Grief

"The art of losing isn't hard to master," wrote poet Elizabeth Bishop. Perhaps she meant that we will all face loss at some point in our lives. In this collection, we have brought together texts that take up the universal experience of grief.

All the Way to the River

by Elizabeth Gilbert

Publication year 2025

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Regret, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Death, Self Discovery, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Memoir & Autobiography, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Grief & Death

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Almost, Maine

by John Cariani

Publication year 2004

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Love, Grief, Guilt

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Romance, LGBTQ+

Almost, Maine is a play in two acts, and is comprised of a prologue, a four-scene first act, an interlogue, a four-scene second act (one of which has two different versions one can choose from), and finally an Epilogue. The title refers to an imagined town in Northern Maine, named Almost, that the playwright, John Cariani, writes, “doesn’t quite exist” (11). Each scene consists of at least two main characters, and, aside from the Prologue... Read Almost, Maine Summary

A Monster Calls

by Patrick Ness

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Guilt, Love, Fear, Grief, Perseverance, Hope, Wins & Losses

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Grief & Death, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism, Religion & Spirituality

A Monster Calls (2011) was written by Patrick Ness, illustrated by Jim Kay, and the original idea for the novel is credited to the late Siobhan Dowd. Ness wrote the novel in Dowd’s memory after she passed away in 2007 from breast cancer. Set in present-day England, A Monster Calls is a young adult fantasy novel that explores topics of terminal illness, grief, death, anger, and the grieving process through the eyes of a child;... Read A Monster Calls Summary

Anima Rising

by Christopher Moore

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Grief, Loneliness, Memory, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Animals, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Art, Beauty, Power & Greed

Tags Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Arts & Culture

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Another Brooklyn

by Jacqueline Woodson

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Music, Grief, Memory, Friendship

Tags Race & Racism, Historical Fiction

Another Brooklyn is a 2016 novel by Jacqueline Woodson. After the narrator, August, returns home to care for her dying father, she runs into her former friend Sylvia. This encounter leads her to reflect on her childhood in Brooklyn in the 1970s and the way she coped with her mother’s death. The novel unfolds in fragments: each chapter moves between August’s girlhood memories and adult life as an ivy-league educated anthropologist who studies cultural rituals... Read Another Brooklyn Summary

A Photo Finish

by Elsie Silver

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Hope, Joy, Love, Memory, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Animals, Place, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger

Tags Romance, New Adult

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A River in Darkness

by Masaji Ishikawa, Transl. Martin Brown, Transl. Risa Kobayashi

Publication year 2000

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Grief, Guilt, Loneliness, Regret, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Mental Health, Race, Childhood & Youth, Fathers, Social Class, Colonialism, Immigration, Politics & Government, Safety & Danger

Tags World History, Japanese Literature, Biography, Asian History, Politics & Government, Inspirational

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As Bright As Heaven

by Susan Meissner

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Family, Grief, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Gratitude, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Regret, Nostalgia, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Death, Self Discovery

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II

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