"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 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Marriage
Tags History: World, Historical Fiction, Romance, Western, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2007
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags Christian literature, Inspirational, Fantasy, Religion / Spirituality
The Shack is a novel by Canadian author William P. Young and his first published work. Young is the son of Christian missionaries who worked in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, and he grew up alternately amid the Dani ethnic group and in missionary boarding schools before the family moved back to Canada. Having settled in the United States as an adult, Young began writing stories for his children and friends. The earliest version... Read The Shack Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Relationships: Family
Tags Race / Racism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Depression / Suicide, Realistic Fiction, Christian literature, Grief / Death, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1988
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Action / Adventure, Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris is a psychological thriller and crime novel published in 1988. The novel follows FBI agent-in-training Clarice Starling as she becomes increasingly involved in the investigation of serial killer Buffalo Bill. The book is the sequel to Harris’s 1981 novel Red Dragon and includes several continuing characters, like the serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The novel won the 1988 Bram Stoker Award and 1989 Anthony Award for Best... Read The Silence Of The Lambs Summary
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Coming of Age
Tags Realistic Fiction, Bullying, Race / Racism, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Identity: Indigenous, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Family, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Natural World: Animals, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Identity: Disability, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Natural World: Environment
Tags Realistic Fiction, Disability, Children's Literature, Animals, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1774
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Mental Health, Self Discovery
Tags Classic Fiction, Romanticism / Romantic Period, German Literature, Education, Education, History: World, Romance
The Sorrows of Young Werther (in German, Die Leiden des jungen Werthers), written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, is a semi-autobiographical epistolary novel published in 1774. The story unfolds through a series of letters penned by the eponymous protagonist, Werther, and mainly chronicles his experiences in the small town of Wahlheim. Werther, a sensitive and idealistic young man, arrives in the town and becomes enamored with Lotte, a local magistrate’s daughter. His unrequited love becomes... Read The Sorrows of Young Werther Summary
Publication year 1903
Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags History: U.S., Existentialism, African American Literature, Black Lives Matter, Race / Racism, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government
Published in 1903, W.E.B. Du Bois’s The Souls of Black Folk is an important contribution to African-American literature, American literature, and sociology. A collection of 14 essays, the work is Du Bois’s description of the state of the South and African Americans’ lives at the turn of the 20th century. This guide is based on the Amazon Classics Kindle book edition.In “Of Our Spiritual Strivings,” Du Bois describes the psychological struggles of African Americans as... Read The Souls of Black Folk Summary
Publication year 1587
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags British Literature, Classic Fiction, Play: Tragedy, Elizabethan Era
The Spanish Tragedy, written and performed between 1587 and 1590, is an Elizabethan revenge tragedy by Thomas Kyd. The play explores the dilemmas of Hieronimo, who plots for revenge after his son Horatio is murdered. Surrounded by the intrigue and deception of the Spanish court, Hieronimo’s quest raises questions about the nature of justice and the profound impacts of grief and loss. The Spanish Tragedy was a huge hit for Kyd’s audiences, performed at least 29... Read The Spanish Tragedy Summary
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Irish Literature
Donal Ryan’s debut novel, The Spinning Heart, was published in 2012 and chronicles the effects of a declining economy on a small Irish village. When the economy was booming, Pokey Burke headed a lucrative construction crew—the main source of jobs and revenue for many people in the village. However, once the economy plummets, Pokey disappears, taking with him the pensions of his crew and leaving most of the housing projects unfinished. Many of the men... Read The Spinning Heart Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Immigration
Tags Historical Fiction, Romance
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Siblings, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Art
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
The Story of Arthur Truluv is a 2017 novel by Elizabeth Berg that revolves around the stories of three unlikely companions: Arthur Moses, an elderly widower who finds solace in visiting his wife’s grave, Maddy Harris, a troubled teenager who feels out of place in her own life, and Lucille Howard, Arthur’s elderly neighbor grappling with her own loneliness. The novel is narrated in the third person omniscient point of view. These three unlikely friends... Read The Story of Arthur Truluv Summary
Publication year 1955
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Creative Nonfiction, Action / Adventure
Gabriel García Márquez’s The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor was first published in Spain in 1970 under the title Relato de un naufrago (“story of a castaway”). The nonfiction work relates Luis Alejandro Velasco’s 10-day survival adrift on a raft in the Caribbean after being thrown overboard from his Colombian destroyer in rough seas. While there had been a censored, government-backed version of Velasco’s story that was publicized, the uncensored story was first published in... Read The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor Summary
Publication year 1972
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Natural World: Place, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Grandparents, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Aging
Tags Grief / Death, Scandinavian Literature, Science / Nature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Siblings
Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Self Discovery
Tags Realistic Fiction, Romance
Publication year 2017
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Family, Society: Immigration
Tags Lyric Poem, Gender / Feminism, Relationships, Love / Sexuality, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Mental Illness