It seems rare among readers to be reduced to tears by a book, especially when surrounded by the gripes and irritations of public transport. However, I’ve been blown away by a handful of recent reads that have definitely smudged my mascara on the train to work. If you’re looking for a book that will suck you in and start the tears, despite any manspreaders sitting beside you, here’s my recommendations:
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
Though it’s taken me a little while to get around to this well-known tear-jerker, ‘The Beekeeper of Aleppo’ did not disappoint. Based on Lefteri’s own experiences of volunteering in a refugee camp, the story follows Nuri, a beekeeper, and his wife Afra. After the death of their young son, the couple are left with no choice but to flee the war-torn city of Aleppo. Their passage to the UK is dangerous and difficult, especially as Afra’s trauma of loss has taken her sight. With its simplistic writing style and poignant reflections on the natural world that Nuri so adores, ‘The Beekeeper of Aleppo’ is a vivid account of not just the refugee journey, but the psychological pain that lingers after.
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
‘American Dirt’ opens in the bathroom at a family barbeque in Mexico, where Lydia and her son, Luca, are hiding from a cartel that have just shot down all their relatives. The intensity of these opening pages continues throughout the book, as Lydia and Luca make their way to America, all the while watching for members of the expansive cartel, who could be anywhere. Like ‘The Beekeeper of Aleppo,’ ‘American Dirt’ is a powerful survival story that captures the inescapable perils of a refugee journey. However, ‘American Dirt’ focuses on the added danger that Lydia and other female refugees come up against - an aspect of the novel that frequently moved me to tears.
Bewilderment by Richard Powers
Autism, climate change and American politics all collide in the brilliant novel ‘Bewilderment.’ Theo is a California-based astrobiologist. He’s also the father of nine-year-old Robin, who has autism and is committed to saving the planet. On top of coping with Robin’s condition and attitudes towards it, father and son are also grappling with grief for Robin’s mother. This book didn’t make me cry for the most part and I struggled with its heavily-scientific descriptions of Theo’s work. However, a shock ending came out of nowhere and had me suddenly close to sobbing on the tube.
If you’re reading these in public, read with caution! And yes, I have taken to wearing waterproof mascara, just in case…
