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 Virgin Suicides

by Jeffrey Eugenides

Publication year 1993

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Memory, Beauty, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Death, Grief, The Past, Future, Environment, Appearance & Reality

Tags Coming of Age, Depression & Suicide, Climate Change, Grief & Death, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness, Classic Fiction

The Virgin Suicides is a realistic fiction novel written by Jeffrey Eugenides and originally published in 1993. Using death by suicide as its central motif, the novel examines the themes of The Objectification of Women, Romanticizing the Past, and The Effects of Loss. A statement of youth disillusionment, death by suicide becomes The Death of the Future, another of the novel’s themes. The novel was adapted into a critically acclaimed film directed by Sofia Coppola... Read The Virgin Suicides Summary

The Viscount Who Loved Me

by Julia Quinn

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Aging, Death, Loyalty & Betrayal, Social Class, Friendship, Fate, Siblings, Safety & Danger, Coming of Age, Forgiveness, Memory, Daughters & Sons, Childhood & Youth, Love, Literature, Mothers, The Past, Family, Future, Appearance & Reality, Equality, Beauty, Self Discovery, Hate & Anger, Marriage, Loneliness, Conflict, Masculinity, Trust & Doubt, Grief, Femininity, Fathers, Nostalgia, Truth & Lies, Shame & Pride

Tags World History, Regency Era, Romance, Historical Fiction

... Read The Viscount Who Loved Me Summary

The Voyage of the Frog

by Gary Paulsen

Publication year 1989

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Perseverance, Grief, Loneliness, Coming of Age, Death, Place, Self Discovery

Tags Action & Adventure, Coming of Age, Grief & Death, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction

Written by Gary Paulsen in 1989, The Voyage of the Frog by Gary Paulsen depicts a young boy’s coming of age through an adventure in the wilderness. Fourteen-year-old David Alspeth sets sail out into the Pacific to fulfill his uncle’s last wishes and ends up lost and alone at sea. Paulsen was an avid outdoorsman who spent a great deal of time sailing the Pacific Ocean, and his nautical experience is evident in the details... Read The Voyage of the Frog Summary

The Warsaw Orphan

by Kelly Rimmer

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Love, Memory, Revenge, Gender Identity, Race, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Nation, War, Equality, Good & Evil, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags World War II, Military & War, Historical Fiction, European History

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The Weight of All Things

by Sandra Benitez

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief

Tags Historical Fiction, Education, Education, Latin American Literature, Military & War, Arts & Culture, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

The Weight of All Things, written by esteemed American author Sandra Benitez, is a lyrical novel portraying the effects of the civil war in El Salvador during the 1980s. This war between conservatives and communists is portrayed through the eyes of a child; detailing the brutality of both sides and showcasing the futility of war. Written in the third person omniscient style, the events of a brutal war are depicted with graphic detail, yet the... Read The Weight of All Things Summary

The White Giraffe

by Lauren St. John

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Self Discovery, Animals, Grief

Tags Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Coming of Age, Action & Adventure, Animals

Written by Lauren St. John and published in 2006, The White Giraffe is the first book in the Legend of the Animal Healer series. It tells the story of orphan Martine Allen, who goes to live with her grandmother in Cape Town, South Africa after her parents’ tragic deaths. Her grandmother lives in a wildlife sanctuary called Sawubona. As Martine wrestles with losing her family and adapting to life on another continent, she learns the... Read The White Giraffe Summary

The Wives of the Dead

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Publication year 1832

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Marriage, Grief

Tags Colonial America, Education, Education, American Literature, Classic Fiction

“The Wives of the Dead,” a short story published in 1832 by American dark-romantic author Nathaniel Hawthorne, tells of sisters-in-law in colonial Massachusetts whose husbands die at the same time and details their attempts to help each other cope with the loss. The eerily surreal story touches on several of Hawthorne’s literary obsessions, including Gothic horror, Puritan guilt, love and devotion, Early American history, and feminism. The story later appeared in an 1851 collection, The... Read The Wives of the Dead Summary

The Woman in Black

by Susan Hill

Publication year 1983

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Death, The Past, Revenge, Trust & Doubt, Mothers

Tags Horror & Suspense, Science Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Gothic Literature, Grief & Death

The Woman in Black (1983) by Susan Hill follows the gothic literary tradition. Hill explores traditional horror tropes, such as abandoned estates and ghost hauntings, set in an unspecified time in England’s countryside. The horror novella focuses on the first-person point-of-view of Arthur Kipps as he reflects on a ghost haunting he experienced as a young man. Hill explores themes of loss and mourning, the impact of holding onto the past, and the clash between... Read The Woman in Black Summary

The Woman in the Window

by A.J. Finn

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes The Past, Mental Health, Grief

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

The Woman in the Window, a psychological thriller published in 2018 by William Morrow. The novel was written by A.J. Finn, which is the pen name of American book editor and novelist, Dan Mallory. The novel tells the story from the first-person point of view of an unreliable female narrator, Dr. Anna Fox. The reader learns about Fox’s alcoholism, her agoraphobia, and the traumatizing events of her past, all of which take place in present-day... Read The Woman in the Window Summary

The Woods

by Harlan Coben

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hope, Love, Memory, Future, The Past, Family, Social Class, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense

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The Wrong Daughter

by Dandy Smith

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Revenge, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, The Past, Place, Family, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Dramatic Literature

... Read The Wrong Daughter Summary