Loyalty & Betrayal

The texts in this thematic collection organized around the idea of Loyalty & Betrayal range from Dennis Lehane's Mystic River to Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Sweat. But each book explores the idea in its own way, revealing the intricate ways we may maintain loyalty at all costs — or test the bonds of family and friend relationships through deep betrayal.

The Phantom of the Opera

by Gaston Leroux

Publication year 1910

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Death, Loyalty & Betrayal, Art, Safety & Danger, Hate & Anger, Music, Love, Fear, Beauty, Nature Versus Nurture, Justice, Perseverance, Conflict, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Marriage, Good & Evil, Appearance & Reality, Fathers, Gratitude

Tags Classic Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Romance, Gothic Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, French Literature, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux is a Gothic mystery novel first published serially in 1910. The novel follows a “ghost” who haunts the Paris Opera and the mysterious incidents attributed to this figure. The characters and the narrator himself try to uncover the secret of this ghost, who is really a masked man infatuated opera singer, Christine Daaé. The novel has been adapted into several formats, most notably a 1925 silent film... Read The Phantom of the Opera Summary

The Portrait of a Lady

by Henry James

Publication year 1881

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Conflict, Femininity, Marriage, Power & Greed

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, US History, British Literature, American Literature, Italian Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

The Portrait of a Lady, by Henry James, is considered one of the most important novels written in English. It was published first in serial form between 1880 and 1881, and later revised for another edition in 1908. The novel details the experience of a young American woman, Isabel Archer, who travels to Europe. She is committed to her freedom, rejecting two marriage proposals. After she inherits an unexpected fortune, she falls victim to the... Read The Portrait of a Lady Summary

The President is Missing

by Bill Clinton, James Patterson

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Politics & Government

The President Is Missing is a thriller co-written by prolific author James Patterson and former United States President Bill Clinton. The novel was published in 2018 and revolves around a dramatic series of events when fictional president Jonathan Duncan faces a cyberattack that threatens to destroy the infrastructure of the US. Through this plot, Patterson and Clinton explore themes including Leadership Requiring Controversial Decisions, Misunderstandings and False Accusations Due to Limited Information, and Loyalty to... Read The President is Missing Summary

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

by Muriel Spark

Publication year 1961

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Education, Loyalty & Betrayal, Coming of Age, Childhood & Youth, Art, Beauty

Tags British Literature, World History, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Post-War Era

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961) is a novel by Scottish writer Muriel Spark. It explores the relationship between a group of six female students and their eccentric teacher, Jean Brodie, over the course of roughly 15 years. Using nonlinear narrative techniques, including flashbacks and flash forwards, the novel examines the influence of adults on adolescents, particularly in the context of their sexual and spiritual development. Set in Edinburgh in the 1930s and early... Read The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Summary

The Princess Diaries

by Meg Cabot

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Family, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Romance, Humor, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

The Princess Diaries is the first novel in the titular children’s book series penned by American author Meg Cabot. First published in 2000, The Princess Diaries became a New York Times bestseller and was quickly adapted into a 2001 film of the same name starring Anne Hathaway as Mia Thermopolis and Julie Andrews as Mia’s grandmother. Although the film adaptation deviates greatly from the novel, both versions of The Princess Diaries tackle the adolescent experience... Read The Princess Diaries Summary

The Reckoning

by John Grisham

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Guilt, Grief, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Shame & Pride, War, Social Class, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Race, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Femininity, Masculinity, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Death, Coming of Age, The Past, Nation

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Crime & Law, Race & Racism, Military & War, World History

... Read The Reckoning Summary

There Is No Antimemetics Division

by qntm

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Language, Mental Health, Death, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Marriage, Teamwork, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Fantasy

... Read There Is No Antimemetics Division Summary

The Remains of the Day

by Kazuo Ishiguro

Publication year 1989

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Love, Social Class, Self Discovery, Aging, The Past, Religion & Spirituality, Grief

Tags Historical Fiction, British Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

The Remains of the Day is a novel by British writer Kazuo Ishiguro. Released in 1989, the novel tells the story of Stevens, who once worked as a butler at a stately home in England. In his old age, he returns to the house and reminisces about his experiences in the 1920-1930s. Most of the novel is told in flashback. The novel was adapted into a critically-acclaimed film of the same name, released in 1993... Read The Remains of the Day Summary

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui

by Bertolt Brecht

Publication year 1941

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Loyalty & Betrayal, Nation, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Order & Chaos

Tags Comedy & Satire, Symbolic Narrative

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Der aufhaltsame Aufstieg des Arturo Ui) is a 1941 play by the German playwright Bertolt Brecht. Ostensibly telling the story of a gangster, Arturo Ui, as he seizes control of the vegetable trade in Chicago and neighboring Cicero, Illinois, Brecht’s play is a satirical allegory of the Nazis’ rise to power. Each of the play’s characters and events has a parallel in the history of Nazi Germany and Brecht’s... Read The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui Summary

The Road of Bones

by Demi Winters

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Fathers, Friendship, Siblings, Teamwork, Politics & Government, Fate, Loyalty & Betrayal, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Romance

... Read The Road of Bones Summary

The Romance of the Forest

by Ann Radcliffe

Publication year 1791

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Environment, Place, Art, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, British Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Gothic Literature

The Romance of the Forest (1791) by British author and poet Ann Radcliffe is one of the definitive examples of the Gothic novel. Radcliffe’s books influenced many later Romantic and Victorian writers in Europe and the United States, and several of the tropes she relied on became standard for the genre. While her first novel, The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne (1789), and second, A Sicilian Romance (1790), were not widely noted, The Romance of... Read The Romance of the Forest Summary