"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 2000
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Society: Class, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Fate, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Literature, Relationships: Mothers, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: The Future, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Fathers, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride
Tags History: World, Regency Era, Romance, Historical Fiction
Publication year 1989
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Place, Self Discovery
Tags Action / Adventure, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Grief / Death, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction
Written by Gary Paulsen in 1989, The Voyage of the Frog by Gary Paulsen depicts a young boy’s coming of age through an adventure in the wilderness. Fourteen-year-old David Alspeth sets sail out into the Pacific to fulfill his uncle’s last wishes and ends up lost and alone at sea. Paulsen was an avid outdoorsman who spent a great deal of time sailing the Pacific Ocean, and his nautical experience is evident in the details... Read The Voyage of the Frog Summary
Publication year 950
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Lyric Poem, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, Classic Fiction, History: European
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Society: War
Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, History: World, Magical Realism, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 1986
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Society: Community, Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags LGBTQ, Health / Medicine, American Literature, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2000
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags Historical Fiction, Education, Education, Latin American Literature, Military / War, Arts / Culture, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction
The Weight of All Things, written by esteemed American author Sandra Benitez, is a lyrical novel portraying the effects of the civil war in El Salvador during the 1980s. This war between conservatives and communists is portrayed through the eyes of a child; detailing the brutality of both sides and showcasing the futility of war. Written in the third person omniscient style, the events of a brutal war are depicted with graphic detail, yet the... Read The Weight of All Things Summary
Publication year 2006
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Natural World: Animals, Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags Children's Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Action / Adventure, Animals
Written by Lauren St. John and published in 2006, The White Giraffe is the first book in the Legend of the Animal Healer series. It tells the story of orphan Martine Allen, who goes to live with her grandmother in Cape Town, South Africa after her parents’ tragic deaths. Her grandmother lives in a wildlife sanctuary called Sawubona. As Martine wrestles with losing her family and adapting to life on another continent, she learns the... Read The White Giraffe Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Family
Tags Sports, Social Justice, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Daughters & Sons
Tags Historical Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Romance, Holidays & Occasions
Publication year 1832
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags Colonial America, Education, Education, American Literature, Classic Fiction
“The Wives of the Dead,” a short story published in 1832 by American dark-romantic author Nathaniel Hawthorne, tells of sisters-in-law in colonial Massachusetts whose husbands die at the same time and details their attempts to help each other cope with the loss. The eerily surreal story touches on several of Hawthorne’s literary obsessions, including Gothic horror, Puritan guilt, love and devotion, Early American history, and feminism. The story later appeared in an 1851 collection, The... Read The Wives of the Dead Summary
Publication year 1983
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Relationships: Mothers
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Gothic Literature, Grief / Death
The Woman in Black (1983) by Susan Hill follows the gothic literary tradition. Hill explores traditional horror tropes, such as abandoned estates and ghost hauntings, set in an unspecified time in England’s countryside. The horror novella focuses on the first-person point-of-view of Arthur Kipps as he reflects on a ghost haunting he experienced as a young man. Hill explores themes of loss and mourning, the impact of holding onto the past, and the clash between... Read The Woman in Black Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: The Past, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
The Woman in the Window, a psychological thriller published in 2018 by William Morrow. The novel was written by A.J. Finn, which is the pen name of American book editor and novelist, Dan Mallory. The novel tells the story from the first-person point of view of an unreliable female narrator, Dr. Anna Fox. The reader learns about Fox’s alcoholism, her agoraphobia, and the traumatizing events of her past, all of which take place in present-day... Read The Woman in the Window Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Music, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags Music, Race / Racism, Politics / Government, African American Literature
Publication year 2005
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Marriage, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags Grief / Death, Psychology, Psychology, Classic Fiction, Biography
Joan Didion’s memoir, The Year of Magical Thinking, explores her experiences mourning the death of her husband and the severe illness of her daughter in 2003. Didion, an American journalist and essayist, first gained popularity during the 1960s and 70s covering counterculture and Hollywood, but in The Year of Magical Thinking she turns to more intimate material. Didion’s husband John Gregory Dunne died of a heart attack while he and Didion were caring for their... Read The Year of Magical Thinking Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Siblings, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Military / War, History: World
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Natural World: Appearance & Reality
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Grief / Death, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Identity: Indigenous, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags Historical Fiction, Race / Racism, American Literature, History: World
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Food, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction
Publication year 1865
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags Lyric Poem, Pastoralism