Guilt

In Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, a character remarks, "If he has a conscience he will suffer for his mistake; that will be punishment—as well as the prison." In other words, guilt is its own form of imprisonment, from which someone may never be released. In this collection explore titles that probe the questions and implications raised by the idea of guilt.

Preparation For The Next Life

by Atticus Lish

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Hope, Love, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Race, Immigration, Politics & Government, War

Tags US History, Military & War, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Atticus Lish’s novel Preparation for the Next Life tells the stories of Skinner, an Iraq war veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and Zou Lei, an undocumented immigrant from Central Asia, and how their unlikely love changes them both forever. Preparation for the Next Life explores the challenges that undocumented immigrants and war veterans face in the United States as well as the complexities of cross-cultural relationships. The novel has been highly praised by critics... Read Preparation For The Next Life Summary

Presumed Innocent

by Scott Turow

Publication year 1987

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Justice, Conflict, Forgiveness, Guilt, Revenge, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Midlife, The Past, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Politics & Government

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

Presumed Innocent (1987) is Scott Turow’s first novel, originally published by Farrar Straus & Giroux. The hit novel stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for 44 weeks and is often credited as an early example of the modern legal thriller, helping to shape the genre’s conventions. Turow went on to publish 12 additional novels and three nonfiction works. He also continued to practice law, specializing in criminal defense, contrasting with Presumed Innocent’s protagonist... Read Presumed Innocent Summary

Pretty Little Liars

by Sara Shepard

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Loyalty & Betrayal, Community, Safety & Danger, Revenge, Memory, Guilt, The Past, Shame & Pride, Fear, Trust & Doubt, Grief, Coming of Age, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Coming of Age, Horror & Suspense

Pretty Little Liars is a young adult fiction novel written by Sara Shepard. It is the first book in the Pretty Little Liars series, which features 16 books, along with seven companion novels. The highly successful series was featured on The New York Times best-seller list and adapted into a television show in 2010. The popular show lasted seven seasons and aired on the Freeform Network. Although Shepard had only written eight books in the... Read Pretty Little Liars Summary

Projekt 1065

by Alan Gratz

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Good & Evil

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, World War II, Military & War, World History, Action & Adventure

Projekt 1065 is a young adult historical novel by Alan Gratz, first published in 2016. The novel, which centers on the son of the Irish ambassador to Germany during World War II, received starred reviews in Kirkus and the School Library Journal. The novel’s protagonist, 13-year-old Michael O’Shaunessey, his ambassador father, and Irish Intelligence member mother all work to spy on the Nazis and secretly aid the Allied forces, despite Ireland’s officially neutral stance in... Read Projekt 1065 Summary

Queen of Shadows

by Sarah J. Maas

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Guilt, Love, Femininity, Race, Coming of Age, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, War, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Action & Adventure, Fairy Tale & Folklore

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Ragged Company

by Richard Wagamese

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Fate, Family, Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hope, Love, Memory, Forgiveness, Guilt, Indigenous Identity, Justice, Community

Tags Poverty, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Grief & Death, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction, Canadian Literature

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Rashomon

by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

Publication year 1915

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Guilt, Power & Greed

Tags Poverty, Japanese Literature

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa’s short story, “Rashōmon,” originally published in 1916, is a fictional story that details a man on the brink of death who must decide between maintaining his morals and dying or becoming a thief to save his own life. “Rashōmon” sets about to tackle themes of poverty, morality, and survival. Akutagawa is a renowned Japanese author who has been widely named the “father of Japanese short stories.” In addition, Japan’s most prestigious literary award... Read Rashomon Summary

Rebel Witch

by Kristen Ciccarelli

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Family, Friendship, Marriage, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Fantasy, Romance

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Reflections On The Revolution In France

by Edmund Burke

Publication year 1790

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Guilt

Tags European History, Education, Education, World History, French Literature, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France, first published in 1790, is written as a letter to a French friend of Burke’s family, Charles-Jean-François Depont, who requests Burke’s opinion of the French Revolution to date. Burke is a well-connected politician and political theorist of the late eighteenth century, though this tract would become his first significant work on the subject. In Reflections on the Revolution in France, Burke speaks at length on the development... Read Reflections On The Revolution In France Summary

Reminders of Him

by Colleen Hoover

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Forgiveness, Self Discovery, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Family, Friendship, Mothers, Music, Trust & Doubt, Appearance & Reality, Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Guilt, Loneliness

Tags Romance, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

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Resurrection

by Leo Tolstoy

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Forgiveness, Love, Guilt, Hope, Regret, Masculinity, Self Discovery, Social Class, Good & Evil, Justice

Tags Russian Literature, Classic Fiction, Philosophy, Social Science

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Rhythm of War

by Brandon Sanderson

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Memory, Mental Health, Environment, Place, Teamwork, War, Equality, Loyalty & Betrayal, Science & Technology, Wins & Losses

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction, Narrative Poem

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Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption

by Stephen King

Publication year 1982

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Justice, Guilt, Hope

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Incarceration, Historical Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Classic Fiction

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (1982) is a novella by Stephen King. It originally appeared in King’s collection Different Seasons. The novella’s first-person narrator, Red, tells the story of fellow inmate, Andy Dufresne, who was wrongfully convicted, mistreated by the prison warden, and successfully escaped the prison. Through Andy’s steadfast optimism, Red transforms from a cynical ex-con to a man who believes in the power of hope and redemption. The novella was adapted into a... Read Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption Summary

Rules

by Cynthia Lord

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Disability, Friendship, Siblings, Fathers, Mothers, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Guilt, Conflict

Tags Realistic Fiction, Disability, Diversity, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

Rules was the first novel published by Cynthia Lord. Rules is a book for middle-grade readers that has remained popular and in print from the time of its initial publication. The Scholastic paperback version summarized here first appeared in 2018. For a debut novel, Rules was immediately accepted by young readers and by the literary community. The book won a prestigious Newberry Honor Book award and received the Schneider Family Book Award. It was named... Read Rules Summary

Runaway: Stories

by Alice Munro

Publication year 2004

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Love, Loyalty & Betrayal, Nostalgia, Loneliness, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Guilt, Memory, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Fate, Good & Evil, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Canadian Literature, Literary Fiction, Relationships

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Samson Agonistes

by John Milton

Publication year 1671

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Conflict, Gender Identity, Disability, Marriage, War, Trust & Doubt, Religion & Spirituality, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Poetry: Dramatic Poem, Narrative Poem, Dramatic Literature, British Literature, Restoration, Religion & Spirituality, Trauma & Abuse, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Famed 17th-century English poet and pamphleteer John Milton published Samson Agonistes (a Greek word that can mean “struggle”) in 1671. The work is a dramatic poem and a tragic drama—though Milton announces that it isn’t for the stage. Milton’s work is informed by one episode in a story from the Old Testament, in which the superhuman hero Samson is betrayed by his wife Dalila, loses his strength, and is imprisoned by his foes, the Philistines... Read Samson Agonistes Summary

Saving Noah

by Lucinda Berry

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Death, Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, Community, Justice, Safety & Danger

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

... Read Saving Noah Summary