale of this young girl’s hardship will remind all readers that whilst love can be all consuming and completely enchanting, it will never be the determining factor of your life’s happiness. On the plus side, you can tick one more classic off your book bucket list.
How to Build Girl- Caitlin Moran
From personal experience, and many a conversation taken place in a dark living room full of blankets, takeaways and deflated girls, the hardest hit from a breakup is usually your self-esteem. What better way to deal with your post-breakup, damaged dignity than to reflect on the time where your self-esteem was at an all-time low? Yes, your pre-teen, 14 year old mind, in all its glory. Caitlin Moran’s How to Build a Girl perfectly articulates the journey which all obnoxious, anxiety ridden pre-pubescents endure before they finally begin to feel comfortable in their own skin. It also doesn’t revolve entirely around the love of a romantic partner (result!) so if you’re really looking for a distraction, this is the way to go. It will make you cringe, laugh and maybe even cry, but most importantly it will remind you that if you can survive the awful years before you actually grew into your training sports bra, you can survive this break-up.
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin- Louis de Bernières
Everyone grieves a relationship in their own way, and sometimes the best way to move on from yours is to throw yourself into a fictional one! Bernières’ Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is one for the people who love an epic romance and an epic cry. With the backdrop of war-torn Cephalonia, the novel gives an insight into the somewhat unknown history of the German-Italian occupation in Greece during the Second World War. If this post-breakup novel doesn’t make you believe in love again, then I’m sorry to tell you, but you’re a lost cause. Side note: Nicholas Cage plays the romantic lead in the film adaptation so you can soothe your aching heart with a bit of comic relief afterwards.
Starter For Ten- David Nicholls
Unlike Moran’s How to Build a Girl, Nicholl’s proves that actually some of the most awkward times in your life will, in fact, take place when you start to enter the world of adulthood. In following Brian’s university experience, and everything that blossoms in the dingy accommodation halls and unwashed bed sheets of an 18 year old boy, Nicholls touches on a time in your life when you think you’ve finally made it, but you’re actually just starting out. Like the beginning of many relationships that you fall hard and fast for, you think you’ve actually got it, and this is the one. Alas, some boys and some girls will always be dickheads, at any age. Serving light humour and gut-wrenching awkwardness, Starter for Ten is the ideal way to make peace with your current state of affairs, because at least you’re not Brian.
Sense and Sensibility- Jane Austen
Whilst everyone’s experiences with love and relationships is completely unique to the individuals involved, the emotions that are felt from a breakup aren’t necessarily. Austen’s 19th century novel proves that you’re not the first to have your heart broken, and you certainly won’t be last. The importance of sisterhood, and a stable foundation of love from the people you surround yourself with is what makes Sense and Sensibility so perfect for a post-breakup read. Moreover, you can only sympathise more with the women of the novel because they didn’t have all the great distractions we have now, like you know, a proper education and the ability to socialise without an elderly family member present. Plus, the film adaptation is 10/10 would recommend.
It might take a few of these books… but I’m sure you’ll get over it in no time!