Psychological Fiction

The selections in our Psychological Fiction Collection focus on the mental and emotional experiences of characters. From psychological thrillers to suspenseful mysteries and crime novels, these narratives examine the complexity of the human mind and emotions as characters endure challenges, overcome obstacles, and face sometimes grueling circumstances.

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: The Past

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Historical Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Gothic Literature


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Fathers

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Crime / Legal, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Relationships, Parenting, Modernism, Modern Classic Fiction

The Whisper Man, released in August 2019, is a crime thriller by British author Alex North about the potential resurgence of a serial child murderer known as the Whisper Man and how it entangles various characters in a small town. North claims he got the idea for the book after his son mentioned “the boy in the floor.” Through criminal investigation and the lives of a father and son, North explores the nature of intergenerational... Read The Whisper Man Summary


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Self Discovery, Relationships: Family, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Identity: Disability, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Fear

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Irish Literature

The Witch Elm (2018) is a psychological crime thriller by best-selling American Irish author Tana French. The story follows Toby Hennessy, who unearths harmful family secrets while salvaging his identity after a traumatic assault. A standalone novel separate from French’s award-winning Dublin Murder Squad series, The Witch Elm appeared on NPR’s list of best books from 2018 and the New York Times’s notable books of 2018. Other works by this author include The Trespasser (2016)... Read The Witch Elm Summary


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Relationships: Marriage

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


Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Relationships: Family, Society: Colonialism

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Religion / Spirituality, History: World, Irish Literature


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Family

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


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Society: Education, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, LGBTQ, Gender / Feminism


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 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

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


Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: Love

Tags Humor, Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

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

Tags Psychological Fiction, Historical Fiction, Relationships, Grief / Death, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Tinkers (2009) is Paul Harding’s debut novel. It delves into the life of a dying man, George Washington Crosby, as he reflects on his past and his family history. The narrative weaves together George’s memories with stories from his father’s life, and it explores the themes of mortality, memory, and the interconnectedness of generations. The novel, which is considered literary fiction, won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the 2010 PEN/ Robert W. Bingham... Read Tinkers Summary


Publication year 1958

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Marriage, Natural World: Place, Identity: Gender

Tags Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Relationships, British Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, History: World, Romance, Classic Fiction

Doris Lessing’s 1963 short story “To Room Nineteen” explores the theme of female independence and autonomy—and of how difficult these are to achieve, especially at the time Lessing wrote it. Any reader familiar with Virginia Woolf’s classic essay “A Room of One’s Own” will find similarities here. Lessing, a Nobel laureate and accomplished writer within multiple genres, investigates boundaries and conventions throughout the canon of her work, frequently breaking down dichotomies and questioning cultural assumptions... Read To Room Nineteen Summary


Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Relationships, Psychological Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Parenting, Love / Sexuality

Truly Madly Guilty is Liane Moriarty’s seventh adult novel, published in 2016. The work uses suspense elements and a nonlinear timeline to tell a story of a backyard barbecue and its deep emotional and psychological repercussions for the attendees. The book explores themes of friendship, marriage, and parenthood through the relationships of three couples, Erika and Oliver, Clementine and Sam, and Tiffany and Vid.The edition referenced is the first US e-book edition from Flatiron Books.Plot... Read Truly Madly Guilty Summary


Publication year 1922

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Class, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community, Society: Nation

Tags Classic Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Modernism, Irish Literature, History: World

Ulysses is a 1922 novel by Irish author James Joyce. The story is a loose adaptation of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, portraying a day in the lives of several characters who live in Dublin, Ireland, in June 1904. Ulysses proved controversial on release due to accusations of obscenity but is now celebrated as one of the most important and influential works in the English language and considered a classic.This guide is written using the... Read Ulysses Summary


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Identity: Mental Health

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


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Relationships: Mothers

Tags Romance, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Grief / Death, Love / Sexuality, Relationships, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, American Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health

Tags Philosophy, Psychological Fiction, Romance, Allegory / Fable / Parable, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Mental Illness, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Veronika Decides to Die (1998) is a novel of ideas by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho. The novel follows Veronika, a 24-year-old Slovenian woman who decides to die in 1997 because her perfectly normal world has left her apathetic toward life. After Veronika attempts suicide, she finds herself in a psychiatric hospital called Villete. Villete was established in the rift opened by the civil war in Yugoslavia to generate a profit from the issues of the upper... Read Veronika Decides To Die Summary


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Internet Culture / Social Media, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 1962

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Gothic Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Class, Mental Illness, Bullying, Gender / Feminism, Classic Fiction


Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Siblings, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Values/Ideas: Fame, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Love

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Incarceration, Relationships, Grief / Death, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Parenting, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Psychology, Psychology

We Need to Talk About Kevin is a 2003 novel by Lionel Shriver. It is an epistolary novel, comprising the letters that Eva Khatchadourian writes to her husband Franklin in the aftermath of their son’s crime. The novel explores themes of nihilism, motherhood, the relationship between violence and depravity, and much more. The book won the Orange Prize for Literature in 2005 and was adapted into an acclaimed feature film starring Tilda Swindon and John... Read We Need To Talk About Kevin Summary