Memory

In many ways, who we are is shaped by what we remember, yet our recollections aren't always a reliable account of the past. This collection gathers texts that explore the ideas, theories, and challenges conjured by memory.

A Great Reckoning

by Louise Penny

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Memory, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Love, Grief, Perseverance, Nostalgia, Conflict, Safety & Danger, Wins & Losses

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Trauma & Abuse

A Great Reckoning (2016) is the 12th novel in the Inspector Gamache series. The series consists of contemporary mysteries written by the Canadian author Louise Penny. Like the other novels in the series, A Great Reckoning revolves around the small village of Three Pines, Quebec, and its inhabitants. The novel includes a standalone murder mystery plot and references to events in other novels within the series; Penny explores themes of parenthood, loss, and betrayal. This... Read A Great Reckoning Summary

Alchemised

by SenLinYu

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Nation, War, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Action & Adventure

... Read Alchemised Summary

Alias Grace

by Margaret Atwood

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction

Is Grace Marks a murderess or an innocent pawn? Is she an evil fiend or mentally ill? Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace (1996) retells the story of Canada’s notorious nineteenth-century convicted murderess Grace Marks. Grounded in the historical record where available, Atwood’s historical fiction novel probes issues of gender and class roles, identity, truth, and the nature of memory.Thomas Kinnear, a wealthy landowner, and Nancy Montgomery, his housekeeper and mistress, are murdered in July 1843. Grace... Read Alias Grace Summary

All But My Life

by Gerda Weissmann Klein

Publication year 1957

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Hope, Memory, War

Tags World History, Biography

First published in 1957, All but My Life is a celebrated Holocaust memoir by Gerda Weissmann Klein (1924-2022). The narrative begins in 1939, when Gerda was 15 years old, and details the Nazi invasion of her hometown, Bielitz, Poland, and the subsequent six years of persecution she endured. Gerda recounts her family’s separation, her experiences in a series of forced-labor camps, and her survival of a brutal 300-mile death march that ended with her liberation... Read All But My Life Summary

All In

by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Grief, Hate & Anger, Memory, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Family, Fathers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality

... Read All In 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

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A Long Way from Chicago

by Richard Peck

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grandparents, Memory, Truth & Lies, Nostalgia

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Great Depression, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, World History, Humor

Written by Richard Peck in 1998 and told as a series of related short stories, A Long Way From Chicago is a novel about two siblings and their adventures with their grandmother over the span of six summers from 1929 to 1935. The work was a Newbery Honor book in 1999, and its sequel, A Year Down Yonder, won the Newbery Medal for children’s literature in 2001. Richard Peck (1934-2018) was the award-winning American novelist... Read A Long Way from Chicago Summary

A Long Way Home

by Saroo Brierley

Publication year 2013

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Fate, Family, Memory, Community, Fear, Hope

Tags Poverty, Parenting, Indian Literature, Biography

A Long Way Home is a 2013 memoir by Saroo Brierley, an Indian-born author who was accidentally separated from his biological family at the age of five and adopted by an Australian couple. The memoir traces Saroo’s remarkable journey from India to Australia and back again 25 years later. The book inspired the 2016 film Lion and became a New York Times Best Seller after the film’s release. This guide refers to the 2015 edition published... Read A Long Way Home Summary