The Greatest Books of All Time on Illness

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This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 759 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books. For those interested in how these books are chosen, additional details can be found on the rankings page.

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Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
12048 The Detour Gerbrand Bakker 2010 Dutch Dutch
12083 Aids And Its Metaphors Susan Sontag 1989 American English
12148 What Girls Learn Karin Cook 1997 American English
12178 The Centaur John Updike 1963 American English
12204 Lola Rose Jacqueline Wilson 2003 British English
12250 Needles Andie Dominick 1998 American English
12565 Shattered Hanif Kureishi 2024 British English
12574 The Diaries Alma Mahler 1997 Austrian German
13134 Katherine Mansfield Gerri Kimber 2025 Unknown English
13359 The Diary of Fanny Burney Fanny Burney 1768 British English
13557 The Black Swan Thomas Mann 1953 German German
13728 Oscar And The Lady In Pink Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt 2002 French French
13771 All Souls Christine Schutt 2008 American English
13817 Il Dolore Perfetto Ugo Riccarelli 2004 Italian Italian
13817 Come D'aria Ada D'Adamo 2023 Italian Italian
14058 The Case Of Dr Sachs Martin Winckler 1998 French French
14347 Ship Fever and Other Stories Andrea Barrett 1996 American English
14347 Fortune Smiles Adam Johnson 2015 American English
14425 The Summer My Mother Had Green Eyes Tatiana Țîbuleac 2016 Moldovan Romanian
14598 The Cost Of Hope Amanda Bennett 2012 American English
14646 Pollyanna Eleanor H. Porter 1913 American English
14648 Wetlands Charlotte Roche 2008 German German
14830 Everything Happens For A Reason Kate Bowler 2018 American English
14983 How We Die Sherwin B. Nuland 1994 American English
14983 Binocular Vision Edith Pearlman 2011 American English
14983 Age Of Iron J. M. Coetzee 1990 South African English
14983 The Humans Stephen Karam 2014 American English
14983 The Unnamed Joshua Ferris 2010 American English
14983 Dear Life Alice Munro 2012 Canadian English
14983 A Walk To Remember Nicholas Sparks 1999 American English
14983 Skellig David Almond 1998 British English
14983 A Yellow Raft In Blue Water Michael Dorris 1987 American English
15897 The Journal Of A Disappointed Man W. N. P. Barbellion 1919 British English
15897 Ending Up Kingsley Amis 1974 British English
15897 Journal Of Katherine Mansfield Katherine Mansfield 1927 New Zealand English
16589 The Last Leaf O. Henry 1907 American English
17119 Seaview Toby Olson 1983 American English
17119 The Epicure's Lament Kate Christensen 2004 American English
17119 The Franchiser Stanley Elkin 1976 American English
17119 Taking the World in for Repairs Richard Selzer 1986 American English
17119 Self-Consciousness John Updike 1989 American English
17119 War Dances Sherman Alexie 2009 American English
17119 Unicorn Mountain Michael Bishop 1988 American English
17119 Riceyman Steps Arnold Bennett 1923 British English
17119 Night Letters Robert Dessaix 1996 Australian English
17119 The Sound Of A Wild Snail Eating Renee Raudman, Elisabeth Tova Bailey 2010 American English
17119 The Salt Path Raynor Winn 2018 British English
17119 Illness As Metaphor Susan Sontag 1978 American English
17119 The Furies Janet Hobhouse 1984 American English
17119 The Spare Room Helen Garner 2008 Australian English
17119 Merci Suárez Changes Gears Meg Medina 2018 Mexican-American English
17119 The Black Tower P. D. James 1975 British English
17119 Between Two Kingdoms Suleika Jaouad 2021 Unknown English
17119 Libby Lost And Found Stephanie Booth 2024 Unknown English
17119 Elena Knows Claudia Piñeiro 2007 Argentinian Spanish
17119 A Woman's Story Annie Ernaux 1988 French French
17119 Three Letter Plague Jonny Steinberg 2008 South African English
17119 The Wonder Emma Donoghue 2023 Irish English
16801 Sette Piani Dino Buzzati 1954 Italian Italian
17119 A Sick Day For Amos Mc Gee Philip Stead 2010 American English
17119 I Want To Eat Your Pancreas Yoru Sumino 2015 Japanese Japanese
17108 Heaven Has No Favorites Erich Maria Remarque 1961 German German
17119 The Diary Of Alice James Alice James 1982 American English
17119 Letters To Friends, Family, And Editors Franz Kafka German German
17119 The Final Voicemails Max Ritvo American English