Literary theme analysis, by a book like {foo}
Books about Loss Of Innocence
Nine Stories
by J.D. Salinger
Nine short stories of insight into the human condition and its mysteries.
Nine Stories (1953) is a collection of short stories by American fiction writer J. D. Salinger published in April 1953. It includes two of his most famous short stories, "A Perfect Day for ... (Goodreads)
The Catcher in the Rye
by J.D. Salinger
A teenage boy's journey of self-discovery, navigating complexities of the adult world.
An angry, depressed 16-year-old (Holden Caulfield) lives in an unspecified institution in California after the end of World War II . After his discharge within a month, he intends to go live with his ... (Wikipedia)
Joyland
by Stephen King
A young man's investigation into a mysterious amusement park, uncovering secrets and discovering his own identity in the process.
The novel is set at a North Carolina amusement park in 1973 and involves a carny who must confront the "legacy of a vicious murder and the fate of a dying child". Devin Jones, age twenty-one, who ... (Wikipedia)
Peter Pan
by J.M. Barrie
A whimsical tale of a boy who refuses to grow up, exploring the wonders of Neverland.
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie Peter Pan, the mischievous boy who refuses to grow up, lands in the Darling's proper middle-class home to look for his shadow. He befriends Wendy, John and Michael and ... (Goodreads)
The Hired Girl
by Laura Amy Schlitz
A young girl's journey of self-empowerment and determination to seek a better life.
Today Miss Chandler gave me this beautiful book. I vow that I will never forget her kindness to me, and I will use this book as she told me to—that I will write in it with truth and refinement…But ... (Goodreads)
The Cat's Table
by Michael Ondaatje
A young boy's journey of self-discovery, exploring the world and its people.
A spellbinding story - by turns poignant and electrifying - about the magical, often forbidden, discoveries of childhood and a lifelong journey that begins unexpectedly with a spectacular sea voyage. ... (Goodreads)
Carrie
by Stephen King
A high school misfit unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her peers.
An unpopular teenage girl whose mother is a religious fanatic is tormented and teased to the breaking point by her more popular schoolmates and uses her hidden telekinetic powers to inflict a ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Magicians
by Lev Grossman
A coming-of-age story of a young man's journey to a magical world, learning to wield its power.
The, New York Times, bestselling novel about a young man practicing magic in the real world, now an original series on, SYFY,“,The Magicians, is to Harry Potter as a shot of Irish whiskey is to a ... (Barnes & Noble)
Great House
by Nicole Krauss
A woman's exploration of the past, uncovering secrets of a mysterious desk and its owners.
For twenty-five years, a reclusive American novelist has been writing at the desk she inherited from a young Chilean poet who disappeared at the hands of Pinochet's secret police, one day a girl ... (Goodreads)
Every Heart a Doorway
by Seanan McGuire
A portal fantasy exploring the stories of children who have ventured through magical doorways and returned to the mundane world.
Rarely, children may find doorways which transport them to other worlds. As a child, Nancy found a doorway that led her to the land of the dead, based on the story of Persephone and Hades . When she ... (Wikipedia)
The Doll's House
by Neil Gaiman
A dark fantasy exploring the cruelty and power of fairy tales, and the consequences of secrets.
As part of a manhood ritual, an old man in the desert tells a younger man an ancient story, detailing the tragic love between Dream and Queen Nada. Fearing the consequences of loving an immortal, ... (Wikipedia)
Dubliners
by James Joyce
Collection of stories about everyday life in Dublin, exploring the Irish psyche.
This work of art reflects life in Ireland at the turn of the last century, and by rejecting euphemism, reveals to the Irish their unromantic realities. Each of the 15 stories offers glimpses into the ... (Goodreads)
Address Unknown
by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor
A powerful story of friendship and betrayal, set against the backdrop of the rise of Nazism.
Martin, a gentile, returns with his family to Germany, exhilarated by the advances in the old country since the humiliation of the Great War. His business partner, Max, a Jew, remains in the States ... (Wikipedia)
Black Swan Green
by David Mitchell
A young boy confronts personal and social challenges as he navigates adolescence.
Jason Taylor is a 13-year-old with a stammer in the small village of Black Swan Green in Worcestershire . The first chapter starts with a rule Jason's father has: "Do not set foot in my office" and ... (Wikipedia)
Winesburg, Ohio
by Sherwood Anderson
Portrayal of small town life, exploring its inhabitants' inner struggles and struggles with conformity.
Winesburg, Ohio depicts the strange, secret lives of the inhabitants of a small town. In "Hands," Wing Biddlebaum tries to hide the tale of his banishment from a Pennsylvania town, a tale represented ... (Goodreads)
The Giver
by Lois Lowry
A dystopian society where memories and emotions are suppressed, and a boy's journey to unlock its secrets.
Jonas, a 12-year-old boy, lives in a Community isolated from all except a few similar towns, where everyone from small infants to the Chief Elder has an assigned role. With the annual Ceremony of ... (Wikipedia)
The Virgin Suicides
by Jeffrey Eugenides
A dark and mysterious tale about the mysterious suicides of five teenage sisters in a suburban town.
As an ambulance arrives for the body of Cecilia Lisbon, a group of anonymous adolescent neighborhood boys recalls the events leading up to her death. The Lisbons are a Catholic family living in the ... (Wikipedia)
This One Summer
by Mariko Tamaki
A poignant coming-of-age story about two teenage girls navigating growing up, family relationships, and the complexities of summer.
Rose has been coming to a cottage in Awago every summer and meeting her summer friend, Windy, as long as she can remember. , Rose is about eighteen months older than Windy and is the narrator of the ... (Wikipedia)
Anne of Avonlea
by L.M. Montgomery
A young girl's coming-of-age in rural Prince Edward Island, full of adventures and misadventures.
Anne is about to start her first term teaching at the Avonlea school, although she will still continue her studies at home with Gilbert, who is teaching at the nearby White Sands School. The book ... (Wikipedia)
Slaughterhouse-Five
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
A surrealistic, satirical commentary on the horror of war and the loss of innocence.
The story is told in a non-linear order by an unreliable narrator (he begins the novel by telling the reader, "All of this happened, more or less"). Events become clear through flashbacks and ... (Wikipedia)
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
by Haruki Murakami
A surreal journey of self-discovery, exploring the inner and outer worlds.
The first part, "The Thieving Magpie", begins with the narrator, Toru Okada, a low-key and unemployed lawyer's assistant, being tasked by his wife, Kumiko, to find their missing cat. Kumiko suggests ... (Wikipedia)
Flowers in the Attic
by V.C. Andrews
A family's dark secrets emerge as four siblings are held captive in an attic.
In 1957, the Dollanganger family lives an idyllic life in Gladstone, Pennsylvania until Mr. Dollanganger dies in a car accident, leaving his wife Corinne deep in debt with four children and no ... (Wikipedia)
The Door
by Magda Szabó
A mysterious doorkeeper guards the door between two worlds, changing the lives of two women.
The novel begins with Magda, the narrator, recounting the recurring dream that haunts her in her old age. As Magda explains, after waking up from this dream, she is forced to face the fact that "I ... (Wikipedia)
The Girls
by Emma Cline
An exploration of the dark side of teenagehood, as a young girl is drawn into a cult.
Northern California, during the violent end of the 1960s. At the start of summer, a lonely and thoughtful teenager, Evie Boyd, sees a group of girls in the park, and is immediately caught by their ... (Goodreads)
Norwegian by Night
by Derek B. Miller
An elderly veteran's journey of redemption and transformation, set amidst the backdrop of Norway's war-torn history.
He will not admit it to Rhea and Lars - never, of course not - but Sheldon can't help but wonder what it is he's doing here.. Eighty-two years old, and recently widowed, Sheldon Horowitz has ... (Goodreads)
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
by Michael Chabon
A young man's journey of exploration and self-discovery, discovering a world of crime and excitement in his hometown.
Art Bechstein is the son of a mob money launderer , who wants him to succeed in a legitimate career (He has even set up a job for him at the end of the summer in Baltimore at a financial firm managed ... (Wikipedia)
Never Let Me Go
by Kazuo Ishiguro
A dystopian story about a group of people who were cloned for organ harvesting.
The story begins with Kathy H., who describes herself as a carer, talking about looking after organ donors. She has been a carer for almost twelve years at the time of narration, and she often ... (Wikipedia)
High-Rise
by J.G. Ballard
In a high-rise building, social boundaries begin to break down as the inhabitants descend into chaos and violence.
Following his divorce, doctor and medical-school lecturer Robert Laing moves into his new apartment on the 25th floor of a recently completed high-rise building on the outskirts of London. This tower ... (Wikipedia)
The Last Picture Show
by Larry McMurtry
A story of a small town in Texas and the inhabitants, capturing a bygone era.
In 1951 Sonny Crawford and Duane Jackson are high-school seniors and friends in Anarene, Texas , a small declining northern Texas town. Duane is dating Jacy Farrow, who Sonny considers the prettiest ... (Wikipedia)
Goodbye to Berlin
by Christopher Isherwood
A portrait of the vibrant Weimar-era Berlin, with its array of characters and cultural clashes.
Here, meine Damen und Herren, is Christopher Isherwood's brilliant farewell to a city which was not only buildings, streets, and people, but was also a state of mind which will never come around ... (Goodreads)
A Painted House
by John Grisham
A young boy's journey of growing up on an Arkansas cotton farm, learning life lessons along the way.
"The hill people and the Mexicans arrived on the same day. It was a Wednesday, early in September 1952. The Cardinals were five games behind the Dodgers with three weeks to go, and the season looked ... (Goodreads)
Death: The High Cost of Living
by Neil Gaiman
A teenage girl's journey of self-actualization, learning the consequences of life and death.
The main character is a teenage girl named Didi, who appears to be an eccentric, orphaned goth , but who also insists that she is Death personified, taking her one-day every hundred-year sabbatical ... (Wikipedia)
Vele hemels boven de zevende
by Griet Op de Beeck
A young woman's struggles to find her place in the world and find a balance between her dreams and reality.
Lou is 12, Eva 36, Elsie 42, Casper 46 en Jos 71. Vijf mensen, met elkaar verbonden, vertellen hun verhaal. Over onverwacht geluk dat de dingen moeilijk maakt, over geheimen die te groot lijken, over ... (Goodreads)
After Dark
by Haruki Murakami
A night in Tokyo filled with mysterious events and surreal encounters.
Set in metropolitan Tokyo over the course of one night, characters include Mari Asai, a 19-year-old student, who is spending the night reading in a Denny's . There she meets Takahashi Tetsuya, a ... (Wikipedia)
Go Ask Alice
by Beatrice Sparks
A teenage girl's diary chronicling her journey into drug addiction and eventual redemption.
In 1968, a 15-year-old girl begins keeping a diary, in which she records her thoughts and concerns about issues such as crushes, weight loss, sexuality, social acceptance, and relating to her ... (Wikipedia)
Divisadero
by Michael Ondaatje
A story of family, love, and loss, set in the 1970s California.
From the celebrated author of The English Patient and Anil's Ghost comes a remarkable, intimate novel of intersecting lives that ranges across continents and time. In the 1970s in Northern California ... (Goodreads)
The Magic Toyshop
by Angela Carter
A young girl's fantastical journey of self-discovery, learning to navigate the complexities of a strange new world.
The novel starts with Melanie stealing her mother's wedding dress and venturing out in the night into her family's property. However, on her way home, she realises she forgot the door key and is ... (Wikipedia)
The Black Stallion
by Walter Farley
A young boy's friendship with a wild horse, overcoming challenges and finding courage.
Published originally in 1941, this book is about a young boy, Alec Ramsay who finds a wild black stallion at a small Arabian port on the Red Sea. Between the black stallion and young boy, a strange ... (Goodreads)
Hear the Wind Sing
by Haruki Murakami
A young man's journey of self-discovery and exploration of life's possibilities.
Feeling writing as a terribly painful task, the narrator re-tells the story of his 1970 summer. He was a student at a university in Tokyo then, and returned to his seaside hometown in Niigata for ... (Wikipedia)
Corelli's Mandolin
by Louis de Bernières
A story of love and loss during the tumultuous era of World War II.
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is set in the early days of the second world war, before Benito Mussolini invaded Greece. Dr Iannis practices medicine on the island of Cephalonia, accompanied by his ... (Goodreads)
The Smoke Jumper
by Nicholas Evans
A former fire fighter finds redemption in the wilderness, learning to love and trust again.
In a searing novel of love and loyalty, guilt and honor, the acclaimed author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Horse Whisperer gives his millions of readers another hero… His name is Connor ... (Goodreads)
Anya's Ghost
by Vera Brosgol
A young girl's adventure of self-discovery, finding friendship with a mysterious ghost.
Annushka Borzakovskaya , (Anya) is a Russian émigré living in the United States with her mother and brother (Sasha). Unpopular at her New England , private school, Anya skips school and walks through ... (Wikipedia)
Someone
by Alice McDermott
A young woman's struggle to find her place in a rapidly changing world.
An ordinary life - its sharp pains and unexpected joys, its bursts of clarity and moments of confusion - lived by an ordinary woman: this is the subject of Someone, Alice McDermott's extraordinary ... (Goodreads)
Homesick for Another World
by Ottessa Moshfegh
Collection of darkly humorous short stories probing the human condition.
«NO HI HA CAP HISTÒRIA QUE NO SIGUI ORIGINAL I ESTIGUI PERFECTAMENTCONSTRUÏDA. EL TALENT DE MOSHFEGH ÉS ÚNIC.» - NPR Si bé per les sevesnovel·les Ottessa Moshfegh ha rebut tota mena d'elogis i ... (Goodreads)
Black Hole
by Charles Burns
A darkly comic journey through the lives of teenagers in the 1970s, dealing with anxieties and insecurities.
Set in the suburbs of Seattle during the mid 1970s, the story follows a group of teenagers who contract a mysterious sexually transmitted disease referred to as "the Bug", which causes them to ... (Wikipedia)
Moon Over Manifest
by Clare Vanderpool
A young girl's adventure through 1920s America, uncovering family secrets and finding her identity.
The main character in the book is Abilene Tucker, a nice, adventurous girl from 1936. Her father sent her to a small town called Manifest, Kansas while he worked a railroad job somewhere else. She ... (Wikipedia)
Jane, the Fox & Me
by Fanny Britt
A young girl's journey of self-acceptance, overcoming her insecurities and hardships.
Hélène has been inexplicably ostracized by the girls who were once her friends. Her school life is full of whispers and lies — Hélène weighs 216; she smells like BO . Her loving mother is too tired ... (Goodreads)
Nada
by Carmen Laforet
A young woman's journey to find her identity and place in the world.
The novel is set in post Spanish Civil War Barcelona. The novel is narrated by its main character, Andrea, an orphan, who has fond memories of her well off family in Barcelona, and has been raised in ... (Wikipedia)
Liar & Spy
by Rebecca Stead
A young boy's journey of self-discovery, navigating the complexities of bullies and friendships.
The day that Georges (with a silent s, named for Georges Seurat ) moves from a house to an apartment with his family, he sees a boy walking two dogs, disappearing into a locked door under the lobby ... (Wikipedia)
The Last Song
by Nicholas Sparks
A young girl's journey of self-discovery and finding love in unlikely places.
17-year-old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller is a troubled teenager who wants to live her own life and is trying her very best to ignore her divorced parents: Kim, her mother with whom she lives in New York, ... (Wikipedia)
Look Homeward, Angel
by Thomas Wolfe
A young man's quest for meaning and identity, journeying through a world of broken dreams.
The book is divided into three parts, with a total of forty chapters. The first 90 pages of the book deal with an early biography of Gant's parents, very closely based on the actual history of ... (Wikipedia)
Riddle-Master
by Patricia A. McKillip
Young prince embarks on a mysterious quest to save his kingdom from a dark power.
The titular Riddle-Master is Morgon, the Prince of Hed, a small, simple island populated by farmers and swineherds. The prince, inexplicably, has three stars on his forehead. Morgon's sister Tristan ... (Wikipedia)
Torn
by Amanda Hocking
A young woman's struggle to balance her magical heritage with the modern world.
The start of the book begins almost exactly where the end of, Switched, left off, with Wendy and Rhys running away from the palace in the Trylle's Förening. The two arrive at the home and Wendy ... (Wikipedia)
Summer of My German Soldier
by Bette Greene
A young Jewish girl's awakening to the world as she develops a complex relationship with a German soldier.
Minutes before the train pulled into the station in Jenkinsville, Arkansas, Patty Bergen knew something exciting was going to happen. But she never could have imagined that her summer would be so ... (Goodreads)
Wave
by Sonali Deraniyagala
Memoir of a family's tragic loss in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and a woman's journey of resilience and recovery.
On the morning of December 26, 2004, on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, Sonali Deraniyagala lost her parents, her husband, and her two young sons in the tsunami she miraculously survived. In this ... (Goodreads)
The Drop
by Dennis Lehane
A man's struggle to untangle a web of organized crime as he searches for a missing child.
Dennis Lehane returns to the streets of Mystic River with this love story wrapped in a crime story wrapped in a journey of faith—the basis for the major motion picture The Drop, from Fox Searchlight ... (Goodreads)
Alice
by Christina Henry
A dark reimagining of Lewis Carroll's classic story, following Alice's journey through a dangerous Wonderland.
A mind-bending new novel inspired by the twisted and wondrous works of Lewis Carroll... In a warren of crumbling buildings and desperate people called the Old City, there stands a hospital with ... (Goodreads)
How We Are Hungry: Stories
by Dave Eggers
An anthology of stories exploring universal themes of love, loss, and longing.
"Another" "What It Means When a Crowd in a Faraway Nation Takes a Soldier Representing Your Own Nation, Shoots Him, Drags Him from His Vehicle and Then Mutilates Him in the Dust" "The Only Meaning of ... (Goodreads)
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