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.

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Revenge, Memory, Shame & Pride, Perseverance, Conflict

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Trauma & Abuse, Romance

Catching Fire (2009) is the sequel to The New York Times bestseller The Hunger Games (2008), and the second novel in author Suzanne Collins’s trilogy of the same name. Catching Fire is a young adult dystopian science fiction novel that takes place in the future, amidst the ruins of what was once America. Catching Fire details the aftermath of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark’s victory in the 74th Hunger Games from the first novel. Despite... Read Catching Fire Summary

Publication year 1988

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes The Past, Memory, Gender Identity, Art, Aging

Tags Coming of Age, Psychological Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

Cat’s Eye is a 1988 coming-of-age novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood that centers on Elaine Risley, a successful painter who is returning to Toronto for a retrospective show of her work. Throughout the novel, she has vivid recollections of her childhood and adolescence in the city during the postwar years—particularly of her friendship with Cordelia, who persecuted her in a way that had an indelible impact on her life. The novel was a finalist... Read Cat's Eye Summary

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Gender Identity, Memory, Colonialism

Tags Colonialism & Postcolonialism, LGBTQ+, Trauma & Abuse, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism

Cereus Blooms at Night (1996) is the first novel-length work of fiction written by Shani Mootoo, a Canadian author who was born in Ireland and grew up on the island nation of Trinidad. The novel was originally published in Canada and received critical acclaim there and internationally. It was a finalist for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and the Giller Prize and was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize. Mootoo is also a visual artist... Read Cereus Blooms At Night Summary

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Memory, Regret, Masculinity, Mental Health, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Family, Friendship, Social Class, Music, Truth & Lies

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

Publication year 1985

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Hope, Memory, Regret, Revenge, Femininity, Race, Sexual Identity, Death, Future, Appearance & Reality, Climate, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, War, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy

Publication year 1948

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Joy, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Femininity, Language, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Teamwork, Community, Education, Fame, Order & Chaos, Science & Technology

Tags Humor

Published in 1948, Cheaper by the Dozen is a humorous memoir by siblings Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. The book chronicles their unconventional childhood in Montclair, New Jersey, as two of 12 children raised by parents who were pioneering efficiency experts. The authors’ father, Frank B. Gilbreth, treats the family home as a laboratory, applying the principles of scientific management and motion study to every aspect of domestic life, from bathing to... Read Cheaper By The Dozen Summary

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Memory, Language, Race, Death, Future, Animals, Nature Versus Nurture, Space, Teamwork, Colonialism, Community, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction

Children of Ruin (2019) is a space opera novel by British author Adrian Tchaikovsky. It is the second installment in the acclaimed Children of Time series, which began with the Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning novel Children of Time (2015). The story follows the starship Voyager, crewed by a fragile alliance of humans and their intelligent spider allies, the Portiids, as they follow a faint, ancient radio signal to the Tess 834 system. Expecting to find... Read Children of Ruin Summary

Publication year 1981

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Death, Femininity, Justice, Revenge, Family, Memory

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Magical Realism, Latin American Literature, Education, Education, Classic Fiction

Chronicle of a Death Foretold is a 1981 novella by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez. Told in non-chronological order and in journalistic fashion by an unnamed narrator, it pieces together the events leading up to and after the murder of Santiago Nasar by Pedro and Pablo Vicario. Chronicle of a Death Foretold is a classic example of Márquez's use of magical realism in his writing. The novella has been adapted several times as a film... Read Chronicle of a Death Foretold Summary

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Fate, Animals, Death, Place

Tags Western, Historical Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Post-War Era, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

Cities of the Plain is a 1998 novel by American author Cormac McCarthy. The novel is the final entry in a trilogy that began with All the Pretty Horses, followed by The Crossing. The protagonists from each of the previous novels return for Cities of the Plain. This guide uses an eBook version of the 1998 Knopf edition of the novel.Plot SummaryJohn Grady Cole (the protagonist of All the Pretty Horses) and Billy Parham (the... Read Cities of the Plain Summary

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Family

Tags Afro-Caribbean Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism

Claire of the Sea Light is a 2013 work of historical fiction by Haitian-American novelist Edwidge Danticat. The novel portrays the lives of the various inhabitants of a small town in Haiti, relaying a series of related events from several different characters’ perspectives. This guide is based on the 2013 Random House e-book version of Claire of the Sea Light.Plot Summary The novel begins on Claire Limyè Lanmè Faustin’s seventh birthday. That morning, a fisherman... Read Claire of the Sea Light Summary

Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Memory, Guilt, Gender Identity, Family, Siblings, Colonialism

Tags Historical Fiction, Indian Literature, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Relationships, Women`s Studies, Asian Literature, World History

Clear Light of Day (1980) is Anita Desai’s sixth and—according to the author—most autobiographical novel. This novel was the first of three of Desai’s books to be nominated for the prestigious Booker Prize. Like other books in her corpus, such as Cry, the Peacock (1963) and Where Shall We Go This Summer? (1975), it deals with gender struggles in a modernizing India. Set against the backdrop of Indian Independence and Partition, it explores the lives... Read Clear Light of Day Summary

Publication year 1932

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, The Past, Love, Memory

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

Cold Comfort Farm (September 1932) is the first book by British author Stella Gibbons. Upon publication, it became an instant success. The comic novel is a parody of rural romances that were popular in Britain at the time. The story was adapted for two BBC television shows in 1968 and 1981. It was also made into a film starring Kate Beckinsale in 1995. Cold Comfort Farm is classified under the category of Classic Humor Fiction... Read Cold Comfort Farm Summary

Publication year 1997

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Perseverance, Love, The Past, War

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, American Civil War, Military & War, Literary Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Survival Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction

Cold Mountain (1997) is a novel by Charles Frazier. It tells the story of W.P. Inman, a deserter from the Confederate Army who attempts to return home to his romantic partner, Ada. The novel won the National Book Award and was adapted into an Academy Award–winning film of the same name. This guide refers to the 2011 Sceptre edition. Content Warning: The source text contains discussions of racism, violence, abuse of women and children, and... Read Cold Mountain Summary

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Memory, Appearance & Reality, Music, The Past, Coming of Age, Mental Health

Tags Coming of Age, Japanese Literature, Realistic Fiction, Grief & Death, Trauma & Abuse, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature, Magical Realism

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage is a 2014 novel by renowned Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami. The novel tells the story of a man who attempts to overcome past emotional suffering to make his present life more rewarding. Through Tsukuru’s point of view, we see the ripple effects of rejection and the necessity of sometimes confronting the past to make sense of who we are in the present. After a group of friends... Read Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage Summary

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Femininity, Childhood & Youth, Midlife, Death, Future, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Romance, Special Occasions

Publication year 1939

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Nostalgia, Social Class, The Past, War, Nation, Memory

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

Coming Up For Air is an interwar novel written by British author George Orwell shortly before the outbreak of World War II. Originally published in 1939, the novel was written in Morocco while Orwell was recovering from injuries received while fighting in the Spanish Civil War. Set in the late 1930s, the novel follows a middle-aged insurance salesman named George Bowling as he struggles with anxieties about the coming war. Like Orwell’s more famous novels... Read Coming Up for Air Summary