The Past

In George Orwell's 1984 a character says, "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." The past may be behind us, but its events—and how we remember them—have a profound effect on the present. In this collection explore texts that examine the complications and complexities of the past.

Frankissstein

by Jeanette Winterson

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Death, Future, The Past, Marriage, Social Class, Economics, Art, Good & Evil, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Modern Classic Fiction

Frankissstein is a novel by Jeanette Winterson that combines speculative and historical fiction in revisiting Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, Frankenstein. Winterson is a prolific author, known for her explorations of physical reality, gender, sexuality, and identity. Her first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, won the 1985 Whitbread Prize for First Novel, and Frankissstein was longlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize. Winterson is a professor of Creative Writing at the University of Manchester, and... Read Frankissstein Summary

From Sand and Ash

by Amy Harmon

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Religion & Spirituality, Perseverance, Disability, Race, Coming of Age, The Past, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Good & Evil, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, World War II

... Read From Sand and Ash Summary

Game On

by Navessa Allen

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Forgiveness, Grief, Loneliness, Love, Revenge, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Family, Fathers, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Horror & Suspense

Navessa Allen’s Game On (2026) is the third novel in the interconnected dark romantic comedy series Into Darkness, following Lights Out and Caught Up. The story centers on Tyler Neumann, an underground bookie who engineers a blackmail scheme against Stella McCormick, a tattoo artist. To clear her younger brother’s massive gambling debt, Stella must pretend to be Tyler’s girlfriend and introduce him to her family’s wealthy social circle, which he plans to exploit for his... Read Game On Summary

Ghost Story

by Peter Straub

Publication year 1979

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Revenge, Aging, Death, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Music, Art, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Teamwork, Order & Chaos, Justice, Equality

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality

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Girl In Hyacinth Blue

by Susan Vreeland

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, Love, The Past

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Arts & Culture, Poverty, World History

Susan Vreeland, author of Girl in Hyacinth Blue, (Penguin Books, 2000) was an internationally known author of art-related historical fiction who, after a long and notable literary career, died in 2017. A New York Times bestseller, the novel was originally published in 1999 by McMurray and Beck, but subsequent editions were published by Penguin Books. The novel’s popularity gave rise to a 2003 Hallmark Hall of Fame production based on the novel. The painting in... Read Girl In Hyacinth Blue Summary

Girl, Interrupted

by Susanna Kaysen

Publication year 1993

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, The Past, Femininity, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Death, Memory, Science & Technology

Tags Depression & Suicide, Mental Illness, Psychology, Gender & Feminism, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Health, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction, Psychology, Classic Fiction, Biography

Susanna Kaysen’s 1993, Girl, Interrupted, is a memoir that explores Kaysen’s time as a teenage psychiatric patient in McLean Hospital in the late 1960s. Kaysen explores the murky definitions of mental health and illness, as she recounters her experience of being diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and makes compelling arguments about the subjective nature of personality, behavior, and disorder. Girl, Interrupted is a bestselling book and was adapted into the 1999 film starring Winona Ryder... Read Girl, Interrupted Summary

Glitch

by Laura Martin

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes The Past, Friendship, Teamwork, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Historical Fiction

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Glorious Exploits

by Ferdia Lennon

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Grief, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Death, The Past, Food, Place, Colonialism, Community, War, Art, Equality, Literature, Order & Chaos

Tags Ancient Rome, Irish Literature, Historical Fiction

Set in Syracuse during the Peloponnesian War, a decades-long conflict between the Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta and their respective allies, the novel follows two unemployed Syracusan potters who attempt to stage the plays of the Athenian dramatist Euripides using prisoners of war as actors. The story is narrated in the first person by Lampo, a sharp-tongued, self-deprecating man with a lifelong limp.After Athens's catastrophic failed invasion of Sicily, the Syracusan assembly imprisoned roughly... Read Glorious Exploits Summary

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

by James Hilton

Publication year 1934

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Education, Memory, Death, The Past, Marriage

Tags Historical Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Education, British Literature

Goodbye, Mr. Chips, James Hilton’s novella about a mild-mannered teacher at a fictional British boys’ school, originally appeared in 1933 as a supplement to the British Weekly, an evangelical newspaper. Its popularity, however, led to its reprinting in the April 1934 issue of the American magazine Atlantic Monthly and later, its publication as a book by Little, Brown and Company in the US and by Hodder & Stoughton in the United Kingdom. An instant bestseller... Read Goodbye, Mr. Chips Summary

Grandma Gatewood's Walk

by Ben Montgomery

Publication year 2014

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Grandparents, Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Aging, Death, The Past, Environment, Plants, Daughters & Sons, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Community, Nation, Fame, Safety & Danger

Tags Travel Literature, Action & Adventure, Biography, Inspirational, US History, Trauma & Abuse

Grandma Gatewood’s Walk (2014) is a work of nonfiction biography by Pulitzer Prize–finalist journalist Ben Montgomery. The book chronicles the journey of Emma “Grandma” Gatewood, who at 67 became the first woman to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail in 1955. Carrying little more than a denim sack and wearing tennis shoes, Gatewood’s public feat masked her private motivation: escaping a life defined by decades of domestic abuse. A New York Times bestseller, Grandma Gatewood’s Walk... Read Grandma Gatewood's Walk Summary

Great and Precious Things

by Rebecca Yarros

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Conflict, Grief, Guilt, Love, Memory, Disability, Mental Health, Aging, The Past, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Fate, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Military & War, Contemporary Literature, Dramatic Literature

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Great Big Beautiful Life

by Emily Henry

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Grief, Guilt, Love, Memory, Death, Future, The Past, Family, Friendship, Mothers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Art, Fame, Fate, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

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