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 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Parenting, Psychology, LGBTQ, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1977
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Identity: Sexuality
Tags Psychological Fiction
“The Fat Girl” is a short story by Andre Dubus II that was originally published in his 1977 collection Adultery and Other Choices. Dubus was an American writer of short stories and essays from Louisiana. “The Fat Girl” chronicles nearly two decades in protagonist Louise’s life, spanning childhood to motherhood. The story explores Louise’s issues with body image, food and dieting, secrecy, gender roles, and relationships.This guide is based on the version of the text... Read The Fat Girl Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Marriage, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Contemporary Literature
Publication year 1866
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Classic Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Russian Literature, Existentialism, History: World, Romance, Philosophy, Philosophy
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Masculinity, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Marriage
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction
Paula Hawkins wrote The Girl on the Train over the course of six months in 2014. Hawkins, an Oxford-educated journalist and writer, drew on her experience as a reporter in London to structure the novel and describe its locations. Drawing immediate comparisons to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, The Girl on the Train had similar performance, debuting at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list in 2015, and remaining there for 13 consecutive weeks... Read The Girl On The Train Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Psychological Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World
Publication year 2005
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Scandinavian Literature, Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an international bestseller by writer and journalist Stieg Larsson. The crime thriller was published in Sweden shortly after his death in 2005 with the original Swedish title, Män som hatar kvinnor, or Men Who Hate Women. The book won the 2006 Glass Key Award for best crime novel in its native Sweden, and after the English translation was released it received the 2008 Boeke Prize (South Africa), Crime... Read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Business / Economics, Arts / Culture, Class, Gender / Feminism, American Literature, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1962
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Sexuality, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Gender / Feminism, Classic Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Post Modernism, British Literature, Depression / Suicide, Love / Sexuality, Mental Illness, Relationships, Cold War, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World
Considered the most influential of Doris Lessing’s many novels, The Golden Notebook explores the development of a young writer. Anna Wulf has published one novel, Frontiers of War, to great acclaim, but she now finds herself uncomfortable with what she sees as its sentimentality and romanticization of war. Thus, she remains mired in a kind of writer’s block. She still writes in her notebooks, but she cannot bring herself to return to writing novels—especially in... Read The Golden Notebook Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
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 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Diversity, Grief / Death, Mental Illness, Parenting, Relationships, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Psychological Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Class, Gender / Feminism, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1964
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Identity: Masculinity, Life/Time: Aging, Society: Class, Society: Community, Identity: Gender
Tags Play: Drama, Psychological Fiction, Education, Education, British Literature, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Literature, Natural World: Place, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Fear
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Mental Illness, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Grief / Death, Addiction / Substance Abuse
Publication year 2003
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Disability, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Relationships: Family
Tags Psychological Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Disability, Education, Science / Nature, Relationships, History: Asian, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature, Japanese Literature
The Housekeeper and the Professor, written by Yōko Ogawa, is a work of literary fiction set in modern-day Japan and loosely based on the book The Man Who Loved Only Numbers, a biography of the mathematician Paul Erdös. The Housekeeper and the Professor was originally published in Japanese in 2003; it sold more than one million copies and received the Hon’ya Taisho award in 2004. In 2006, it was adapted into a film version, titled... Read The Housekeeper and the Professor Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction