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 Rememberer

by Aimee Bender

Publication year 2002

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Memory, Space, Grief

Tags Magical Realism

“The Rememberer,” by American author Aimee Bender, is a short story that uses conventions of magical realism to explore the themes of Thought Versus Feeling, Love and Obligation, and The Sublime Quality of Loss. First published in the September 1, 1997, issue of The Missouri Review, the piece later appeared in Bender’s award-winning short story collection, The Girl in the Flammable Skirt (1998). Bender uses first-person point-of-view to tell the story of Annie, a woman... Read The Rememberer Summary

The Return

by Hisham Matar

Publication year 2016

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Memory, The Past, Politics & Government, Truth & Lies

Tags Memoir & Autobiography, Politics & Government, Military & War, History: African

... Read The Return Summary

The School Story

by Andrew Clements

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship, Grief, Perseverance, Mothers, Truth & Lies, Fathers, Childhood & Youth

Tags Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Grief & Death

Andrew Clements’s The School Story is a 2001 middle grade fiction novel about two sixth-grade girls who set out to get a book published. The School Story is Andrew Clements’s fourth full-length novel. Prior to writing novels, Clements worked extensively on picture books, and his familiarity with the publishing industry allowed him to create a realistic yet fantastical story about two children trying to navigate it. The School Story explores themes of loss, honesty, and... Read The School Story Summary

The Score

by Elle Kennedy

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Grief, Guilt, Love, Sexual Identity, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class

Tags New Adult, Sports, Romance

... Read The Score Summary

The Sea

by John Banville

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Childhood & Youth, Aging, Memory

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Irish Literature, Classic Fiction

... Read The Sea Summary

These Summer Storms

by Sarah MacLean

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Grief, Hate & Anger, Love, Death, The Past, Place, Family, Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Social Class, Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance

... Read These Summer Storms Summary

The Seven Daughters of Dupree

by Nikesha Elise Williams

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Love, Memory, Femininity, Race, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Family, Mothers, Colonialism, Fate, Literature, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction

The Seven Daughters of Dupree (2026) is a multi-generational historical novel by Nikesha Elise Williams. The narrative begins in 1995 with 14-year-old Tati Washington, whose quest to learn the identity of her absent father uncovers a long and painful history of matrilineal secrets. Tati’s story is interwoven with the lives of six generations of her ancestors, tracing their lineage back to an enslaved woman on an Alabama plantation in the 1860s. Through the interconnected stories... Read The Seven Daughters of Dupree Summary

The Shack

by William P. Young

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Love, Grief

Tags Christian, Inspirational, Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality

The Shack is a novel by Canadian author William P. Young and his first published work. Young is the son of Christian missionaries who worked in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, and he grew up alternately amid the Dani ethnic group and in missionary boarding schools before the family moved back to Canada. Having settled in the United States as an adult, Young began writing stories for his children and friends. The earliest version... Read The Shack Summary

The Shape of Thunder

by Jasmine Warga

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hope, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Childhood & Youth, Justice, Safety & Danger, Family

Tags Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, Depression & Suicide, Realistic Fiction, Christian, Grief & Death, Science Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read The Shape of Thunder Summary

The Shipping News

by Annie Proulx

Publication year 1993

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Regret, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Midlife, Death, Environment, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Community

Tags American Literature, Coming of Age, Trauma & Abuse

Annie Proulx’s novel The Shipping News (1993) is a work of literary fiction that earned both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award. The story follows Quoyle, a large, ineffectual third-rate newspaperman from upstate New York. After a series of personal calamities, including the deaths of his parents and his cruel, unfaithful wife, Quoyle moves with his two young daughters and paternal aunt to their ancestral home on the stark coast of... Read The Shipping News Summary