Inclusive books on loss and grief

Grief after a loss is never singular nor formulaic - it never goes away completely nor is it linear - it's also different for each and one of us, as is each of our ways of living through and with grief.

This, however, doesn't mean that we don't look for affinity in the grief of others. We still want to know how to survive shocking loss. And we look for moments and lines to recognise ourselves in, those that say: yes, you will survive this.

It's essential that we ALL find such voices, regardless of who we are and how widely different kinds of loss are spoken about, which is why we've put together this list. It includes fiction, life-writing and books for younger readers, with the emphasis on diversity of voices. Some of these authors explore how grief - and how we are expecte to handle sorrow - are both framed by narratives around gender, race and cultural belonging. Others give voice to less visible experiences of loss, shining a light on them, holding out a hand.

For ease, we've put all YA books and books for younger readers next to each other in the list.

We hope that wherever you are in grief, or whomever you'd like to hold in theirs, you find something here to recognise, and to walk with.