The calm,
Cool face of the river
Asked me for a kiss.

-- ‘Suicide’s Note’ by Langston Hughes.

“The thought of suicide is a great source of comfort; with it a calm passage is to be made across many a bad night.”

-- Friedrich Nietzsche

"If they tell you that she died of sleeping pills you must know that she died of a wasting grief, of a slow bleeding at the soul."

-- Clifford Odets

A number of novelists have portrayed protagonists who find themselves unable to cope with the stress and strain of life or cannot reconcile with the dissolution of the social fabric around them. The only escape left them, then, is suicide. Given below is my choice of the top ten suicide novels. The list is by no means exhaustive and the readers are welcome not only to add to the list their other favorite suicide novels, but also to offer their comments and valuable suggestions at info@thebankofknowledge.com

1. The Awakening – Kate Chopin

The Awakening, first published in 1899, was one of the earliest American novels that focus on women's issues without condescension. It is also one of the most important novels written by an American woman in the nineteenth century. The Awakening became immediately controversial upon publication as it was considered immoral not only for its comparatively frank depictions of female sexual desire but for the protagonist’s reaction against the established social norms and gender roles
It is the story of the heroine’s Edna and her tempestuous love affair with Robert Lebrun, a charming and earnest young man. The novel portrays Edna’s complex and shifting emotions as she reconciles her filial duties with her desire for social freedom. However, in the end, Robert ditches her and a note stating that he has left and will not be returning. Edna is devastated. She goes immediately back to Grand Isle, where she first met Robert Lebrun. It is also where she learned to swim earlier in the novel. She takes off her clothes and walks on into the sea till she overtaken by the engulfing waves

2. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers

When she was only twenty three, McCuller’s novel ‘The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, her first – and considered her finest work – became a sensation. It conveys a profound sense of moral isolation and provides sensitive glimpses into the inner lives of lonely people. The novel “takes us on shattering voyages into the depths of the spiritual isolation that underlies the human condition.” The novel is a poignant portrayal of the spiritual isolation that underlies the human condition. It is a haunting story that gives voice to the rejected, the forgotten, and the mistreated. The focus of the story is on John Singer, a deaf-mute in a Georgia mill town during the 1930s, and on his effect on the people who confide in him. When Singer’s mute Greek companion of ten years goes insane, Singer feels extremely lonely and isolated. He moves into the Kelly house, where Mick Kelly, the book's heroine finds solace in her music. When Singer discovers that his Greek friend has died, Singer is devastated and shoots himself.