Truth & Lies

Whether exploring the consequences of concealing the truth or excavating the mysterious nature of truth itself, the titles in this collection discuss the intersections among honesty, factualness, legitimacy, deception, falsehood, and lies.

The Robber Bride

by Margaret Atwood

Publication year 1993

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Gender & Feminism, Trauma & Abuse, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Women`s Studies, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

The Robber Bride by Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood was originally published in the United States in 1993. It tells the story of three women who suffer betrayal at the hands of a fourth woman, Zenia. The novel was inspired by The Robber Bridegroom, a 19th century German fairy tale which Atwood updates to 1990s Toronto. It combines Atwood’s notable sense of humor with her attention to contemporary political issues such as feminism and environmentalism. The... Read The Robber Bride Summary

The Runaway Jury

by John Grisham

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Economics, Politics & Government, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

The Runaway Jury is a 1996 legal thriller by author, lawyer, and former politician John Grisham. Grisham has written 50 consecutive #1 best-selling novels that have been translated into 50 languages. Grisham has won the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction and won the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction twice. The Runaway Jury was adapted into a 2003 film, one of the seven Grisham novels that have been made into movies. The... Read The Runaway Jury Summary

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly

by Stephanie Oakes

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

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

Stephanie Oakes’s debut young adult thriller, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly (2015), centers on 17-year-old Minnow Bly, who emerges from a patriarchal religious cult in the Montana wilderness missing both of her hands. After being found near a brutally beaten young man, she is sent to juvenile detention, where she becomes a suspect in the murder of her former cult leader. An FBI psychologist offers her a deal: a recommendation for parole in exchange... Read The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly Summary

The Sandman Omnibus Vol. 1

by Neil Gaiman

Publication year 2015

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Family, Truth & Lies, Apathy, Conflict, Forgiveness, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Loyalty & Betrayal, Literature, Justice, Fate

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Arts & Culture, Love & Sexuality, Grief & Death

... Read The Sandman Omnibus Vol. 1 Summary

The School for Scandal

by Richard Brinsley Sheridan

Publication year 1777

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Love, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies

Tags Classic Fiction, Comedy & Satire

The School for Scandal is a comedy of manners written by Richard Sheridan. The play was initially performed at the Drury Lane Theater in 1777. Though the play premiered well into the 18th century, it is often included in collections of Restoration comedies (1660-1710), as it shares many common elements with the comedies of manners from that period and the period immediately following it. Like many comedies of manners, The School for Scandal relies on... Read The School for Scandal Summary

The School Story

by Andrew Clements

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship, Grief, Perseverance, Mothers, Truth & Lies, Fathers, Childhood & Youth

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

Andrew Clements’s The School Story is a 2001 middle grade fiction novel about two sixth-grade girls who set out to get a book published. The School Story is Andrew Clements’s fourth full-length novel. Prior to writing novels, Clements worked extensively on picture books, and his familiarity with the publishing industry allowed him to create a realistic yet fantastical story about two children trying to navigate it. The School Story explores themes of loss, honesty, and... Read The School Story Summary

The Secret History of Wonder Woman

by Jill Lepore

Publication year 2014

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Equality, Truth & Lies, Love

Tags World History, Arts & Culture, Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, US History, Social Justice, Psychology, Biography

The Secret History of Wonder Woman is a nonfiction book by Jill Lepore, published in 2014. It falls into the categories of history, comics, women’s studies, and biography, and won the American History Book Prize from the New York Historical Society. Lepore is a professor of American history at Harvard University and a staff writer for the New Yorker magazine. This guide was written from the hardcover first edition.SummaryThe first section, called “Veritas,” includes nine... Read The Secret History of Wonder Woman Summary

The Secret Place

by Tana French

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Death, Appearance & Reality, Social Class, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Irish Literature, Coming of Age

Written by Irish American author Tana French, The Secret Place (2014) combines elements of thrillers and police procedurals and follows Dublin detectives Stephen Moran and Antoinette Conway as they pursue new leads in a year-old murder case on the grounds of a private Catholic boarding school. As the detectives sort through hidden pieces of evidence and conflicting stories, they interview two groups of female students who provide only partial, often conflicting stories. The murder victim... Read The Secret Place Summary

The Secret School

by Avi

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Education, Perseverance, Community, Truth & Lies, Friendship

Tags Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History

... Read The Secret School Summary

The Secret Scripture

by Sebastian Barry

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Irish Literature

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry was named “Novel of the Year” for 2008 at the Irish Book Awards and was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction. The novel tells the story of Roseanne Clear McNulty, a patient at Roscommon Regional Medical Hospital. Dr. William Grene has been her psychiatrist for 24 years. Roseanne is near 100 years old but doesn’t know her true age. She was first a patient in Sligo Mental... Read The Secret Scripture Summary

These Hollow Vows

by Lexi Ryan

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Gender Identity, Appearance & Reality, Siblings, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Romance

... Read These Hollow Vows Summary

These Summer Storms

by Sarah MacLean

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Grief, Hate & Anger, Love, Death, The Past, Place, Family, Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Social Class, Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance

... Read These Summer Storms Summary