Bittersweet

How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole

By: Susan Cain

Narrated by: Susan Cain

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • Sadness is your superpower. In her new masterpiece, the author of the bestselling phenomenon Quiet explores the power of the bittersweet personality, revealing a misunderstood side of mental health and creativity while offering a road map to facing grief in order to live life to the fullest.

“Bittersweet grabs you by the heart and doesn’t let go.”—BRENÉ BROWN, author of Atlas of the Heart

“Susan Cain has described and validated my existence once again!”—GLENNON DOYLE, author of Untamed

“The perfect cure for toxic positivity.”—ADAM GRANT, author of Think Again

LONGLISTED FOR THE PORCHLIGHT BUSINESS BOOK AWARD • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Wall Street Journal, Mashable

Bittersweetness is a tendency to states of long­ing, poignancy, and sorrow; an acute aware­ness of passing time; and a curiously piercing joy at the beauty of the world. It recognizes that light and dark, birth and death—bitter and sweet—are forever paired.

If you’ve ever wondered why you like sad music . . .
If you find comfort or inspiration in a rainy day . . .
If you react intensely to music, art, nature, and beauty . . .

Then you probably identify with the bitter­sweet state of mind.

With Quiet, Susan Cain urged our society to cultivate space for the undervalued, indispensable introverts among us, thereby revealing an un­tapped power hidden in plain sight. Now she em­ploys the same mix of research, storytelling, and memoir to explore why we experience sorrow and longing, and how embracing the bittersweetness at the heart of life is the true path to creativity, con­nection, and transcendence.

Cain shows how a bittersweet state of mind is the quiet force that helps us transcend our personal and collective pain, whether from a death or breakup, addiction or illness. If we don’t acknowledge our own heartache, she says, we can end up inflicting it on others via abuse, domination, or neglect. But if we realize that all humans know—or will know—loss and suffering, we can turn toward one another.

At a time of profound discord and personal anxiety, Bittersweet brings us together in deep and unexpected ways.

*Includes a downloadable PDF containing a Bittersweet quiz from the book

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Random House (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

2022, Porchlight Business Book Awards - Big Ideas and New Perspectives, Long-listed

“A thoughtful examination of the melancholic disposition . . . a unique blend of psychology, biography, spirituality, musical references and pop culture. For those feeling sorrowful or dealing with a loss, the idea of transforming pain into creativity, transcendence and love is a compelling one. Cain does an excellent job of using research, case studies and personal stories to justify her argument. It is a unique view in a culture that tends to medicate strong feelings rather than welcome them.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Bittersweet is astonishing—one of the most gracefully written, palpably human books I’ve read in years. Its powerful case will reshape how you think about yourself and those you love. Its sheer beauty will linger in your heart long after you turn the final page.”—Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of When, Drive, and A Whole New Mind

“Susan Cain does it again! As the author of the worldwide phenomenon Quiet, she changed how the world sees introverts. Now she has written a book that will change how the world sees sorrow and longing. This book is an absolute triumph: It’s for anyone who has ever really lived, loved, or lost.”—Greg McKeown, host of the What’s Essential podcast and the author of the New York Times bestsellers Effortless and Essentialism

Gripping. Evokes introspection and reframing

Gradually takes the reader on a journey into one's own life. Kudos for the mastering the art of a transformative experience through others stories!

Homecoming

This book puts words and understanding to a complex human emotion that so many of us experience without having the language to understand. Thank you Susan, for compiling this language around something that connects so many of us to ourselves and to each other, in a deeper, more intricate way.

Excellent

This is such a well written book. It took me on a journey. I loved hearing the author read it as well.

Bravo.

Susan, You’ve put into words so much of what many many many of us need to metabolize in our lives, and not only those of us who identify with melancholy. Thank you for being brave. Thank you for sharing so much good research and adding in the right notes of your personal and perfect choices of story to elevate our understanding. I hope this book reaches and resonates with as many people as Brenes work has…it’s as important and parallels what so many of us will be grateful to understand. Susan Fink

A Must Read!

Susan Cain has done it again. I get so seen in this book. I’ve never been able to understand why there was such a sad undertone to every occurrence in my life, but now I know it’s my super power. Incredibly written and beautifully read.

Incredibly moving and powerful

I’m not easily moved to tears, and yet this book had me close to tears more than once. Listening to this book felt like she had read my mind and seen my life. I found a sense of purpose and clarity that I had not with any religious or spiritual text. Such a profound examination of grief, familial relationships, love, and loss.

Very profound and universally meaningful

This is my second book by this author. She is really very deeply insightful and communicates openly about herself and her subject. I highly recommend this book. Her reading of the book is just perfect. There is some thing for everyone in this book.

so many things

this book touched on so many topics foreign to Americans. I learned more than I thought I would about grief, sadness, and generational trauma.

Beautiful, from the heart and well written

This book touched upon the piece I was missing. As the author states the Piece (as in the piece to make our circle within our mind a whole) and Peace (as in the Peace of the longing I feel and to hear a whole book stating that it’s a part of us.) BITTER SWEET. I love this book and the tears I shed felt Bitter Sweet.

Make your suffering your creative offering

So many well thought out and researched ideas. I don’t know if I have ever resonated with a book this much. After the death of my son I realize the beauty in the suffering and the joy found after the pain. Well done.