Grief

"The art of losing isn't hard to master," wrote poet Elizabeth Bishop. Perhaps she meant that we will all face loss at some point in our lives. In this collection, we have brought together texts that take up the universal experience of grief.

Publication year 1985

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Natural World: Climate, Values/Ideas: Literature, Natural World: Place, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance

Tags Lyric Poem, Religion / Spirituality, Colonialism / Postcolonialism


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World


Publication year 2024

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Midlife, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Fame

Tags Biography, History: World


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Grief

Tags Animals, Modern Classic Fiction

The Friend by Sigrid Nunez is a postmodern novel reflecting on grief and loss. As revealed in the penultimate chapter, it is essentially a novel within a novel, charting the imagined relationship between the narrator and a dog left behind by a friend who recently killed himself. Through her relationship with the Great Dane, the unnamed narrator comes to terms with the unexpected and tragic loss, and she analyzes the complexity and emotional effects of... Read The Friend Summary


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 1794

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Natural World: Appearance & Reality

Tags Lyric Poem, Religion / Spirituality, History: World, British Literature


Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Mental Health, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Self Help, Psychology, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Irish Literature

The Gathering by Anne Enright is a novel about family history, grief, and the ways we learn to live with our pasts. Published in 2007, The Gathering was awarded the prestigious Man Booker Prize. The Gathering is Anne Enright’s fourth novel. Enright is the author of seven novels and is a major figure in contemporary Irish literature. This guide is based on the following 2007 Black Cat edition of The Gathering.Content Warning: This guide summarizes... Read The Gathering Summary


Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Memory

Tags Fantasy, Children's Literature, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Action / Adventure

The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a 2016 fantasy novel for middle school readers by American author Kelly Barnhill. The story follows a young girl named Luna, who is accidentally enmagicked as a baby. As Luna grows, she struggles to recover important things she has lost: her memories, her mother, and her magic. With rich, lyrical language and gentle humor, Barnhill creates a fairytale-like world very different from ours, but one that faces similar... Read The Girl Who Drank the Moon Summary


Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Coming of Age

Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Drama / Tragedy, Race / Racism, Crime / Legal, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Depression / Suicide, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction

The Girl Who Fell from the Sky is Heidi Durrow’s debut novel. Published in 2010 by Oneworld Publications, the novel won the PEN/Bellweather Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, an award that recognizes work by a previously unpublished author that explores a social issue. The Girl Who Fell from the Sky explores the impact of racism and loss on a young girl whose mother is a White woman from Denmark and whose father is a Black... Read The Girl Who Fell From The Sky Summary


Publication year 1994

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief

Tags Lyric Poem, Gender / Feminism, Relationships, Education, Education, Mental Illness, History: World, Romance, Canadian Literature


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction


Publication year 1904

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Midlife, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Fathers, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, American Literature, History: U.S., History: World

The Golden Bowl is a 1904 novel by Henry James. The novel explores the intricacies of marriage and affairs in the early 19th century through the affair of Amerigo and Charlotte, who were once in love but too poor to marry. Amerigo instead marries Maggie, and Charlotte marries Maggie’s father, a wealthy American museum curator. While Amerigo is at first happy with his new wife, the time she spends with her father creates an opportunity... Read The Golden Bowl Summary


Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Art

Tags Arts / Culture, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Donna Tartt’s 2013 novel, The Goldfinch, was a national best seller and won the Pulitzer Prize in 2014. It follows the life of Theo Decker from his early teens into his late twenties. The novel is told in five parts and begins when Theo is hiding out in a hotel room in Amsterdam as an adult. It moves back in time and finally makes a circle back to his adulthood, explaining the reason for his stay... Read The Goldfinch Summary


Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Family

Tags Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Mental Illness

The Goldfish Boy is a middle grade mystery novel by Lisa Thompson, published by Scholastic Inc. in 2017. It was Thompson’s debut novel and garnered critical acclaim. Upon publication, the novel became a national best seller and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Thompson followed up on her debut novel with her third novella in 2021, The Graveyard Riddle, which follows the lives of characters from The Goldfish Boy. This study guide refers... Read The Goldfish Boy Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Action / Adventure

Hannah Tinti's 2008 debut novel, The Good Thief, is the story of Ren, a one-handed orphan, and his life after being adopted by a pair of thieves in late-19th-century New England. The novel deals with themes of loss and redemption and explores the world of 19th-century medicine. The narrative moves quickly from a Catholic orphanage named after the patron saint of lost things, Saint Anthony, to an impoverished mining town, with stops at moonlit cemeteries... Read The Good Thief Summary


Publication year 1945

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos

Tags Allegory / Fable / Parable, Christian literature, Religion / Spirituality, Fantasy, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce, first published in serial form in 1945 and as a novel the following year, explores an unnamed narrator’s experiences in Heaven and Hell. Although Lewis is best known for his contribution to children’s literature in The Chronicles of Narnia series, he also wrote many works of adult fiction and nonfiction. Almost all of his published work is either explicitly or implicitly religious in nature; many of his nonfiction works are... Read The Great Divorce Summary


Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Children's Literature, Military / War, Realistic Fiction, History: World

The Green Glass Sea is the 2006 children’s historical fiction and debut novel by American author Ellen Klages. Set in New Mexico in 1943, the story tells of 11-year-old Dewey Kerrigan, an outcast mechanical engineering prodigy who arrives to live with her father in the mysterious town of Los Alamos, New Mexico (also called the Hill). Dewey slowly learns that her father and several other scientists are working on a top-secret project called the “gadget.”... Read The Green Glass Sea Summary


Publication year 2002

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Music

Tags Lyric Poem