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 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Humor, Fantasy, Technology, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1970
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Relationships: Family, Identity: Masculinity, Self Discovery
Tags Historical Fiction, Great Depression, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Food, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, History: World, Action / Adventure, Classic Fiction
No Promises in the Wind is a young-adult historical novel that takes place at the height of the Great Depression. The first-person narrative tells the coming-of-age story of a 15-year-old boy who leaves home with his younger brother because their family doesn’t have enough to eat. Josh and Joey Grondowski use their musical talents to survive on their own as they travel through a country of angry and impoverished people. First published in 1970, the... Read No Promises In The Wind Summary
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Music
Tags Historical Fiction, Irish Literature, Domestic Fiction, Literary Fiction, Depression / Suicide
Written by Colm Tóibín, Nora Webster (2014) is a historical novel that follows the titular character, a young woman who is struggling to raise her four young children, process her grief, and reinvent her life after her husband passes away. In 2015, the novel won the Hawthornden Prize, and it has also received numerous other prestigious award nominations. Throughout his career, Colm Tóibín has alternated between fiction and non-fiction, producing works such as Brooklyn (2009), which... Read Nora Webster Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Society: Politics & Government
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Historical Fiction, Irish Literature
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 1986
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family
Tags Historical Fiction, Play: Historical, Play: Postcolonial, Education, Education, Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction
No Sugar is a four-act play written by Jack Davis. It is the story of an Aboriginal family’s struggles for dignity, equality, and justice during the Australian depression of the 1930s. It has much in common with other literary touchstones of activism, such as John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, and more. Like Steinbeck’s novel, No Sugar centers on a particular family and their antagonists, both circumstantial and personal. The... Read No Sugar Summary
Publication year 1969
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Community, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags African Literature, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Society: Community
Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Children's Literature
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & Government, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Humor, Magical Realism, Parenting, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy
Nothing to See Here is a 2019 novel by New York Times best-selling author and short story writer Kevin Wilson. The novel, which is set in Tennessee, includes a dedication to fellow Tennessean writer Ann Patchett. This is not Wilson’s first work about unusual characters and their families. He achieved success with his first novel, The Family Fang, and another called Perfect Little World. In these works, Wilson developed the prototype for the unique brand... Read Nothing to See Here Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Natural World: Food, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance
Publication year 1987
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Relationships: Mothers
Tags Auto/Biographical Fiction, Religion / Spirituality, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Drama / Tragedy, Biography
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Romance, Grief / Death, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2002
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Siblings, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: War, Relationships: Fathers
Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Auto/Biographical Fiction, American Civil War, Race / Racism, History: U.S., Military / War, History: World
Publication year 2002
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy, Religion / Spirituality
“October in the Chair” by Neil Gaiman is a supernatural short story published in his 2006 collection Fragile Things. The story won the 2003 Locus Award for Best Short Story, and the collection won the 2007 Locus Award for Best Collection. Along with earning these awards, Gaiman is a widely read, critically acclaimed author of comics, short stories, novels, and screenplays, mostly in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. Other works by this author... Read October in the Chair Summary
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Disability, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Family, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Children's Literature, Fantasy, Mythology, Historical Fiction, Action / Adventure
Publication year 60
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Fate
Tags Play: Tragedy, Mythology, Education, Education, Classical Period, Drama / Tragedy, Fantasy, Classic Fiction
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Fate
Tags Play: Tragedy, Mythology, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Ancient Greece, Classic Fiction, Education, Education, Drama / Tragedy, Fantasy
Sophocles’s play Oedipus Rex, first performed in the early-to-mid 400s BCE, is one of the most famous and influential tragedies left to us from the ancient Greek tradition. Based on the myth of Oedipus, whose cursed fate was to marry his mother and kill his father, the play explores themes of destiny, free will, and literal and metaphoric vision and blindness. This guide uses the 1984 Penguin edition of The Three Theban Plays, translated by... Read Oedipus Rex Summary
Publication year 1902
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Race, Relationships: Family
Tags Fantasy, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Race / Racism, Education, Education, History: World, Classic Fiction