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.

A House for Mr. Biswas

by V. S. Naipaul

Publication year 1961

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Revenge, Birth, Mental Health, Aging, The Past, Death, Childhood & Youth, Midlife, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Marriage, Religion & Spirituality, Fate, Equality, Power & Greed, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Self Discovery, Literature, Economics

Tags Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Poverty, Finance, Depression & Suicide, Social Class, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Indian Literature, Asian Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

A House for Mr. Biswas is a 1961 historical fiction novel by V. S. Naipaul. The story takes a postcolonial perspective of the life of a Hindu Indian man in British-owned and occupied Trinidad. Now regarded as one of Naipaul's most significant novels, A House for Mr. Biswas has won numerous awards and has been adapted as a musical, a radio drama, and a television show. Naipaul is also known for the works The Mimic... Read A House for Mr. Biswas Summary

All Her Fault

by Andrea Mara

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Appearance & Reality, Mothers, Social Class, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Domestic Fiction, Psychological Fiction

... Read All Her Fault Summary

All Her Little Secrets

by Wanda M. Morris

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Appearance & Reality, Femininity, Race, Mental Health, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Revenge, Shame & Pride

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read All Her Little Secrets Summary

All My Sons

by Arthur Miller

Publication year 1947

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Grief, Guilt, Family, War, Truth & Lies

Tags Tragedy, Classic Fiction, American Literature, Military & War, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature

All My Sons is a play by Arthur Miller, first performed in 1947. Based on a true story, All My Sons tells the story of a munitions factory owner who is accused of producing defective engines for aircraft. The play received many awards, ran for 328 shows on Broadway, and has been twice adapted as a film. This guide is based on the 2015 Penguin Classics edition of Miller’s Collected Plays. Plot SummaryJoe Keller is... Read All My Sons Summary

All the Glimmering Stars

by Mark Sullivan

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hope, Joy, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Food, Place, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Globalization, Nation, War, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Historical Fiction

... Read All the Glimmering Stars Summary

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

... Read All the Way to the River Summary

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 Man Called Ove

by Fredrik Backman

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt

Tags Humor, Modern Classic Fiction

A Man Called Ove (2012), by Swedish author Fredrik Backman (Anxious People, Beartown), tells the darkly humorous story of Ove, a 59-year-old Swedish man struggling to find purpose in his life. When the book opens, Ove’s wife Sonja has recently died. After losing his job, Ove plans to kill himself. Ove seems at odds with the world, constantly angry at the people around him and getting into altercations with shop workers, neighbors, and even other... Read A Man Called Ove Summary

American Rust

by Philipp Meyer

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Economics, Education, Guilt, Shame & Pride

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, US History, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, American Literature, Social Class, Poverty

Following in the literary footsteps of John Steinbeck and Cormac McCarthy, Philipp Meyer’s American Rust (2010) explores the catastrophic effects of economic devastation on the lives of six characters in Pennsylvania’s Mon Valley, once home to a thriving steel and coal industry (and a solid-middle class) but now populated by broken lives and shuttered businesses. The novel was a winner of the Los Angeles Times/Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction, a Washington Post Top Ten... Read American Rust Summary

A Million Little Pieces

by James Frey

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Nature Versus Nurture, Family, Self Discovery

Tags Life-Inspired Fiction, Addiction & Substance Abuse

A Million Little Pieces (2003) is a controversial memoir-style novel by American author James Frey. Characterized by its raw, stream-of-consciousness prose, the book recounts a young man’s experience in drug and alcohol rehabilitation. The narrative graphically explores the nature of addiction and the painful challenges of overcoming it. Initially marketed as a memoir, A Million Little Pieces was selected for Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club and became a New York Times bestseller. However, the book became... Read A Million Little Pieces 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