Ephraim, New York, are a large and fortunate clan, blessed with good looks, abundant charisma, and boundless promise. We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates “One Hundred Years of Solitude tells the story of the rise and fall, birth and death of a mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendia family.” One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez The heartbreaking trajectory of their relationship contrasts sharply with the colorful swirl of friends and family members who surround them, especially the newlyweds Kitty and Levin, who forge a touching bond as they struggle to make a life together.” “In their world frivolous liaisons are commonplace, but Anna and Vronsky’s consuming passion makes them a target for scorn and leads to Anna’s increasing isolation. Unbeknownst to Effia, her sister, Esi, is imprisoned beneath her in the castle’s dungeons, sold with thousands of others into the Gold Coast’s booming slave trade, and shipped off to America, where her children and grandchildren will be raised in slavery.” Effia is married off to an Englishman and lives in comfort in the palatial rooms of Cape Coast Castle. “Two half sisters, Effia and Esi, are born into different villages in eighteenth-century Ghana. Here Steinbeck created some of his most memorable characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of identity the inexplicability of love and the murderous consequences of love’s absence.” I’ll have to re-read this one again soon. “Set in the rich farmland of California’s Salinas Valley, this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families-the Trasks and the Hamiltons-whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel. Abby and Red and their four grown children have accumulated not only tender moments, laughter, and celebrations, but also jealousies, disappointments, and carefully guarded secrets.” But they are also like all families, in that the stories they tell themselves reveal only part of the picture.

“The Whitshanks are one of those families that radiate togetherness: an indefinable, enviable kind of specialness. Alfred is ill and as his condition worsens the whole family must face the failures, secrets and long-buried hurts that haunt them if they are to make the corrections that each desperately needs.” “The Lamberts – Enid and Alfred and their three grown-up children – are a troubled family living in a troubled age. Spanning five decades, Commonwealth explores how this chance encounter reverberates through the lives of the four parents and six children involved.” Before evening falls, he has kissed Franny’s mother, Beverly-thus setting in motion the dissolution of their marriages and the joining of two families. “One Sunday afternoon in Southern California, Bert Cousins shows up at Franny Keating’s christening party uninvited. Why not turn your gaze to something more literary and dive into these alluring relationships between mother, father, sister, and brother?

Now that season 13 of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” has wrapped, I know you’re itching for some family drama crack. These things, either combined or on their own, create great plot twists and reveal to us truths about our own dysfunctional families that we are too ashamed to admit. When an author has the opportunity in a novel or a book to paint a cast of characters over a long period of time, they’re able to plant family mysteries unveil flaws that are passed down from ancestors to descendants and slowly unravel secrets held tight for generations. Whether famous or fictional, reading about quirky/weird/mysterious kith and kin gives readers the ultimate voyeuristic peek into the secret anatomy of a family. What do I love about books about families? Everything. Meticulously researched, drawing on the 658 letters Vincent wrote to Theo during his lifetime, National Book Award finalist Deborah Heiligman weaves a tale of two lives intertwined and the extraordinary love of the Van Gogh brothers. They shared everything, swapping stories of lovers and friends, successes and disappointments, dreams and ambitions. Confidant, champion, sympathizer, friend-Theo supported Vincent as he struggled to find his path in life.

The deep and enduring friendship between Vincent and Theo Van Gogh shaped both brothers’ lives.

This post about family novels is sponsored by Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman.

Epic books list