Literature ❯ Fiction ❯ Contemporary Fiction

Character Studies

Masculinity Mental Health Themes Female Protagonists Elizabeth Strout Romantic Relationships Shy Artie Dam Identity and Displacement Kiran Desai Family in Literature Cultural Themes Shelby Van Pelt Masculinity in Literature Identity and Performance David Szalay Colin and Ray's Relationship Animal Characters Narrative Perspective Psychological Themes

Elizabeth Strout’s ‘The Things We Never Say’ Explores Solitude in a Polarized U.S.

A Los Angeles Times review highlights emotional precision with occasional on-the-nose notes.

National Book Awards Announce 2025 Finalists Across Five Categories

Kiran Desai’s ‘The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny’ Draws Strong Early Reviews After Two Decades of Writing