Recommendations for Family Drama Books on International Family Day!

Posted On May 15, 2021

Hi Readers! Happy International Day of Families to you & your family! Okay, let me be honest now. I a few days ago, I went online and searched for significant days throughout the year. That’s when I saw this one, otherwise I would not have any clue about it. The only reason I looked this up is because I somehow wanted to connect these Days to Books! I wanted to write more, but because my reading has slowed, this seems to be quite a good idea to me. Hope you will agree! 

Now, the list with a great story involving family drama was not at all difficult to find. I look a good look at my bookshelf and found 6 books immediately. For the others, I did a little digging. And, finally, I found THIRTEEN BOOKS with FAMILY-CENTRED STORIES!  

~~THE GREAT ALONE, THE FOUR WINDS & THE NIGHTINGALE by KRISTIN HANNAH~~

Kristin Hannah remains to be one of my favourite authors. Her writing style around the historical fiction genre is gripping & always leaves a trace. Kristin Hannah’s take on family drama especially is always extraordinary to read. Be it sisters, mother & daughter or an entire family, she captures emotions between them wonderfully, often leaving the reader sobbing. 

The Great Alone is one such novel about a small family; mother, father & daughter in the wilderness of Alaska. Ernt Allbright served in Vietnam & returned with a darkness in him. Cora Allbright, his wife, is madly in love with him, no matter what. And, their daughter Leni Allbright is someone who has been the adult in the family from the age of thirteen. This character driven books talks about PTSD, mental health, domestic violence & so much more. 

The Four Winds is the latest book by Kristin Hannah, released early this year. I was not a fan of this book. Among other major things, this is a mother-daughter story of Elsa & Loreda Martinelli. I did not enjoy reading this novel at all, but the moments that won include the warrior motherhood story in its raw, humane & natural way. 

The Nightingale is another novel of Kristin Hannah which is among by favourites. This one involves the story of two sisters, Vianne & Isabelle, who are polar opposites, based during World War II. 

Check out the reviews of these three books here: 

~~A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS by KHALED HOSSEINI~~

Khaled Hosseini is another one of my favourite authors. I was a bit skeptical of putting this book under the Family Books list. I read this book 6 years ago, so had to read my own review to remember it. It is the story of two wives; Mariam & Laila, married to Rasheed. Focussing on the values of family & love, this novel clearly has it all. There is love and hate, life and death, poverty and prosperity. 

Check out my review of A Thousand Splendid Suns here! 

~~THE COLOR PURPLE by ALICE WALKER~~

If I had to give one tag to The Color Purple, it would be an LBTQ+ Book! But it also has so many familial bonds that I thought it deserved a place in this article. The Color Purple is a landmark novel wherein we see despite the racism of the society, sexist views in their own families & a lot of other injustices, how African-American women find the strength & grace to go on for the eternal love for their children & with the support of these lasting female friendships. 

Check out the review of The Color Purple here! 

~~THE DUTCH HOUSE & COMMONWEALTH by ANN PATCHETT~~

The Dutch House is the story of two siblings Maeve & Danny Conroy written across five decades. We see a distant mother who leaves them when they both are still kids. We see an absent father who keeps to himself. We see Fluffy, the nanny; Sandy, the housekeeper & Jocelyn, the cook. All three of them are more parents to them than their real parents. I did not enjoy this book at all, but many have loved reading it. 

Check out the review of The Dutch House here!

Commonwealth is another such family drama novel written by Ann Patchett in 2016. As per Goodreads, this is the enthralling story of how an unexpected romantic encounter irrevocably changes two families’ lives. Spanning five decades, Commonwealth explores how this chance encounter reverberates through the lives of the four parents and six children involved. I look forward to reading this one, not soon, but one day for sure! 

~~LITTLE WOMEN by LOUISA MAY ALCOTT~~

Little Women is another brilliant family novel with the 4 March sisters & their mother. Written in 1868, this classic is loved by generations of people. Reading it in 2020, I did not like this at all. It might be an unpopular opinion, but from Marmee March’s forced preachy paragraphs about celebrating their supposed poverty to the uppity & braggy March sisters, none of it was a good reading experience for me. 

~~THE NAMESAKE & THE LOWLAND by JHUMPA LAHIRI~~

Jhumpa Lahiri is another one of my favourite authors! I have loved her novels – Unaccustomed Earth, Interpreter of Maladies & Whereabouts. Funnily enough, The Namesake & The Lowland are the only two novels I am yet to read, and the only two which are family drama novels. 

As per Goodreads, In The Namesake, Lahiri enriches the themes that made her collection an international bestseller: the immigrant experience, the clash of cultures, the conflicts of assimilation, and, most poignantly, the tangled ties between generations. 

Goodreads describes The Lowland: Epic in its canvas and intimate in its portrayal of lives undone and forged anew, The Lowland is a deeply felt novel of family ties that entangle and fray in ways unforeseen and unrevealed, of ties that ineluctably define who we are. 

~~PACHINKO by MIN JIN LEE~~

Pachinko is a brilliant novel which I am currently reading. Goodreads has the best description possible for this novel. Richly told and profoundly moving, Pachinko is a story of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty. From bustling street markets to the halls of Japan’s finest universities to the pachinko parlors of the criminal underworld, Lee’s complex and passionate characters — strong, stubborn women, devoted sisters and sons, fathers shaken by moral crisis — survive and thrive against the indifferent arc of history. 

~~LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by CELESTE NG~~

Little Fires Everywhere is another brilliant novel for someone who wants to read family drama. This is the story of two mothers & their families living a contrasting life. Goodreads describes it as a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. 

~~WHERE’D YOU GO BERNADETTE? by MARIA SEMPLE~~

Concluding on a lighter note, Where’d You Go Bernadete? Is a family drama novel which I completely enjoyed. Bernadette has mysteriously disappeared & her daughter Bee is on the adventure to track her mother down. 

Check out the review of Where’d You Go Bernadette? here! 

Do you know of any books with family drama? Please recommend them in the comments below! Again, a happy International Day of Families to all you readers! 

Until next time,