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.

The Little Friend

by Donna Tartt

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Coming of Age, Truth & Lies, The Past, Nostalgia

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, American Literature, Southern Gothic

The Little Friend (2002) is a Southern Gothic novel by Donna Tartt. Twelve-year-old protagonist Harriet Dufresnes, who lives in the small town of Alexandria, Mississippi, becomes obsessed with her brother Robin’s unsolved murder and her family’s mythical lost fortune and happiness. This coming-of-age novel traces Harriet’s attempts to discover and murder Robin’s killer, all while grappling with loss, revisionist history, secrets, and social tensions based on race, class, and gender.Donna Tartt became a success when... Read The Little Friend Summary

The Little Paris Bookshop

by Nina George, Transl. Simon Pare

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Love, Grief, Death

Tags Romance, Psychological Fiction, German Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, French Literature, Travel Literature

Nina George’s romance novel The Little Paris Bookshop was originally published in German in 2013 and was translated to English by Simon Pare in 2015. The story follows Jean Perdu, a bookseller, as he travels from Paris to Avignon on his floating bookstore, the Literary Apothecary. Perdu leaves Paris on a whim after receiving heartbreaking news about the death of his former lover. Perdu is joined in his travels by Max Jordan, a bestselling author... Read The Little Paris Bookshop Summary

The Lottery Rose

by Irene Hunt

Publication year 1976

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Grief, Hate & Anger, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Environment, Plants

Tags Realistic Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

Irene Hunt’s 1976 middle grade novel The Lottery Rose focuses on a young boy named Georgie who hides the evidence of his abuse and neglect at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend, Steve. After Georgie wins a rosebush at his local grocery store, he becomes attached to the shrub and passionately cares for it. Georgie’s life changes when the court system places him in an all-boys Catholic school, where he meets adults who... Read The Lottery Rose Summary

The Magician's Assistant

by Ann Patchett

Publication year 1997

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Grief, Regret, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Place, Family

Tags Magical Realism, LGBTQ+

Written by acclaimed American author Ann Patchett, The Magician’s Assistant is a piece of contemporary literature that explores life after grief, the nature of love, and the power of family dynamics. Told in two parts, one set in Los Angeles and the other in small-town Nebraska, the novel emphasizes the importance of setting and environment in the development of identity.The author of nine novels and the recipient of numerous awards, Ann Patchett is an outspoken... Read The Magician's Assistant Summary

The Man Who Loved Clowns

by June Rae Wood

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Grief, Shame & Pride, Disability, Coming of Age, Friendship, Self Discovery

Tags Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Disability

The Man Who Loved Clowns by June Rae Wood is a young adult novel about a teenage girl, Delrita, who lives with her Uncle Punky, who has Down syndrome. Wood based the novel on her personal experience growing up with her brother, Richard, who had Down syndrome. The Man Who Loved Clowns was published in 1992 and won the Mark Twain Award in 1995. Wood published a sequel, Turtle on a Fence Post, in 1997.This... Read The Man Who Loved Clowns Summary

The Map of Salt and Stars

by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Femininity, Coming of Age

Tags Action & Adventure, Coming of Age, Immigration & Refugeeism, Gender & Feminism, Military & War, American Literature, Middle Eastern Literature

Zeyn Joukhadar is a transgender Syrian American writer (also published under the name Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar). His first novel, The Map of Salt and Stars (2018), won the 2018 Middle East Book Award in Youth Literature and became a 2018 Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist in Historical Fiction. Comprising two interwoven narratives, the novel follows Nour, the present-day protagonist whose flight from a war-torn Syria parallels the journey of her imaginary heroine—Rawiya, a medieval mapmaker’s apprentice... Read The Map of Salt and Stars Summary

The Marrow Thieves

by Cherie Dimaline

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Birth

Tags Gender & Feminism, Science Fiction, Fantasy, LGBTQ+

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline is a science fiction novel set in a post-apocalyptic Canada where climate devastation ravages the world and the Canadian government’s Recruiters hunt Natives for the dreams that are woven into their bone marrow. Millions have died in the wake of global warming, and those who remain have experienced such extensive trauma that they have lost the ability to dream. Dimaline describes a world plagued by natural disasters, with vivid descriptions... Read The Marrow Thieves Summary

The Maze of Bones

by Rick Riordan

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Family, Power & Greed

Tags Action & Adventure, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction

Published by Scholastic in 2008, Rick Riordan’s The Maze of Bones is the first novel in an interactive middle grade mystery-adventure series called The 39 Clues that follows the hidden exploits and conflicts of the Cahills, the most influential family in history. Riordan is a former teacher and prolific author best known for publishing the Percy Jackson series. The 39 Clues franchise proved to be another success, with books from the series landing on the... Read The Maze of Bones Summary

The Measure

by Nikki Erlick

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Self Discovery, Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism

... Read The Measure Summary

The Mighty Red

by Louise Erdrich

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Forgiveness, Fear, Grief, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Death, Climate, Environment, Plants, Marriage, Mothers, Colonialism, Community, Politics & Government, Justice

Tags Modern Classic Fiction

... Read The Mighty Red Summary

The Mindf*ck Series

by S. T. Abby

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Grief, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Femininity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Family, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Revenge

Tags Horror & Suspense, Romance

S. T. Abby’s The Mindf*ck Series (2016) is a dark romance and psychological thriller that gained viral popularity on TikTok. Originally self-published, the series became a cornerstone of the dark romance subgenre and a key example of the “female rage” trope, which celebrates female antiheroes who seek violent retribution. The story follows Lana Myers, a survivor of a brutal gang rape who was left for dead 10 years prior. Now living under a new identity... Read The Mindf*ck Series Summary

The Mistake

by Elle Kennedy

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hope, Love, Regret, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Future, Appearance & Reality, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Politics & Government, Beauty, Fame, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags New Adult, Romance

... Read The Mistake Summary