Audiobooks About Grief and Loss That Actually Help

Audiobooks About Grief That Actually Help

When it comes to the death of a loved one, there is no easy path forward. Grieving can place significant mental strain on those who are mourning. And because everyone grieves a little differently, it can be hard to know where to turn for help, or what to say to someone who is in the throes of grief. There are no simple answers. Audiobooks on grief can offer insight to those looking for ways to support the mourning, or a bit of comfort for anyone struggling with loss themselves. These soothing, cathartic, and deeply personal listens can offer warmth and guidance when things feel particularly dark and lonely. Here are our recommendations for 10 of the best audiobooks for coping with grief.

The Year of Magical Thinking

By: Joan Didion

Narrated by: Vanessa Redgrave

Length: 1 hr and 28 mins

Release date: 08-04-20

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 9,786 ratings

When celebrated writer Joan Didion’s life was altered forever, she wrote a new chapter. In this adaptation of her iconic memoir, Didion transforms the story of the shattering loss of her husband and their daughter into a one-woman play performed by Tony Award winner Vanessa Redgrave, who originated the role on Broadway in 2007. Written with Didion’s trademark style of cool observation, The Year of Magical Thinking weaves back and forth in time, taking listeners on a poignant journey through heartbreak, grief, and resilience. It’s an unforgettable theatrical experience that resonates with anyone who has ever loved.
Wave

A Memoir

By: Sonali Deraniyagala

Narrated by: Hannah Curtis

Length: 5 hrs and 24 mins

Release date: 03-05-13

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 346 ratings

While on vacation in Sri Lanka, Sonali Deraniygala survived a tsunami that took the lives of her husband, children, and her parents. In the bewildering days that followed, she struggled to make sense of this tremendous loss and her crippling new reality. This is an open and frank memoir about how the author managed to survive a horrible tragedy that very few can relate to, and rebuild a life that remembers and honors all that she lost. Accompanied by the warm, soothing voice of narrator Hannah Curtis, this listen is a tremendous comfort for those struggling with grief.
A Grief Observed

By: C. S. Lewis

Narrated by: Ralph Cosham

Length: 1 hr and 50 mins

Release date: 01-20-06

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 3,756 ratings

Lewis's sparse and moving meditation on grief, written after the death of his wife, has been loved for years because of its stark honesty about how completely debilitating loss can be. Lewis pulls no punches about how the death of a loved one can feel like you're going mad, like nothing will ever be good again, like torture. With each word punctuated by the genial delivery of Audie Award-winner Ralph Cosham, this is an audiobook for the person who doesn't want platitudes, happy stories, or optimism—just searing truth.
I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye

Surviving, Coping, and Healing After the Sudden Death of a Loved One

By: Brook Noel, Pamela D. Blair Ph.D.

Narrated by: Ellen Archer

Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins

Release date: 05-07-12

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 266 ratings

Each year about eight million Americans suffer the death of someone close to them. Now, for those who face the challenges of sudden death, there is a hand to hold. Written by two women who have experienced sudden loss, this updated edition of the best-selling bereavement classic will touch, comfort, uplift and console. Authors Brook Noel and Pamela D. Blair, Ph.D., offer a comforting hand to hold for those who are grieving the sudden death of a loved one.
The Long Goodbye

A Memoir

By: Meghan O'Rourke

Narrated by: Meghan O'Rourke

Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins

Release date: 04-14-11

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 118 ratings

When Meghan lost her mother to cancer and separated from her husband, her life was profoundly altered. She began keeping a record of the days that followed such loss, asking what it is to grieve in a culture that is embarrassed by grief and doesn't know how to speak about death. Not only is this a brave and beautiful book for someone who has lost a parent, but it's also an important examination about how society feels about grief in general. In this author-narrated selection, O'Rourke brings her poet's voice both to the prose itself and to the delivery of each word.
A Body, Undone

Living On after Great Pain

By: Christina Crosby

Narrated by: Christina Crosby

Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins

Release date: 08-11-16

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 23 ratings

In 2003, Christina Crosby was an active, adventurous person who lived a full life. When a bicycle accident left her paralyzed from the neck down, she faced the shocking loss of her own mobility and a new world plagued by pain and restrictions. In this author-narrated memoir, Crosby proves that grief accompanies not only death, but also the loss of freedom and health. In her own voice, she speaks candidly about her struggles to face her new reality and learn how to accept her limitations while staying open to the possibilities ahead.
When Breath Becomes Air

By: Paul Kalanithi, Abraham Verghese - foreword

Narrated by: Sunil Malhotra, Cassandra Campbell

Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins

Release date: 01-12-16

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 29,386 ratings

Paul Kalanithi spent nearly a decade training to become a neurosurgeon, but just as he was wrapping up his training, he received the devastating news that he'd been diagnosed with terminal cancer. For the first time in his life, Kalanithi wasn't looking ahead, but to the now, and he grappled with what it meant to live a meaningful life when he didn't have a future to work towards. Read by an expert team comprised of voice actor Sunil Malhotra and Hall of Fame Narrator Cassandra Campbell, this moving memoir explores what it means to truly live, even in the face of loss.
We Are Okay

By: Nina LaCour

Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie

Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins

Release date: 02-14-17

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 661 ratings

At the start of this Printz Award-winning novel, protagonist Marin has already experienced great loss: first, the death of her mother when she was a child and more recently, the loss of her grandfather, her only living relative, just as she was set to leave for college. As winter break approaches, she faces a new challenge: her best friend is coming to visit. They haven't spoken in months, and Marin isn't sure she knows how to open herself up to her friend, to the past, to grief. Audie Award-winning narrator Jorjeana Marie breathes life into this beautiful young adult entry about mourning not only a loved one, but all the possibilities that can never be. It's about the dark places that grief can take you, and letting the light in.
On Grief and Grieving

By: Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, David Kessler

Narrated by: David Kessler, Samantha Desz

Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins

Release date: 02-19-19

Language: English

5 out of 5 stars 399 ratings

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross is the author of the groundbreaking On Death and Dying, which made famous the five stages of loss in its exploration of how people fear death. In this work, she and collaborator David Kessler (who also narrates the title with the help of voice actress Samantha Desz) apply these principles to grieving. Part theory, part meditation on the nature of grieving, and part advice, this is an inspirational and helpful listen for anyone dealing with a loss. It offers both solace and practical recommendations how to approach life while grieving.
From Scratch

A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home

By: Tembi Locke

Narrated by: Tembi Locke

Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins

Release date: 04-30-19

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 5,268 ratings

In this author-narrated memoir, we meet Tembi, an actress living and working in Los Angeles, as she meets Saro, a professional chef, in Florence, Italy. Although Saro’s family doesn't approve of Tembi, the couple marry, build a life together in LA, and adopt a child. When Saro is diagnosed with cancer, they reconcile with his family, and when he is gone, Tembi endeavors to connect with her Sicilian in-laws, spending time with them and leaning on them as she figures out how to forge a new life without her husband. A gorgeous and stirring story of love, loss, growth, and forgiveness, this audiobook offers solidarity and support to listeners coping with the loss of a spouse.

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