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.

Sanctuary

by William Faulkner

Publication year 1931

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Social Class, The Past

Tags Classic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Southern Gothic, Trauma & Abuse, Southern Literature, American Literature, Gothic Literature, World History

... Read Sanctuary Summary

Seveneves

by Neal Stephenson

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Order & Chaos, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Memory, Death, Future, The Past, Teamwork, Community, Politics & Government, Fate, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Survival Fiction

Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves (2015) is a work of speculative fiction that blends hard science fiction with political and social commentary. Known for his meticulous research and technical expertise, Stephenson crafts a narrative that begins with the sudden destruction of the moon and follows humanity’s desperate attempts to survive the ensuing Hard Rain: a millennia-long bombardment of debris that renders Earth’s surface uninhabitable. Divided into three parts spanning thousands of years, Seveneves traces both the immediate... Read Seveneves Summary

Severance

by Ling Ma

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Immigration, Place, Language, Family, Safety & Danger, Mothers, Death, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Daughters & Sons, The Past, Guilt, Shame & Pride, Grief, Fathers, Nostalgia, Apathy, Loneliness, Self Discovery

Tags Satirical Literature, Science Fiction, Survival Fiction, Chinese Literature, Immigration & Refugeeism, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Severance Summary

Shadow of Night

by Deborah Harkness

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Love, Regret, Revenge, Femininity, Gender Identity, Birth, Death, The Past, Fathers, Self Discovery, Community, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Historical Fiction, Romance

Shadow of Night (2012) is a historical fantasy romance novel by Deborah Harkness, and the second book in the All Souls Trilogy, preceded by A Discovery of Witches (2011) and followed by The Book of Life (2014). A prequel novel, Time’s Convert (2019), follows the origin story of Matthew’s son Marcus, who is a minor character in Shadow of Night.Harkness holds a PhD from the University of California, Davis and teaches early modern European history... Read Shadow of Night Summary

Shadow Ticket

by Thomas Pynchon

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Hope, Regret, Language, Masculinity, Future, The Past, Self Discovery, Nation, Politics & Government, War

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction

... Read Shadow Ticket Summary

Shelterwood

by Lisa Wingate

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Femininity, Indigenous Identity, The Past, Environment, Family, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction

... Read Shelterwood Summary

Shift

by Hugh Howey

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Power & Greed, Fate, Science & Technology, Safety & Danger, Appearance & Reality, Future, The Past, Death, Community, Politics & Government, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Good & Evil

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Survival Fiction, Health, Education, Food, Technology, Horror & Suspense

... Read Shift Summary

Shutter Island

by Dennis Lehane

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, The Past

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction

Shutter Island, Dennis Lehane’s 2003 psychological thriller, investigates how a person’s mental state can shape their perspective of reality. The prologue opens with an excerpt from Dr. Lester Sheehan’s diary dated May 3rd, 1993. Sheehan is a retired psychiatrist from Ashecliffe Hospital on Shutter Island, but he remains haunted by the dangerous tragedy of four people: Edward “Teddy” Daniels, Rachel Solando, Dolores Chanal, and Andrew Laeddis. Now that Sheehan’s health is failing, he feels compelled... Read Shutter Island Summary

Sky Full of Elephants

by Cebo Campbell

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Race, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Family, Fathers, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, Justice

... Read Sky Full of Elephants Summary

Slade House

by David Mitchell

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Death, The Past, Siblings, Power & Greed

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy

Published in 2015, Slade House is a literary fantasy horror novel by British author David Mitchell. The book is a companion piece to Mitchell’s previous novel, The Bone Clocks (2014), which features an invisible war between immortal beings known generally as Atemporals. Mitchell wrote the first chapter of Slade House as a writing experiment on Twitter, limiting himself to the social media platform’s 140-character limit to render the protagonist’s thoughts. The novel, which spans around... Read Slade House Summary

Slow Dance

by Rainbow Rowell

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Nostalgia, Coming of Age, Midlife, The Past, Place, Friendship, Marriage

Tags Coming of Age, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Slow Dance Summary

Small Spaces

by Katherine Arden

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Mothers, The Past, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

... Read Small Spaces Summary