10 of the Best Books About Unrequited love

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Everyone wants to be loved. Unfortunately, loving someone doesn’t mean you’ll be loved in turn. And when that happens, it’s devastating on many levels. It’s a feeling that most of us can relate to and often never forget completely.

It seems unfair, but short of forcing a person to love you back, there’s really nothing you can do about it but move on. Actually moving on though, is a different and difficult story. 

Books on Unrequited Love

Here are some books to read when you’re nursing the wounds of unrequited love. They may be fiction, but the emotions and thoughts contained within them will certainly resonate with yours. 

1. The Death of King Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory

Arthur’s claim of Excalibur, his life as king of Britain, and his quest for the Holy Grail are the stuff of legend. Alas, love gets in the way and spells his downfall.

Guinevere, his bride, tragically falls for Arthur’s closest companion. Lesser known still is Elaine of Astolat, who dies from her one-sided love towards Lancelot du Lac.

2. The Canzoniere by Petrarch

In 1327, coming out of the church, the Italian poet Petrarch caught a glimpse of Laura, a woman so beautiful she inspired the Canzoniere—a series of poems said to be his best work. They had little to no interaction, and yet her presence filled up much of the poet’s writings.

Later, in his Letter to Prosperity, he would write:  “In my younger days I struggled constantly with an overwhelming but pure love affair—my only one, and I would have struggled with it longer had not premature death, bitter but salutary for me, extinguished the cooling flames. I certainly wish I could say that I have always been entirely free from desires of the flesh, but I would be lying if I did.”

3. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo

Hugo’s novel is about madness brought on by unrequited love that sets off a chain of events that lead to dire consequences. A hunchback, a poet, and a church official all pine for a beautiful gypsy dancer, as she, in turn, yearns for an already betrothed soldier.

4. The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

Werther, a young artist with a sensitive temperament, meets the beautiful Charlotte and immediately falls in love. However, the young woman is already set to marry Albert, a man many years his senior.

The whole novel recounts Werther’s emotional and mental pain as he struggles with the bliss of being near his love and yet realizing she can never be his.

5. Letter from an Unknown Woman by Stefan Zweig

A rich and well-known writer returns home and finds a letter from an unknown woman. Within is her declaration of undying love for him—one he has never suspected to exist. The following passages narrate her life and the brief moments in which they meet.

6. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Set in the beginning of the Civil War up until its later years, Mitchell’s novel follows Scarlet O’Hara—selfish, stubborn, and ambitious. She’s in love with Ashley Wilkes, who’s in love with his cousin but too weak-willed to fully refuse Scarlet’s advances. 

Then there’s Rhett Butler, who’s in love with Scarlet, marries her, but still can’t get her affections. Not to mention the men Scarlet marries in between and for various reasons except love.

7. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

15-year-old Tita de la Garza lives with her domineering mother, along with her older sisters. She longs for her beloved, Pedro, but can never be with him due to her mother’s strict adherence to tradition.

The youngest daughter can never marry and must take care of her mother until she dies. Tightly chained to her mother’s beliefs, Tita can only express herself in her cooking.

8. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Throughout the books, you see Severus Snape as a distasteful specter who’s eager to jump at Harry’s group for any misdeeds, imagined or otherwise. It’s only through flashbacks from the later books that you see the sacrifices he’s made for his enduring love of Lily, Harry’s mother. 

And even after her death, he keeps on protecting the last piece of her remaining—Harry himself. 

9. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Two people dedicate their lives to the service of their wealthy employer—doing their duty for years while concealing their feelings for each other. It’s only decades later, when one has married and settled down, do they get a chance to talk about what could have been.

10. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

The poor and eccentric Mortmain family lives in a ramshackle castle, barely scraping by in both wealth and inspiration. Cassandra, the younger daughter, dreams of being a writer and “captures” everything around her in her journal.

Things begin to change when the Cottons inherit a nearby hall and become the Mortmains’ new landlords. And with them comes Cassandra’s first brush with love, and the pain of it not being returned.

Stories About One-Sided Love

Unrequited love makes for some of the juiciest romance stories to ever be written. There’s a feeling of helplessness and unfairness that just pulls on your heart and makes you teary-eyed.

The longing, the idea of them being happy with another, and the distraction of a love that never will be—all call for the most dramatic of stories. They’re not even necessarily tragic, with some characters eventually moving on and finding a person more worthy of their affection. 

Oddly enough, there’s a sort of comfort that comes from one-sided love. You dwell on the fantasy of it, where perfection exists, without the dangers of reality ever touching it. 

The bright side though, lies in the journey itself. Dealing with such a heavy thing forces a person to grow in unexpected and admirable ways.

What books did you do when you experienced unrequited love? Share them in the comments below!

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