Truth & Lies

Whether exploring the consequences of concealing the truth or excavating the mysterious nature of truth itself, the titles in this collection discuss the intersections among honesty, factualness, legitimacy, deception, falsehood, and lies.

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Language, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Midlife, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime 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 1905

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Class, Society: Community, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Economics, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: Gender, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Satire, Class, Gilded Age, Naturalism, American Literature, History: World

Set in New York’s high society at the turn of the 20th century, The House of Mirth (1905), was the second novel by renowned American writer Edith Wharton. Wharton drew upon her own privileged upbringing in a wealthy, long-established New York family for her astute observations of this social milieu during the Gilded Age, a period marked by economic disparities and ostentatious materialism. Prior to the novel’s publication in October 1905, The House of Mirth... Read The House of Mirth Summary


Publication year 2025

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies


Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy


Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags History: U.S., Jewish Literature, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

The Human Stain, published in 2000, is a novel by American novelist Philip Roth. The narrator of The Human Stain is Nathan Zuckerman, a writer, who tells the story of a series of events happening to his neighbor in rural New England in the summer of 1998. Nathan Zuckerman features in several of Roth’s novels, and The Human Stain is considered to be part of a loose trilogy that includesAmerican Pastoral (1997) and I Married... Read The Human Stain Summary


Publication year 1984

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Society: War

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Military / War, Action / Adventure, Cold War, Historical 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


Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Fear

Tags Fairy Tale / Folklore, Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature


Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Immigration / Refugee, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction

Elif Batuman is a contemporary Turkish-American author. She received her BA from Harvard University and PhD in Comparative Literature from Stanford University and spent several years in Turkey as a resident writer at Koç University. Her first novel, The Idiot (2017), as well as her collection of essays, The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them (2010), are auto-biographical in nature and focus on life within US academia. Both titles allude... Read The Idiot Summary


Publication year 1673

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers

Tags Play: Comedy / Satire, Classic Fiction, French Literature

Le Malade Imaginaire, typically translated as The Imaginary Invalid, opened in Paris in 1673 and was the final play written by the famous French satirist Molière. Molière wrote frequently about doctors, and six of his comedies deal significantly with medical practitioners. The trope of the doctor who is as greedy and as pompous as he is inept—often speaking a jumble of Latin and Greek to prove his intelligence—is a stock character of commedia dell’arte, the... Read The Imaginary Invalid Summary


Publication year 2023

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Love

Tags Health / Medicine, Grief / Death, Philosophy, Science / Nature, Biography, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 1911

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, British Literature, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: The Future, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Religion / Spirituality

Critically acclaimed, The Institute (2019) is the 60th entry in Stephen King’s body of more than 100 works. While best known as a horror writer (and one of the most popular writers since the 1970s in general), King dabbles in many genres, including fantasy, mystery, and science fiction—often blurring the boundaries between them. The Institute is more sci-fi thriller than horror, sharing story beats and themes with King’s earlier novels Firestarter and It: It follows... Read The Institute Summary


Publication year 1929

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Education, Education, American Literature, Classic Fiction

“The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” is a short story written by American author Katherine Anne Porter and first published in 1930 as part of Porter’s short story collection Flowering Judas, and Other Stories. Set in the final moments of the title character’s life, the narrative explores her emotions and memories, as well as her struggle to cope with mortality. Written during the Modernist movement, which sought to break away from traditional literary forms and explore... Read The Jilting of Granny Weatherall Summary


Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Humor, Politics / Government, Satire, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction


Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Life/Time: The Past, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Politics / Government, Russian Literature, History: World, History: European

The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar (2003) is a historical fiction novel detailing the fate of the Romanovs by Robert Alexander (a pen name for Robert Zimmerman). Although Alexander is American, he spent decades in Russia. He attended Leningrad State University and, afterward, ran various businesses in St. Petersburg. As such, he has personal experience with Russian culture. He wrote several historical fiction novels that take place during the Russian Revolution—including Rasputin’s... Read The Kitchen Boy Summary


Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Social Justice, Diversity, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy, Action / Adventure


Publication year 1956

Genre Scripture, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Religion / Spirituality, Philosophy


Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Sexuality, Self Discovery, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction

The Lacuna (2009) is Barbara Kingsolver’s sixth novel. This work of historical fiction was a New York Times bestseller and winner of the 2010 Women’s Prize for Fiction. The novel traces the life of Mexican American Harrison Shepherd from the 1920s to the 1950s. The son of a dissolute flapper who chases rich men, Shepherd begins to make his way by landing a job working for the famous Mexican visual artists Frida Kahlo and Diego... Read The Lacuna Summary