We’ve all been there: as you reach the final pages of a book, you start to feel an impending doom. As you get to the last page, you read a little slower. Trying to soak in every sentence, making sure you don’t miss a thing. And then it’s over.
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Don’t worry, you’re not alone in the deep, debilitating sadness you now feel. In fact, every good book should leave you wanting more. Here are 7 ways you can know for sure that you’re suffering from book withdrawal:
1. You feel a deep sadness that you can’t quite explain.
It’s there, stirring inside, but you can’t quite pinpoint why you feel so down. When you spot the book you just finished next to your bed, you realize how much you miss it.
2. You keep re-reading the last page.
This is how you know the book got you good. I read the last page of The Goldfinch at least 10 times. Even after 700 pages, I wasn’t ready for it to be over.
3. You zone out in conversation, thinking about the future of your favorite character.
You’re having an important conversation with your mom and all of the sudden all you can think is, did Offred from The Handmaid’s Tale ever make it out of Gilead? Sorry mom, some things are more important than my student loans.
4. You ask every person you see if they’ve read it.
You automatically assume that everyone around you has read the book and had the same emotional reaction to it. If they have read it, you automatically feel closer to them, and you go through every detail of the book together.
5. You look for other works by the same author, but realize that it’s the characters you fell in love with.
Immediately after closing the book you open up your computer, Googling the author and all of their published works. Then, feeling heartbroken, you realize while the author’s writing was amazing, you miss those specific characters and the story as much as the writing.
6. You pray for a sequel, knowing full well the book could not possibly get better.
Back to The Handmaid’s Tale, after finishing, all you can think about is a part two. So many unanswered questions. But it wouldn’t be the book that it is without the abrupt ending, and we just have to come to terms with it.
7. You give up books for a while, turn to mindless Netflix watching for comfort.
The final sign that you’re going through book withdrawal: you refuse to read anything. Instead of turning to a new book, you decide to take a break from the book world. You turn to Netflix, binge watching Parks and Recreation in the hopes of getting over the book that stole your heart.
If you find yourself showing one or more of these signs, don’t fret, you are not alone. And better yet, there’s a cure (although you might not like the sound of it). The only way to get over a sad book-breakup is time. But don’t worry, another book will come along soon that is as good, or even better. Just give it time!
Featured image courtesy of Huffington Post.