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