Brothers & Sisters

Whether marked by protective tenderness or tense rivalry, sibling bonds are like none other. This thematic collection offers insights into the unique dynamics of brothers and sisters.

The Wrong Daughter

by Dandy Smith

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Revenge, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, The Past, Place, Family, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Dramatic Literature

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They Went Left

by Monica Hesse

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Death, Marriage, Siblings, War, Good & Evil, Justice, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Military & War, World History

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This Strange Eventful History

by Claire Messud

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Loneliness, Memory, Nostalgia, Indigenous Identity, Race, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Justice, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Military & War, World History, French Literature, Historical Fiction

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Three Dark Crowns

by Kendare Blake

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Siblings, Conflict, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Good & Evil, Wins & Losses

Tags Fantasy, Romance

Three Dark Crowns (2016) by Kendare Blake is the first novel in the five-part fantasy series by the same name. The novel follows 16-year-old royal triplet sisters from the island of Fennbirn—Arsinoe, who can control animals and plants; Katharine, who is immune to deadly poisons; and Mirabella, who can control the elements, like earth, fire, and water—as they compete against one another for the throne. As they come of age, they prepare to battle each... Read Three Dark Crowns Summary

Three Sisters

by Anton Chekhov

Publication year 1901

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Siblings, Hope, Love, Marriage, Loneliness, Nostalgia, Family, Social Class

Tags Drama, Russian Literature, Gender & Feminism, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

Anton Chekhov wrote the play Three Sisters in 1900 as a commission for the now-famous Moscow Art Theatre (MAT). The production debuted there in 1901 and was directed by the MAT’s two founders, Konstantin Stanislavski and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. It was the first play that Chekhov penned specifically for production at the MAT. Three Sisters uses the three titular characters—Olga, Masha, and Irina—to examine the decay of the Russian aristocracy. Raised and educated to become the... Read Three Sisters Summary

Thyestes

by Seneca

Publication year 65

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Siblings, Fate, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Order & Chaos

Tags Tragedy, Ancient Rome, Classical Period, Trauma & Abuse

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To All the Boys I've Loved Before

by Jenny Han

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Siblings

Tags Romance, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han is the first in a series of three novels; P.S. I Still Love You was published in 2015 and Always and Forever, Lara Jean in 2017. A movie adaptation of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before was released on Netflix in 2018 and instantly became one of Netflix’s most-watched movies. Simon Schuster first published To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before in 2014.To All... Read To All the Boys I've Loved Before Summary

Took

by Mary Downing Hahn

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Family, Siblings

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Children`s Literature, Religion & Spirituality

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Topdog/Underdog

by Suzan-Lori Parks

Publication year 2001

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Siblings

Tags Race & Racism, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

Topdog/Underdog, by Suzan-Lori Parks, premiered Off-Broadway at the Public Theater in 2001 and opened on Broadway the following year. In 2002, the play earned Parks the distinction of becoming the first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize. Parks won a MacArthur Genius Grant the same year. Like most of Parks’s plays, such as The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire Universe (1990), Venus (1996), and Father Comes Home From the... Read Topdog/Underdog Summary

Tornado

by Betsy Byars

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Climate, Place, Family, Fathers, Siblings

Tags Animals, Realistic Fiction

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Trifles

by Susan Glaspell

Publication year 1916

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Siblings

Tags Classic Fiction, Education, Education, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Dramatic Literature

Trifles is a one-act play by Susan Glaspell. The play covers the aftermath of the murder-by-strangulation of a farmer named John Wright. During the play’s first run in 1916 at the Wharf Theater in Provincetown, Massachusetts, Glaspell appeared as the character Mrs. Hale. The play was loosely inspired by the real-life, 1900 murder of John Hossack, an Iowa farmer who died due to axe wounds he sustained while sleeping in bed. His wife, Margaret Hossack... Read Trifles Summary

Trust Exercise

by Susan Choi

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Trust & Doubt, Siblings

Tags Korean Literature, Asian Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction

Trust Exercise (2019), a literary fiction novel by Susan Choi, centers on two high school students who fall in love. As the plot develops, it becomes obvious that the relationship is not at all that it seems. Although Trust Exercise received mixed reviews from readers, critics praise the novel for challenging preconceived ideas of what a novel should be. It won the 2019 National Book Award for fiction. Choi is a best-selling, award-winning novelist who typically writes literary... Read Trust Exercise Summary

Unlikely Animals

by Annie Hartnett

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Family, Community, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Memory, Mental Health, Death, The Past, Animals, Environment, Fathers, Siblings

Tags Magical Realism, Humor, Animals, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy

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