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 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Mothers
Tags Romance, Mystery / Crime Fiction
Publication year 2016
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Relationships: Family
Tags Free verse, Parenting, Science / Nature, Gender / Feminism
Publication year 1959
Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Relationships, Class, Jewish Literature, History: U.S., American Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction
Goodbye, Columbus is Philip Roth’s first work of literary fiction, consisting of six short stories, published on May 7, 1959. The book won the National Book Award in 1960 and is the first of many popular and successful works of fiction by Roth. Like his other novels and short stories, many of the stories occur in and around Roth’s birthplace of Newark, New Jersey, exploring the Jewish experience in the US. Roth is known for... Read Goodbye Columbus Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Grief / Death, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness
Goodbye Days is a young adult novel by Jeff Zentner. Published in 2017, it follows a teenage boy, Carver Briggs, who is grappling with the deaths of his three best friends. All three boys died in a car crash on their way to pick up Carver from work. Carver’s survivor’s guilt is exacerbated by the fact that he’s facing a possible criminal investigation for “negligent homicide” for his supposed role in the accident. Carver texted... Read Goodbye Days Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness
Tags Humor, Health / Medicine, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness
Goodbye, Vitamin is Asian American author Rachel Khong’s debut novel. Khong, whose grandmother had Alzheimer’s disease, explores how Alzheimer’s disease affects a family in this work of literary fiction. Written as a series of diary entries, Khong’s protagonist, Ruth Young, meditates on memory, forgiveness, and the challenges inherent in familial relationships as she navigates an adulthood that is not turning out as planned.Published in 2017, Goodbye, Vitamin received positive reviews and was named one of... Read Goodbye, Vitamin Summary
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Race, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Historical Fiction
Publication year 2022
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth
Tags Parenting, Psychology, Self Help, Relationships, Children's Literature, Psychology
Publication year 1981
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Community, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Historical Fiction, Military / War, WWII / World War II
Goodnight Mister Tom is a work of historical fiction written by Michelle Magorian and published in 1981. The novel is aimed at an audience of middle grade readers. It tells the story of eight-year-old William Beech, who, at the start of WWII, has to move with his abusive mother from an impoverished suburb of London to the countryside, where they are in the care of an elderly recluse, Thomas Oakley. The novel explores the impact... Read Goodnight Mister Tom Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Race, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Fathers, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: The Future, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness
Tags Race / Racism, Politics / Government, September 11 Attacks, Relationships, LGBTQ, Grief / Death, Parenting, Social Justice, Immigration / Refugee, Biography
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Historical Fiction, Politics / Government, Race / Racism, History: World, Classic Fiction
Go Set a Watchman is the second novel of Pulitzer Prize winner Harper Lee. While this novel was initially touted as a sequel to her critically acclaimed 1960 debut novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, it is now regarded as an early draft of that book, featuring many of the same characters and, occasionally, the same scenes. When first published in 2015, the book set a record for the highest adult novel one-day sales at Barnes... Read Go Set A Watchman Summary
Publication year 1953
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Relationships: Fathers, Values/Ideas: Equality
Tags Auto/Biographical Fiction, Love / Sexuality, Religion / Spirituality, Race / Racism, American Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction
Go Tell it on the Mountain is a semi-autobiographical novel by James Baldwin. Published in 1953, the novel tells the story of a teenager in 1930s Harlem named John Grimes as well as his wider family, dealing with themes of religion, sexuality, and race. This guide uses an eBook version of the Modern Penguin Classics edition of the novel. Plot SummaryGo Tell it on the Mountain is set on the 14th birthday of the protagonist... Read Go Tell It on the Mountain Summary
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, LGBTQ, Relationships, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2003
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Realistic Fiction, Relationships, Food, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2006
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Family
Tags Lyric Poem, Grief / Death
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Disability, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Siblings, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Romance, Military / War, Contemporary Literature, Drama / Tragedy
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Identity: Race, Self Discovery, Relationships: Family
Tags Fairy Tale / Folklore, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Children's Literature, Holidays & Occasions, Parenting, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Flora/plants, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Historical Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Science / Nature, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Humor, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Action / Adventure, Christian literature