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.

God of Malice

by Rina Kent

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hope, Love, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Death, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Art, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Horror & Suspense, New Adult

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God Sees the Truth, but Waits

by Leo Tolstoy

Publication year 1872

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Forgiveness, Justice, Family, Hate & Anger

Tags Russian Literature, Classic Fiction, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality

“God Sees the Truth, but Waits” is a short story by Leo Tolstoy originally published in 1872. The story, a parable about forgiveness that explores religious and spiritual themes, tells of a man sent to prison in Siberia for a murder he did not commit. The story has been adapted for various media, including films and radio programs. This guide refers to the 1990 Norton Critical Edition.Set in Tolstoy’s contemporary Russia, the story is narrated... Read God Sees the Truth, but Waits Summary

Good Bones

by Maggie Smith

Publication year 2016

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Hope, Appearance & Reality, Perseverance, Conflict, Family

Tags Free Verse, Parenting, Science & Nature, Gender & Feminism

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Goodbye Columbus

by Philip Roth

Publication year 1959

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Nostalgia, Race, Coming of Age, Family, Social Class, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Relationships, Social Class, Jewish Literature, US History, American Literature, World History, 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

Goodbye Days

by Jeff Zentner

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Grief, 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

Goodbye, Eri

by Tatsuki Fujimoto

Publication year 2022

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Nostalgia, Mental Health, Shame & Pride, Coming of Age, Death, Family, Self Discovery, Art, Order & Chaos

Tags Coming of Age, Love & Sexuality

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Goodbye, Vitamin

by Rachel Khong

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Mental Health, Memory, Forgiveness

Tags Humor, Health, 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

Goodnight Mister Tom

by Michelle Magorian

Publication year 1981

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Gratitude, Love, Childhood & Youth, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Mothers, Community, War, Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, Military & War, 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

Good Spirits

by B. K. Borison

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Nostalgia, Family

Tags Romance, Special Occasions, Fantasy

Set in Annapolis, Maryland, the novel follows 27-year-old Harriet York, the owner of the Crow's Nest, an antiques shop she inherited from her beloved aunt Matilda. A lifelong people-pleaser shaped by a cold, critical mother and an indifferent father, Harriet has spent years trying to earn her family's approval, only to be treated as a perpetual disappointment. Her relationship with her sister Samantha has deteriorated into silence, and her bond with her mother never recovered... Read Good Spirits Summary

Good Talk

by Mira Jacob

Publication year 2019

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Family, Race, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Mothers, Siblings, Marriage, Fathers, Community, Memory, Future, Fear, Conflict, Loneliness

Tags Race & Racism, Politics & Government, 9/11, Relationships, LGBTQ+, Grief & Death, Parenting, Social Justice, Immigration & Refugeeism, Biography

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Go Set A Watchman

by Harper Lee

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Family, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, Politics & Government, Race & Racism, World History, 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

Go Tell It on the Mountain

by James Baldwin

Publication year 1953

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Race, Sexual Identity, Family, Shame & Pride, Fathers, Equality

Tags Life-Inspired 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