Mortality & Death

"Nothing can be said to be certain," wrote Ben Franklin, "except death and taxes." And yet, death is often ignored, dismissed, or delayed as an experience worth contemplating—until we are forced to reckon with it head-on. The books in this collection do their own reckoning.

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

by Elif Shafak

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Grief, Love, Memory, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Family, Immigration, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

Elif Shafak’s 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World was published in 2019. Shafak is an award-winning British Turkish novelist who advocates for women’s and LGBTQIA+ rights through her fiction. Shafak’s 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World examines the life of a sex worker who was murdered in Istanbul, Turkey, exploring key moments in her life while her friends desperately try to arrange her funeral. The novel investigates topics like violence against... Read 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World Summary

1st to Die

by James Patterson

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Sexual Identity, Friendship, Safety & Danger, Marriage

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

1st to Die (2001), by bestselling author James Patterson, is the first novel in The Women’s Murder Club series. The club features four friends—San Francisco homicide detective Lindsay Boxer, medical examiner Claire Washburn, crime reporter Cindy Thomas, and assistant district attorney Jill Bernhardt—who work together, both professionally and personally, to solve crimes. In this first novel, the club works to solve the Honeymoon Murders, the killing of three couples just after their weddings. 1st to... Read 1st to Die Summary

28 Summers

by Elin Hilderbrand

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Guilt, Death

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Food, Relationships, Politics & Government, Love & Sexuality, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read 28 Summers Summary

A Brief History of Seven Killings

by Marlon James

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Revenge, Language, Race, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Place, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Wins & Losses

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Trauma & Abuse, Politics & Government

Published in 2014, A Brief History of Seven Killings is a literary crime novel by Jamaican writer Marlon James. To serve as the foundation for his novel, James builds the narrative around a singular historical event: the 1976 assassination attempt on Jamaican reggae singer Bob Marley, whom he fictionalizes as the Singer for thematic effect. James draws on his experiences growing up in Kingston, Jamaica, in the 1970s, and on his parents’ careers in law... Read A Brief History of Seven Killings Summary

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place

by Ernest Hemingway

Publication year 1926

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Aging, Death, Loneliness

Tags Education, Education, American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Ernest Hemingway’s short story “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” was first published in Scribner’s Magazine in March of 1933. It was then anthologized in Hemingway’s 1933 short story collection Winner Takes Nothing. It is regarded as one of his most important and influential short stories and as a clear example of his “Iceberg Theory” and his focus on typical Modernist existential themes. Utilizing the Iceberg Theory, Hemingway allows most of the story to sit below the... Read A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Summary

Across the River and into the Trees

by Ernest Hemingway

Publication year 1950

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Masculinity, Death, War

Tags Military & War, American Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Literary Fiction

Across the River and into the Trees is a 1950 novel by Ernest Hemingway. The story follows Colonel Richard Cantwell, a decorated American military officer, as he confronts his mortality in the Italian city of Venice. Across the River and into the Trees was a bestseller but received a negative critical reception, particularly in comparison to Hemingway’s earlier works. It explores themes of The Impact of War on Identity, Masculinity and Authority Under the Pressure... Read Across the River and into the Trees Summary

A Dog Called Homeless

by Sarah Lean

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Grief, Disability, Childhood & Youth, Death, Friendship, Community, Art, Good & Evil, Justice, Gender Identity, Self Discovery

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Animals, Grief & Death, Children`s Literature

... Read A Dog Called Homeless Summary

A Dog's Life

by Ann M. Martin

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Gratitude, Grief, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Death, Animals, Food, Place, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Animals, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction

... Read A Dog's Life Summary

Adonais

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Publication year 1821

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Death, Language, Art, Beauty, Literature

Tags Lyric Poem, Mythology, Romanticism, Grief & Death, British Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

The death of the young has been a thematic concern in literature since Antiquity. That untimely demise not only exposes human vulnerability but makes for melancholic contemplation over the waste of beauty, confidence, and youth’s energy. And when that person is an artist, still young and learning, the implications seem more tragic. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Adonais” (1821) is at one level a contemplation of the sudden death in 1821 of fellow poet John Keats. Keats... Read Adonais Summary

A Fable

by William Faulkner

Publication year 1955

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Grief, Death, Fate, Social Class, Colonialism, Politics & Government, War, Nation, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Order & Chaos, Appearance & Reality, Conflict

Tags Symbolic Narrative, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, World War I, Military & War, American Literature, World History

... Read A Fable Summary