Friendship

The solace and comfort of true friendship — and the pain of its loss — can rival any romantic or familial relationship. In this collection, we present texts that examine the unique qualities and costs of deep friendships.

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Family, Friendship

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Irish Literature

The Heart’s Invisible Furies is a novel written by John Boyne, author of 14 novels and a short story collection. Originally published in 2017, this historical fiction chronicles of the life of a gay man living in Ireland in the 20th and 21st centuries. It won the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award in 2018.Other works by this author include The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, All the Broken Places, and A Ladder to the Sky.This... Read The Heart's Invisible Furies Summary

Publication year 1937

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Power & Greed, Good & Evil, Teamwork, Friendship, Perseverance

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

J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is a classic high fantasy adventure novel first published in 1937. Tolkien (1892-1973) was an English writer, philologist, and professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University, as well as a close friend of fellow writer C. S. Lewis. The Hobbit is the first published work recounting tales from Middle Earth, Tolkien’s fantasy world with fictional races of hobbits, elves, dwarves, and more. After fighting in World War I, Tolkien worked... Read The Hobbit Summary

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Perseverance, Truth & Lies, Hate & Anger, Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Grief & Death, Children`s Literature, Animals, Modern Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure

The Honest Truth is a middle-grade coming-of-age novel by Dan Gemeinhart, a former elementary school teacher and librarian who won the Parents’ Choice Award Gold Medal for another one of his five novels. The book was published on January 23, 2015. The novel incorporates drama and a bit of poetry to narrate the story of twelve-year-old protagonist Mark who has spent most of his life in hospitals receiving cancer treatments. Now, Mark takes his fate... Read The Honest Truth Summary

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Fate, Friendship

Tags Mythology, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, LGBTQ+, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Children`s Literature, Romance

The House of Hades is the fourth of five books in the Heroes of Olympus series, which follows seven Greek and Roman demigods on a quest to prevent the rise of the earth goddess Gaea, who is bent on destroying the world.The House of Hades was written by Rick Riordan, a New York Times bestselling author who explores Roman and Greek Mythology in these two series. Riordan is the publisher of an imprint with Disney... Read The House of Hades Summary

Publication year 1905

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Community, Friendship, Economics, Shame & Pride, Nature Versus Nurture, Power & Greed, Beauty, Marriage, Trust & Doubt, Equality, Gender Identity, Appearance & Reality, Truth & Lies, Love, Femininity, Art, Perseverance, Hope

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Satirical Literature, Social Class, Gilded Age, Naturalism, American Literature, World History

Set in New York’s high society at the turn of the 20th century, The House of Mirth (1905), was the second novel by renowned American writer Edith Wharton. Wharton drew upon her own privileged upbringing in a wealthy, long-established New York family for her astute observations of this social milieu during the Gilded Age, a period marked by economic disparities and ostentatious materialism. Prior to the novel’s publication in October 1905, The House of Mirth... Read The House of Mirth Summary

Publication year 1831

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Gratitude, Hate & Anger, Love, Regret, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Disability, Language, Sexual Identity, Death, Family, Friendship, Social Class, Community, Education, Nation, Politics & Government, Art, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Gothic Literature, French Literature, World History

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is an 1831 gothic novel by French author Victor Hugo, originally published under the title Notre-Dame de Paris. Set in 15th-century France, the novel concerns the intertwined stories of Quasimodo, Esmeralda, and Archdeacon Claude Frollo. The story has been adapted many times for theater, television, and film, including an animated film by Disney released in 1996.This guide refers to the 2009 Oxford Classics edition of the novel, translated from French to... Read The Hunchback of Notre-Dame Summary

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Fear, Conflict, Forgiveness, Loneliness, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Friendship

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Sexual Identity, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Marriage, Social Class, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism, Arts & Culture

Jessamy Harrison is an eight-year-old girl living in a small town in England. Her father is English, and her mother is Nigerian. Jess is a smart, introverted child who likes to spend her time reading books and playing inside. Jess’s parents take her on a trip to Nigeria to visit her extended family. While staying at her grandfather’s compound, Jess sees strange shadows in the windows of the Boys’ Quarters, a building that was once... Read The Icarus Girl Summary

Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, War, Friendship

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

Published in 1980, the fantasy novel The Indian in the Cupboard tells the story of a small cabinet that converts a boy’s plastic toy figures into real, if tiny, people, and the misadventures the boy and his best friend have with those visitors. The first of five novels about the magic cabinet, The Indian in the Cupboard has sold more than 10 million copies and been made into a motion picture. Author Lynne Reid Banks... Read The Indian in the Cupboard Summary

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Grief, Hope, Love, Coming of Age, Space, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, War, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Survival Fiction

The Infinite Sea (2014) by Rick Yancey is a young adult science fiction romance novel. It is the second book in The 5th Wave Trilogy, following The 5th Wave (2013) and preceding The Last Star (2016). The trilogy follows protagonist Cassie Sullivan, a 16-year-old girl who survives an invasion by extraterrestrials known as the Others. In the first novel, she meets Evan Walker, a Silencer (a human whose body has been colonized by the consciousness... Read The Infinite Sea Summary

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Community, Safety & Danger, Family, Future, Truth & Lies, Power & Greed, Perseverance

Tags Horror & Suspense, Science Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality

Critically acclaimed, The Institute (2019) is the 60th entry in Stephen King’s body of more than 100 works. While best known as a horror writer (and one of the most popular writers since the 1970s in general), King dabbles in many genres, including fantasy, mystery, and science fiction—often blurring the boundaries between them. The Institute is more sci-fi thriller than horror, sharing story beats and themes with King’s earlier novels Firestarter and It: It follows... Read The Institute Summary

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Coming of Age, Social Class, Art

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Coming of Age, Social Class

Meg Wolitzer’s 2013 novel, The Interestings, is a work of literary fiction that follows a group of six artistically talented teenagers who meet at a summer camp in 1974. The narrative spans several decades, tracking the friends as their youthful ambitions collide with adult realities, leading to vastly different levels of success and fulfillment. As their lives diverge, the bonds of friendship are tested by financial disparity, moral compromises, and personal secrets. The novel explores... Read The Interestings Summary