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.

Crimes of the Heart

by Beth Henley

Publication year 1982

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Music, Family

Tags Women`s Studies, Education, Education, American Literature, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

Crimes of the Heart is a three-act play by Beth Henley. It opens five years after Hurricane Camille, in a Mississippi town called Hazlehurst. The entirety of the play takes place in the kitchen of the house belonging to the Magrath sisters: Lenny, Babe, and Meg.   The play begins on Lenny’s thirtieth birthday. Lenny and Chick, a first cousin, are taking about an unspecified piece of terrible news that will be appearing in the newspaper. It has something to do... Read Crimes of the Heart Summary

Crooked House

by Agatha Christie

Publication year 1949

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Appearance & Reality, Family, Social Class, Siblings, Nature Versus Nurture

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, British Literature, Classic Fiction

Crooked House is a crime fiction novel by mystery writer Agatha Christie, and its title was inspired by the house in the nursery rhyme, “There Was a Crooked Man.” The novel was first published in the US in 1949 by Dodd, Mead, and Company, and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in the same year. Crooked House is one of Christie’s favorites among her own work. The novel takes place in post-World War... Read Crooked House Summary

Cross Down

by James Patterson

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Family, Teamwork, Politics & Government, War, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Military & War, Action & Adventure

... Read Cross Down Summary

Crossing the Mangrove

by Maryse Condé

Publication year 1989

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Colonialism, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Sexual Identity, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Women`s Studies, Education, Education, French Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Crossing the Mangrove (1995) by Maryse Condé was originally published in French as Traversée de la Mangrove. It was translated to English by her husband Richard Philcox. Told from multiple perspectives, the novel opens with a mystery—that of Francis Sancher’s murder. As characters gather to speak at Sancher’s wake, they reveal his impact on the village of Rivière au Sel (“Salty River”), as well as why he returned to the village of his ancestors. While... Read Crossing the Mangrove Summary

Crossing the Wire

by Will Hobbs

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Globalization

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Action & Adventure, Arts & Culture

Crossing the Wire tells the story of Victor Flores, a Mexican teenager who leaves his village of Los Árboles to illegally cross the border into the United States. Victor’s father died while working in the U.S. four years earlier, leaving Victor “the man of the family” (14). His family has been living off of the money Victor makes farming corn, but free trade agreements with the U.S. have made Mexican corn worthless. The only option... Read Crossing the Wire Summary

Crossroads

by Jonathan Franzen

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Religion & Spirituality, Siblings, Marriage, Daughters & Sons

Tags Historical Fiction, Addiction & Substance Abuse, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

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Crossroads

by Devney Perry

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Love, Nostalgia, Regret, Coming of Age, Place, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class, Economics

Tags Romance, Coming of Age

... Read Crossroads Summary

Crow Lake

by Mary Lawson

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Family

Tags Gender & Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction

Crow Lake is a 2002 Canadian bildungsroman set in a rural farming community in northern Ontario. It is author Mary Lawson’s debut work and earned her the Books in Canada First Novel Award and the UK McKitterick Prize. The novel focuses on the Morrison siblings, who are orphaned when their parents are killed by a logging truck. Kate, the second-youngest member of the family, narrates the novel in first person. Her narrative alternates between the... Read Crow Lake Summary

Crow Mary

by Kathleen Grissom

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Grief, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Race, Coming of Age, Family, Marriage, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Justice

Tags World History

... Read Crow Mary Summary

Crown Me Dead

by Liv Zander

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Appearance & Reality, Family, Politics & Government, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Romance

Liv Zander’s Crown Me Dead (2024) is a dark romantasy novel and the first installment of the Heartstring Duet. In the city of Marrowbrae, which is ravaged by a deadly pestilence known as the rot, a young gravedigger named Elara is desperate to save her dying brother. A mysterious figure named Vale offers her a bargain: travel to the palace, seduce the reclusive, afflicted King Kael, and convince him to make her his queen so... Read Crown Me Dead Summary

Cry, the Beloved Country

by Alan Paton

Publication year 1948

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Family, Community, Justice, Love, Forgiveness

Tags Historical Fiction, African Literature, Race & Racism, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

Cry, the Beloved Country is a 1948 work of historical fiction by Alan Paton. Set in South Africa, it follows a Christian reverend named Stephen Kumalo, who lives in a Zulu village called Ndotsheni. Geographically isolated from his brother John, his sister Gertrude, and his son Absalom, Stephen becomes worried when he stops hearing from them. He travels to Johannesburg to check up on them. Cry, the Beloved Country is known for illuminating a historically... Read Cry, the Beloved Country Summary

Cujo

by Stephen King

Publication year 1981

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Safety & Danger, Fate, Daughters & Sons, Perseverance, Family

Tags Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Animals

Cujo, a horror-thriller novel first published in 1981, is the 10th novel by the American “King of Horror,” Stephen King. It was inspired by a trip the author took to a mechanic in rural Maine whose St. Bernard nearly attacked King. Cujo received several accolades upon its release and won the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1982. It was adapted into a film of the same name in 1983.The citations in this study... Read Cujo Summary

Cursed Bunny

by Bora Chung, Transl. Anton Hur

Publication year 2017

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Fear, Loneliness, Revenge, Disability, Gender Identity, Language, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Appearance & Reality, Family, Marriage, Social Class, Economics, Justice

Tags Horror & Suspense, Magical Realism, Science Fiction, Korean Literature

... Read Cursed Bunny Summary