Family

Leo Tolstoy famously begins the novel Anna Karenina with the sentence: "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." In this thematic collection, we have gathered noteworthy texts that navigate the joyous and sorrowful emotional terrain of the family unit.

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Family

Tags LGBTQ, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction

The Great Believers (2018) is the fourth novel by Chicago-based writer Rebecca Makkai. The novel alternates between the stories of a group of friends—most of them gay men diagnosed with AIDS—in Chicago during the mid-80s to the early 90s—and the story of a woman searching for her estranged daughter in Paris, 30 years later. The Great Believers won several awards, including the ALA Carnegie Medal, Los Angeles Times Book Prize, ALA Stonewall Award, and the... Read The Great Believers Summary


Publication year 1978

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Classic Fiction

The Great Gilly Hopkins is a children's novel by Katherine Paterson. It is a work of realistic fiction and was published in 1978. The novel won the US National Book Award in 1979 and was named a Newberry Honor Book. The edition used in this guide is the Harper Trophy edition published by Harper Collins in 1978.Plot SummaryThis book is set in Thompson Park, Maryland in the 1970s. The protagonist is Gilly Hopkins, an 11-year-old... Read The Great Gilly Hopkins Summary


Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict

Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship

Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech’s 2012 novel, The Great Unexpected, follows the relationship between two best friends, Naomi Deane and Lizzie Scatterding, both orphans who know little about their families. They have felt heartache and loss, though these experiences impact them in contrasting ways: Lizzie is talkative and enthusiastic, while Naomi is guarded and anxious. In a discussion of her inspiration for the text, Creech recounts her realization that when faced with the unexpected, children... Read The Great Unexpected Summary


Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Children's Literature, Military / War, Realistic Fiction, History: World

The Green Glass Sea is the 2006 children’s historical fiction and debut novel by American author Ellen Klages. Set in New Mexico in 1943, the story tells of 11-year-old Dewey Kerrigan, an outcast mechanical engineering prodigy who arrives to live with her father in the mysterious town of Los Alamos, New Mexico (also called the Hill). Dewey slowly learns that her father and several other scientists are working on a top-secret project called the “gadget.”... Read The Green Glass Sea Summary


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction


Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Immigration, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Latin American Literature, American Literature, Arts / Culture


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Siblings, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Life/Time: The Past

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

The Guest List by Lucy Foley is a contemporary murder mystery novel published in 2020. Foley, an English author, weaves a tale of intrigue, secrets, and betrayal upon the backdrop of an isolated island in West Ireland. Foley is also known for the thrillers The Hunting Party (2018) and The Paris Apartment (2022), among others. Often likened to Agatha Christie, Foley’s novel is a slow-burn whodunit.Plot SummaryMany perspectives compose The Guest List; each chapter jumps... Read The Guest List Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death

Tags LGBTQ, Humor, Realistic Fiction, Grief / Death, Parenting, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Aging, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage

Tags LGBTQ, Modern Classic Fiction, Humor, Romance


Publication year 1940

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Life/Time: The Past, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags American Literature, Southern Literature, Southern Gothic, History: World, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction


Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship

Tags Fantasy, Mythology, Action / Adventure, LGBTQ, Children's Literature


Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Mothers

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World


Publication year 2020

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory

Tags Holocaust, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, WWII / World War II, Military / War, History: World, Biography


Publication year 2010

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Family

Tags Humor, History: Asian, Education, Education, Biography

The Happiest Refugee is a 2010 autobiography by Vietnamese-born, Australian author, actor, comedian, and artist Anh Do. Following his journey from a perilous escape from Communist-ruled Vietnam as a toddler with his large family, to his working-class childhood in Australia where he struggled to fit into the predominantly white society, to his rise as one of Australia’s most sought-after comedians and motivational speakers, The Happiest Refugee is considered one of the most well-received stories of... Read The Happiest Refugee Summary


Publication year 1959

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Mothers, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Religion / Spirituality, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Gothic Literature, Classic Fiction

Published in 1959, The Haunting of Hill House, a Gothic novel by Shirley Jackson, was a 1960 finalist for the National Book Award. The protagonist is Eleanor Vance, a young woman with a troubled past who, along with two other guests, is invited to spend three months in a haunted house to take part in research gathered by Dr. John Montague. Like other Gothic novels, The Haunting of Hill House takes place in an old... Read The Haunting Of Hill House Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Siblings, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Class, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Action / Adventure


Publication year 2008

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Society: Education, Society: Colonialism

Tags Historical Fiction, Gender / Feminism, African Literature, Arts / Culture, Education, Education, African American Literature, Classic Fiction


Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Race, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Irish Literature

The Heart’s Invisible Furies is a novel written by John Boyne, author of 14 novels and a short story collection. Originally published in 2017, this historical fiction chronicles of the life of a gay man living in Ireland in the 20th and 21st centuries. It won the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award in 2018.Other works by this author include The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, All the Broken Places, and A Ladder to the Sky.This... Read The Heart's Invisible Furies Summary


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Relationships: Family, Society: Class

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Gothic Literature, Modern Classic Fiction