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Recommendations based on A Ladder to the Skyby John Boyne
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The Heart's Invisible Furies
by John Boyne
A man's life journey spanning seven decades and three continents, searching for love and acceptance.
Cyril Avery is not a real Avery or at least that’s what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be. But if he isn’t a real Avery, then who is he? Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast ... (Goodreads)
A History of Loneliness
by John Boyne
Uncovering the truth about Ireland's past, exploring the lasting effects of abuse.
Propelled into the priesthood by a family tragedy, Odran Yates is full of hope and ambition. When he arrives at Clonliffe Seminary in the 1970s, it is a time in Ireland when priests are highly ... (Goodreads)
The Absolutist
by John Boyne
Two friends in World War I grapple with identity, loyalty and love in the face of tragedy.
It is September 1919: twenty-one-year-old Tristan Sadler takes a train from London to Norwich to deliver a package of letters to the sister of Will Bancroft, the man he fought alongside during the ... (Goodreads)
Beartown
by Fredrik Backman
A small-town hockey team and its community grapple with the consequences of a traumatic event.
Peter Andersson, in his forties, is the general manager of the ice hockey club in Beartown, a small town located somewhere in Sweden. Peter grew up in Beartown and was a junior hockey star. He went ... (Wikipedia)
The Secret History
by Donna Tartt
A small group of misfit college students uncover a sinister secret and their lives become entangled with dangerous consequences.
Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the ... (Goodreads)
Unmarriageable
by Soniah Kamal
A modern retelling of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" set in Pakistan. A story of love, family, and societal expectations.
In this one-of-a-kind retelling of, Pride and Prejudice, set in modern-day Pakistan, Alys Binat has sworn never to marry—until an encounter with one Mr. Darsee at a wedding makes her reconsider. A ... (Goodreads)
A Little Life
by Hanya Yanagihara
A powerful tale of four friends navigating life's hardships and the devastating effects of trauma.
The novel follows the lives of four friends in New York City from college through to middle-age. It focuses particularly on Jude, a lawyer with a mysterious past, ambiguous ethnicity, and unexplained ... (Wikipedia)
Cutting for Stone
by Abraham Verghese
A sweeping journey of two twin brothers and their search for identity, belonging and family.
The story is told by the protagonist, Marion Stone. He and his conjoined twin Shiva are born at Mission Hospital (called "Missing" in accordance with the local pronunciation), Addis Ababa , in ... (Wikipedia)
The Nix
by Nathan Hill
A middle-aged man's quest to discover the truth about his mother and his own identity.
The Nix is an American epic novel in 10 parts that follows community college professor of English, Samuel Andresen-Anderson who is struggling to find meaning in his life in the years following his ... (Wikipedia)
Convenience Store Woman
by Sayaka Murata
A darkly comic story of a woman's search for acceptance and belonging in a society that doesn't fit her.
Keiko Furukura is a 36-year old woman who has been working part-time at a convenience store , or konbini , for the last 18 years. She has known since childhood that she is "different" and that ... (Wikipedia)
The Book of M
by Peng Shepherd
In a world where people lose their shadows and gain magical abilities, a group of survivors must navigate a dangerous journey to find a cure.
Brad Thor's Summer 2018 Fiction Pick for THE TODAY SHOW! "Eerie, dark, and compelling, [,The Book of M,] will not disappoint lovers of, The Passage ,(2010) and, Station Eleven ,(2014),." —Booklist, ... (Barnes & Noble)
Burial Rites
by Hannah Kent
A woman awaits her execution in 19th-century Iceland, reliving her story of hardship, loss and faith.
Burial Rites tells the story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, a servant in northern Iceland who was condemned to death after the murder of two men, one of whom was her employer, and became the last woman put ... (Wikipedia)
The River
by Peter Heller
Two friends embark on a canoe trip in Northern Canada, facing the dangers of the wilderness and their own personal demons.
The story of two college friends on a wilderness canoe trip—of a friendship tested by fire, white water, and violence Wynn and Jack have been best friends since freshman orientation, bonded by their ... (Goodreads)
The King's Men
by Nora Sakavic
A college student's journey to uncover the secrets of a mysterious society of men.
Neil Josten is out of time. He knew when he came to PSU he wouldn't survive the year, but with his death right around the corner he's got more reasons than ever to live. Befriending the Foxes was ... (Goodreads)
The Green Road
by Anne Enright
A family's journey through life, with each member reflecting on their individual paths.
The first half of the novel concerns each family member individually and goes chronologically from 1980 to 2005. Each of the four Madigan children and their mother Rosaleen receive a chapter of their ... (Wikipedia)
The Institute
by Stephen King
Children with psychic abilities are kidnapped and taken to a sinister institution where they are subjected to cruel experiments.
Tim Jamieson leaves his job in Florida and prepares to head to New York City . By coincidence, en route, he gives up a seat on a plane and finds himself in the fictional small town of Dupray, South ... (Wikipedia)
Something in the Water
by Catherine Steadman
A couple's romantic honeymoon turns into a nightmare when they discover something sinister in the water.
If you could make one simple choice that would change your life forever, would you? Erin is a documentary filmmaker on the brink of a professional breakthrough, Mark a handsome investment banker with ... (Goodreads)
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
by Elif Shafak
A dying woman's memories flash before her eyes, revealing the harsh realities of her life in Istanbul's red-light district.
Shortlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize Named a Best Book of the Year by, Bookpage, NPR, Washington Post,, and, The Economist, A moving novel on the power of friendship in our darkest times, from ... (Barnes & Noble)
As Bright as Heaven
by Susan Meissner
A family moves to Philadelphia in 1918 to start a new life, but the Spanish flu epidemic changes everything.
From the acclaimed author of Secrets of a Charmed Life and A Bridge Across the Ocean comes a new novel set in Philadelphia during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918, which tells the story of a family ... (Goodreads)
Crooked Kingdom
by Leigh Bardugo
A gang of criminals must band together to take down a powerful adversary.
In the prologue, a Grisha man named Emil Retvenko is kidnapped by a winged Shu man. The book commences in a gambling parlor known as Club Cumulus where Jesper and Nina keep Jan Van Eck's lawyer, ... (Wikipedia)
The Crow Trap
by Ann Cleeves
Three women come together to investigate a murder in a remote English village, uncovering secrets and lies along the way.
Vera Stanhope's first appearance was in The Crow Trap , published in 1999 and now available in a new edition; it forms the third episode of the TV series Vera, adapted by Stephen Brady. At the ... (Goodreads)
Behind Her Eyes
by Sarah Pinborough
Psychological suspense novel following a woman's tangled web of secrets, lies and relationships.
Why is everyone talking about the ending of Sarah Pinborough's, Behind Her Eyes?, Louise is a single mom, a secretary, stuck in a modern-day rut. On a rare night out, she meets a man in a bar and ... (Goodreads)
The Overstory
by Richard Powers
Nine strangers are brought together by their love for trees, leading to a fight to save the last of the remaining forests.
Nicholas Hoel, Mimi Ma, Adam Appich, Ray Brinkman, Dorothy Cazaly, Douglas Pavlicek, Neelay Mehta, Patricia Westerford, and Olivia Vandergriff are people who had unique relationships with trees which ... (Wikipedia)
Unsheltered
by Barbara Kingsolver
Two families, living in different centuries, struggle to survive in a crumbling house and a changing world. A poignant exploration of family, community, and the human condition.
21st century: 19th century (some modelled on real persons): Writing in the New York Times , Meg Wolitzer , says this book "lures us into" this story about a house and the two different families that ... (Wikipedia)
More Happy Than Not
by Adam Silvera
Aaron Soto struggles with his identity and turns to a memory-alteration procedure to forget his past.
A special Deluxe Edition of Adam Silvera’s groundbreaking debut featuring an introduction by Angie Thomas,, New York Times, bestselling author of, The Hate U Give,; a new final chapter, "More Happy ... (Barnes & Noble)
Tin Man
by Sarah Winman
A story of friendship, love, and loss as three characters navigate life-altering decisions.
This is almost a love story. Ellis and Michael are twelve when they first become friends, and for a long time it is just the two of them, cycling the streets of Oxford, teaching themselves how to ... (Goodreads)
Warlight
by Michael Ondaatje
After WWII, two siblings are left in the care of mysterious figures as their parents disappear. Years later, they uncover the truth.
In a narrative as mysterious as memory itself – at once both shadowed and luminous – Warlight is a vivid, thrilling novel of violence and love, intrigue and desire. It is 1945, and London is still ... (Goodreads)
Once Upon a River
by Diane Setterfield
A young girl is pulled from the river Thames, dead, until she suddenly comes back to life. Her identity and the events that led to her near-death are shrouded in mystery.
On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to while away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a ... (Goodreads)
Nutshell
by Ian McEwan
A unique retelling of Shakespeare's Hamlet, from the perspective of an unborn child.
Nutshell is a classic story of murder and deceit, told by a narrator with a perspective and voice unlike any in recent literature. A bravura performance, it is the finest recent work from a true ... (Goodreads)
Force of Nature
by Jane Harper
A detective's investigation into a missing woman, uncovering dark secrets of a small town.
Five women reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking along a muddy track. Only four come out on the other side. The hike through the rugged Giralang Ranges is meant to take the office ... (Goodreads)
