books (fiction or nonfiction) about hope where the protagonist goes through rough and harsh patches in life but there is light at the end of the tunnel

Question

Kate · Answer

chemistry by weike wang: the perfect book to thrust in a struggling and twenty something's hands. every line is perfect

Wynne · Answer

Know My Name by Chanel Miller: This gets a big CW for sexual violence, but is one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. It will likely leave you feeling hopeless about our justice system and treatment of survivors of sexual violence, but also hopeful/inspired by the strength and courage of people (particularly Chanel). It’s a really powerful book.

Eric F · Answer

Joyful Recollections of Trauma by Paul Scheer 🌞: “A hilariously cathartic memoir-in-essays of childhood turmoil, self healing, and finding happiness.”

Andrea · Answer

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus: Don’t judge it by the cover! This book will make you furious and break your heart, and you will root & hope for Elizabeth Zott so hard. One of my favorite endings of any book. And a dog is sometimes the narrator!💘

sunset strip mall · Answer

"Good Material" by Dolly Alderton: this is my second time recc'ing this book on this site but it's truly so, so, so cute. it's a laugh-out-loud story of a super heartbroken down-on-his-luck comedian in his 30s after a breakup, and is ultimately a really loving picture of friendship, getting older, and accepting yourself

Abby · Answer

The Wedding People: Dark humor, witty, and deep tragedy (heed the TW)

Jess · Answer

A Half-Built Garden (Ruthanna Emrys): Perhaps the best cli-fi book I've ever read. Emrys tenderly illuminates a new possible way of living, using both the human antagonists and the alien visitors as contrasts to a society built around the long, incomplete work of repair.

(Bonus: deeply queer, deeply Jewish.)

Rocky · Answer

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating (Elisabeth Tova Bailey): The first book that comes to mind is this. Just the most hopeful little treatise on noticing the world around you, no matter how slow or how small.

Melinda · Answer

Educated: A Memoir: This book is so hopeful and affecting. Westover’s triumph over the circumstances of her childhood is an incredible story of strength and resilience. And it’s SO well-written.

Jennifer · Answer

Emma M. Lion: This whole series is about hope! And how to live in the midst of struggle. It’s a very funny and light read (really really enjoyable) but has a lot of depth to it.

(Also, as an aside, traditionally a “comedy” is a story that has a “U” shape: the protagonist starts somewhere, is brought low and then rises back up at the end, sometimes even beyond where they started. Might help expand your search into other stories too!)

Joy Fowlkes · Answer

Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine: The author published this late in life, and I just think it does so much with fighting inner demons, reckoning when the problem is you, and believing there’s kindness in the world.

Allie Blum · Answer

Demon Copperhead: That’s the whole book!

Clara · Answer

The Shipping News (Annie Proulx): My dad recommended this, about a single father moving up to Newfoundland with his two little girls to start a new life as a small-town journalist. I’m a little more than half-way, and it’s a very quiet charmer - just like the main character.