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.

Jesus' Son

by Denis Johnson

Publication year 1992

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Regret, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Mental Health, Death, Future, The Past, Friendship, Self Discovery, Community, Safety & Danger

Tags Addiction & Substance Abuse, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction

Jesus’ Son (1992) is a collection of short fiction by American writer Denis Johnson, published by Farrar, Strauss, & Giroux. It explores themes of The Slipperiness of Time, Substance Use Disorder, and Violence as Inevitability. In the form of a short story cycle, each of the 11 stories of Jesus’ Son is narrated by the same protagonist, who has a substance use disorder and is referred to in the narrative as “Fuckhead”. The book takes... Read Jesus' Son Summary

Journey to the End of the Night

by Louis-Ferdinand Celine, Transl. Ralph Manheim

Publication year 1932

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Hate & Anger, Love, Mental Health, Race, Death, Social Class, Colonialism, War

Tags French Literature, Philosophy, Life-Inspired Fiction, World War I, Modernism, The Lost Generation

Journey to the End of the Night is a modernist novel by Louis-Ferdinand Céline, first published in the French language in 1932 by Parisian publishing house Éditions Denoël et Steele. It is a semi-autobiographical work centered on the life and travels of cynical antihero Ferdinand Bardamu, set over several decades of Bardamu’s life, beginning at the outbreak of World War I. The novel became influential in the development of post–WWI literary modernism, but like many... Read Journey to the End of the Night Summary

Juno and the Paycock

by Seán O'Casey

Publication year 1924

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Family, War, Death

Tags Drama, Social Class, Irish Literature, Realism, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

Irish-born playwright Sean O’Casey’s Juno and the Paycock was first produced in 1924 at the Abbey Theatre, Ireland’s national theatre, in Dublin. This Realistic play is one of three plays (known as the “Dublin Trilogy”) that O’Casey wrote for the Abbey Theatre. Juno and the Paycock is anthologized in various collections, including Masters of Modern Drama by Haskell Block and Robert Shedd in 1962 (which this guide references).The play is set entirely in a two-room... Read Juno and the Paycock Summary

Killings

by Andre Dubus II

Publication year 1979

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Death

"Killings" was published in 1979 as a part of the collection Finding a Girl in America. Andre Dubus II is also known for his short story collection Dancing After Hours (1996), and his story "The Fat Girl," published in his collection, Adultery and Other Choices (1999). The story opens on an August morning. The Fowler family is burying their youngest child, Frank Fowler. Frank Fowler was twenty-one years old at the time of his death... Read Killings Summary

King Sorrow

by Joe Hill

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Guilt, Regret, Revenge, Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Death, Appearance & Reality, Teamwork, Social Class, War, Good & Evil, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy

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Kiss the Girls

by James Patterson

Publication year 1995

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Death, Appearance & Reality, Family, Teamwork, Social Class, Community, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger

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

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Kristin Lavransdatter

by Sigrid Undset

Publication year 1920

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Hope, Love, Nostalgia, Regret, Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Death, Family, Marriage, Community, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Scandinavian Literature

Kristin Lavransdatter is a trilogy of historical novels by Norwegian author and Nobel Prize winner Sigrid Undset. Published between 1920 and 1922, the trilogy consists of The Wreath (see the comprehensive SuperSummary guide to The Wreath here), The Wife, and The Cross. The novels chronicle Scandinavian life during the Middle Ages. They follow the eponymous protagonist, Kristin Lavransdatter, a woman living in 1300s Norway. The trilogy is generally considered Undset’s magnum opus. This guide is... Read Kristin Lavransdatter Summary

Lady Lazarus

by Sylvia Plath

Publication year 1965

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Disability, Death

Tags Lyric Poem, Depression & Suicide, Grief & Death, Education, Education, American Literature, Mental Illness, Classic Fiction

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Last Days of Summer

by Steve Kluger

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Music, Death

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, World War II, Sports, World History, Humor

The Last Days of Summer is an epistolary novel written by Steve Kluger and published in 1998. The novel offers a view into the life of Joey Margolis, an articulate, resourceful, tender-hearted young Jewish baseball fan who resides in Brooklyn, New York during the 1940s. His parents’ divorce results in Joey’s estrangement from his father, who marries a Manhattan socialite and fails to maintain contact with his son, as well as relocation from the Hasidic... Read Last Days of Summer Summary

Lavinia

by Ursula K. Le Guin

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt

Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Mythology, Military & War, Italian Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

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Leaf Storm

by Gabriel García Márquez

Publication year 1955

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Fear, Hope, Love, Memory, Femininity, Language, Masculinity, Mental Health, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Place, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Magical Realism, Latin American Literature, Grief & Death

Leaf Storm and Other Stories is a collection of fiction by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez. The collection includes the title novella, Leaf Storm (La Hojarasca), first published in its original Spanish-language text in 1955. When Gregory Rabassa produced the first English translation of the novella, it was published (originally in 1972) alongside six short stories representing García Márquez’s work between 1951 and 1968.The collection offers an early glimpse into the magical realism and rural... Read Leaf Storm Summary

Leather & Lark

by Brynne Weaver

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Hate & Anger, Love, Revenge, Death, Family, Marriage, Self Discovery, Art, Justice

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction

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