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.

The Bookbinder's Secret

by A. D. Bell

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Femininity, The Past, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class, Literature

A. D. Bell’s The Bookbinder’s Secret is a dual-timeline historical mystery set in England in 1901. The novel follows Lilian Delaney, an apprentice bookbinder whose curiosity about a damaged book pulls her into a 50-year-old scandal involving forced marriage, a hidden child, and a contested inheritance. Across both timelines, Bell develops themes such as The Cost of Obsession, Women Confined by Gendered Exploitation, and Truth-Seeking Through Attention to Detail. Published by St. Martin’s Press in... Read The Bookbinder's Secret Summary

The Book of Magic

by Alice Hoffman

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Love, Femininity, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Place, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Art, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction

... Read The Book of Magic Summary

The Borrowers

by Mary Norton

Publication year 1952

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Social Class, Family

Tags Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, British Literature

Introduction Written by British author Mary Norton in 1952, The Borrowers is the first in a five-part series along with The Borrowers Afield (1955), The Borrowers Afloat (1959), The Borrowers Aloft (1961), and The Borrowers Avenged (1982). The book follows the story of the Clock family, a trio of tiny people who live beneath the kitchen floorboards in a large house in the British countryside. Norton was born in London in 1903 and grew up... Read The Borrowers Summary

The Boy in the Black Suit

by Jason Reynolds

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Friendship, Coming of Age, Family

Tags Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, Love & Sexuality, Grief & Death, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

Jason Reynolds’s 2015 young adult realistic contemporary novel, The Boy in the Black Suit, follows main character, Matt Miller, through several months of his senior year after the death of his mother. His grieving process is complicated by his father’s lengthy hospitalization after an accident, which leaves Matt to cope with his sadness alone. Matt discovers unexpected comfort, however, in his new job helping neighbor and funeral home director Mr. Ray. Matt meets Love, who... Read The Boy in the Black Suit Summary