Psychological Fiction

The selections in our Psychological Fiction Collection focus on the mental and emotional experiences of characters. From psychological thrillers to suspenseful mysteries and crime novels, these narratives examine the complexity of the human mind and emotions as characters endure challenges, overcome obstacles, and face sometimes grueling circumstances.

Tinkers

by Paul Harding

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Aging, Death, Family

Tags Psychological Fiction, Historical Fiction, Relationships, Grief & Death, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Tinkers (2009) is Paul Harding’s debut novel. It delves into the life of a dying man, George Washington Crosby, as he reflects on his past and his family history. The narrative weaves together George’s memories with stories from his father’s life, and it explores the themes of mortality, memory, and the interconnectedness of generations. The novel, which is considered literary fiction, won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the 2010 PEN/ Robert W. Bingham... Read Tinkers Summary

To Room Nineteen

by Doris Lessing

Publication year 1958

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Place, Gender Identity

Tags Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Relationships, British Literature, Women`s Studies, Education, Education, World History, Romance, Classic Fiction

Doris Lessing’s 1963 short story “To Room Nineteen” explores the theme of female independence and autonomy—and of how difficult these are to achieve, especially at the time Lessing wrote it. Any reader familiar with Virginia Woolf’s classic essay “A Room of One’s Own” will find similarities here. Lessing, a Nobel laureate and accomplished writer within multiple genres, investigates boundaries and conventions throughout the canon of her work, frequently breaking down dichotomies and questioning cultural assumptions... Read To Room Nineteen Summary

Truly Madly Guilty

by Liane Moriarty

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Friendship, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Relationships, Psychological Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Parenting, Love & Sexuality

Truly Madly Guilty is Liane Moriarty’s seventh adult novel, published in 2016. The work uses suspense elements and a nonlinear timeline to tell a story of a backyard barbecue and its deep emotional and psychological repercussions for the attendees. The book explores themes of friendship, marriage, and parenthood through the relationships of three couples, Erika and Oliver, Clementine and Sam, and Tiffany and Vid.The edition referenced is the first US e-book edition from Flatiron Books.Plot... Read Truly Madly Guilty Summary

Ulysses

by James Joyce

Publication year 1922

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Friendship, Community, Nation

Tags Classic Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Modernism, Irish Literature, World History

Ulysses is a 1922 novel by Irish author James Joyce. The story is a loose adaptation of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, portraying a day in the lives of several characters who live in Dublin, Ireland, in June 1904. Ulysses proved controversial on release due to accusations of obscenity but is now celebrated as one of the most important and influential works in the English language and considered a classic.This guide is written using the... Read Ulysses Summary

Verity

by Colleen Hoover

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Guilt, Mothers

Tags Romance, Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Grief & Death, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Trauma & Abuse, American Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Verity Summary

Veronika Decides To Die

by Paulo Coelho

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health

Tags Philosophy, Psychological Fiction, Romance, Symbolic Narrative, Life-Inspired Fiction, Mental Illness, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Veronika Decides to Die (1998) is a novel of ideas by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho. The novel follows Veronika, a 24-year-old Slovenian woman who decides to die in 1997 because her perfectly normal world has left her apathetic toward life. After Veronika attempts suicide, she finds herself in a psychiatric hospital called Villete. Villete was established in the rift opened by the civil war in Yugoslavia to generate a profit from the issues of the upper... Read Veronika Decides To Die Summary

Watching You

by Lisa Jewell

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Internet & Social Media, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Watching You Summary

We Need To Talk About Kevin

by Lionel Shriver

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Siblings, Forgiveness, Fame, Family, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Incarceration, Relationships, Grief & Death, Trauma & Abuse, Parenting, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Psychology, Psychology

We Need to Talk About Kevin is a 2003 novel by Lionel Shriver. It is an epistolary novel, comprising the letters that Eva Khatchadourian writes to her husband Franklin in the aftermath of their son’s crime. The novel explores themes of nihilism, motherhood, the relationship between violence and depravity, and much more. The book won the Orange Prize for Literature in 2005 and was adapted into an acclaimed feature film starring Tilda Swindon and John... Read We Need To Talk About Kevin Summary

What Comes After

by JoAnne Tompkins

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hope, Loneliness, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Family, Friendship, Mothers, Self Discovery, Community, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

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

... Read What Comes After Summary

Words on Bathroom Walls

by Julia Walton

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Mental Health, Truth & Lies

Tags Realistic Fiction, Romance, Psychological Fiction, Mental Illness, Bullying, Depression & Suicide, Love & Sexuality, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Words on Bathroom Walls by Julia Walton follows a 16-year-old boy with schizophrenia as he navigates mental illness, life at a new school, and a clinical drug trial. The book won the Yalsa Best Fiction for Young Adults award in 2018 and was a nominee for the Rhode Island Teen Book award. Roadside Attractions released a feature film of the same name based on the book in August 2020. This guide follows the 2017 Random... Read Words on Bathroom Walls Summary

You

by Caroline Kepnes

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Appearance & Reality, Love

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

You is a 2014 thriller novel written by New York Times bestselling author Caroline Kepnes. The story is narrated by Joe Goldberg, a bookstore employee who develops an obsession with an aspiring writer named Beck. The title, You, alludes to the narrator’s obsession; the entire narrative is addressed to Beck in the second person. The novel and its sequels were adapted into a television series of the same name. This guide uses the 2014 Atria... Read You Summary