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 Paris Agent

by Kelly Rimmer

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Memory, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Marriage, Nation, War, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, World War II, Military & War, French Literature, World History

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The Passengers

by John Marrs

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Revenge, Mental Health, Death, Future, Environment, Teamwork, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Education, Globalization, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Fame, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

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The Patron Saint of Liars

by Ann Patchett

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Mothers, Order & Chaos, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

The Patron Saint of Liars (1992) is Ann Patchett’s debut novel. Since its publication, Patchett has written seven more novels that feature multifaceted characters and plots that explore ambiguous moral dilemmas. These aspects of her work are present in The Patron Saint of Liars as well, which follows the story of Rose, a pregnant young woman who flees her unhappy marriage to live at a home for unwed mothers. The novel was a bestseller and... Read The Patron Saint of Liars Summary

The People Could Fly

by Virginia Hamilton

Publication year 1985

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Equality, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Perseverance, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Joy, Guilt, Revenge, Memory, Death, Animals, Environment, Appearance & Reality, Food, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Fate, Race, Language, Regret, Shame & Pride, Daughters & Sons, Mothers, Teamwork

Tags Fairy Tale & Folklore, Symbolic Narrative, US History, African American Literature, Race & Racism

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The Phantom of the Opera

by Gaston Leroux

Publication year 1910

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Death, Loyalty & Betrayal, Art, Safety & Danger, Hate & Anger, Music, Love, Fear, Beauty, Nature Versus Nurture, Justice, Perseverance, Conflict, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Marriage, Good & Evil, Appearance & Reality, Fathers, Gratitude

Tags Classic Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Romance, Gothic Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, French Literature, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux is a Gothic mystery novel first published serially in 1910. The novel follows a “ghost” who haunts the Paris Opera and the mysterious incidents attributed to this figure. The characters and the narrator himself try to uncover the secret of this ghost, who is really a masked man infatuated opera singer, Christine Daaé. The novel has been adapted into several formats, most notably a 1925 silent film... Read The Phantom of the Opera Summary

The Pigman

by Paul Zindel

Publication year 1968

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Death, Truth & Lies, Mental Health, Friendship

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

Published in 1968, Paul Zindel’s The Pigman established the young adult genre in fiction novels and became a classic book that is still read by teenagers in classrooms today. Written from the dual perspective of two high school students, Zindel takes the reader inside the mind of a teenager’s thoughts, fears, and impressions of others and examines what it means to be kind and empathetic. The novel was awarded the New York Times Outstanding Book... Read The Pigman Summary

The Program

by Suzanne Young

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Memory, Grief, Love, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Romance, Depression & Suicide, Fantasy, Mental Illness

The Program is a 2014 young adult dystopian novel by Suzanne Young. Young is a novelist specializing in science fiction, thriller, and romance novels in the young adult genre. The novel takes place in a dystopian society where the government declares mental illness an epidemic. The Program follows seventeen-year-old Sloane Barstow, who struggles to reunite with her boyfriend James after a treatment clinic called The Program erases their memories in an attempt to “cure” their... Read The Program Summary

The Proving Ground

by Michael Connelly

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Regret, Disability, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Death, Daughters & Sons, Teamwork, Social Class, Community, Economics, Justice, Power & Greed, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Science, Technology, Science/Technology, Gender & Feminism, Biography, US History

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The Purloined Letter

by Edgar Allan Poe

Publication year 1844

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Appearance & Reality, Power & Greed

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Education, Education, Horror & Suspense, American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

“The Purloined Letter,” a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, was first published in the literary magazine The Gift in 1844. It is the third of his detective stories featuring C. Auguste Dupin, with the first two being “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841) and “The Mystery of Marie Rogêt” (1842).This study guide refers to the version collected in The Purloined Poe, published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 1988.Poe opens with an epigraph... Read The Purloined Letter Summary

The Raven Boys

by Maggie Stiefvater

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Good & Evil, Truth & Lies, Power & Greed, Self Discovery

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Religion & Spirituality

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1) by Maggie Stiefvater is a young adult fantasy novel about a girl from a family of clairvoyants, the boys she befriends, and how their lives are intertwined along their journey to wake a slumbering king. The book was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award and the Locus Award for science fiction and fantasy in 2013, and the Raven Cycle series was nominated for the Mythopoeic Awards in 2017... Read The Raven Boys Summary