rachel @ typed truths

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout

Haunted by the freak accident that killed their father when they were children, Jim and Bob Burgess escaped from their Maine hometown of Shirley Falls for New York City as soon as they possibly could. Jim, a sleek, successful corporate lawyer, has belittled his bighearted brother their whole lives, and Bob, a Legal Aid attorney who idolizes Jim, has always taken it in stride. But their long-standing dynamic is upended when their sister, Susan—the Burgess sibling who stayed behind—urgently calls them home. Her lonely teenage son, Zach, has gotten himself into a world of trouble, and Susan desperately needs… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Death of a father recounted

Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout

Lucy Barton is a writer, but her ex-husband, William, remains a hard man to read. William, she confesses, has always been a mystery to me. Another mystery is why the two have remained connected after all these years. They just are. So Lucy is both surprised and not surprised when William asks her to join him on a trip to investigate a recently uncovered family secret—one of those secrets that rearrange everything we think we know about the people closest to us.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Infidelity recounted
Death of a husband

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout

Olive, Again follows the blunt, contradictory yet deeply loveable Olive Kitteridge as she grows older, navigating the second half of her life as she comes to terms with the changes – sometimes welcome, sometimes not – in her own existence and in those around her. Olive adjusts to her new life with her second husband, challenges her estranged son and his family to accept him, experiences loss and loneliness, witnesses the triumphs and heartbreaks of her friends and neighbours in the small coastal town of Crosby, Maine – and, finally, opens herself to new lessons about life

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Homophobia
Suicide
Miscarriage
Cancer

My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

Lucy Barton is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation. Her mother, to whom she hasn’t spoken for many years, comes to see her. Gentle gossip about people from Lucy’s childhood in Amgash, Illinois, seems to reconnect them, but just below the surface lie the tension and longing that have informed every aspect of Lucy’s life: her escape from her troubled family, her desire to become a writer, her marriage, her love for her two daughters.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Hospitalisation for surgery complications

Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout

As a panicked world goes into lockdown, Lucy Barton is uprooted from her life in Manhattan and bundled away to a small town in Maine by her ex-husband and on-again, off-again friend, William. For the next several months, it’s just Lucy, William, and their complex past together in a little house nestled against the moody, swirling sea. At the heart of this story are the deep human connections that unite us even when we’re apart–the pain of a beloved daughter’s suffering, the emptiness that comes from the death of a loved one, the promise of a new friendship, and the comfort of an old, enduring love.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Infidelity
Infertility & loss of pregnancy
COVID-19 pandemic including death from COVID (theme)

Meredith, Alone by Claire Alexander

Meredith Maggs has everything a person needs. A best friend in Sadie. A beloved cat in Fred. Jigsaws to fill the time. Recipes to perfect. Even a weekly visit from the Tesco delivery guy. So what if she hasn’t left the house in 1,214 days? That her memories are treacherous, and it’s getting harder to ignore the estranged sister knocking at her door. How long can one woman keep the world out? How long before she invites in what’s out there? And how long does it take to discover the person you were meant to be?

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Sexual assault
Child abuse & domestic violence
Familial estrangement discussed
Attempted suicide recounted
Self-harm
Agoraphobia & depression (protagonist)
Miscarriage & stillbirth

Never by Jessa Hastings

Swept away from her life in London to a place beyond the stars, Wendy’s granddaughter Daphne is torn between the boy of legend – Peter Pan, whose fate is irrevocably intertwined with her family’s – and Jem Hook, the pirate who has captured her heart against all her better judgement. Filled with hope and heartbreak, beauty and betrayal, dreams and devastating reality, Never Can we ever be free while we’re holding on to the past? And what would happen if – just once – we truly let go?

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Adult-minor relationship*

Context : The 22- and 23-year-old male protagonists are waiting for their 17-year-old female love interest to turn 18 before having sex with her.

The Long Way Home by Jessa Hastings

Daisy Haites thought she’d left everything about her old life in the past: the crime, her family and the man she loves. But when her safety is threatened once again, she finds herself back under the watchful eye of her gang-lord brother Julian and her ex-boyfriend Christian, both desperate to keep her safe. Everything gets more complicated when beautiful, broken-hearted socialite Magnolia Parks enters the scene and Julian finds himself entangled with her. Because for Julian, falling in love isn’t just unwelcome – it could be deadly for everyone involved…

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Infidelity
Alcohol & drug use
Death of a sibling recounted
Car accident
Kidnapping

The Great Undoing by Jessa Hastings

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Infidelity
Alcohol & drug use
Death of a sibling recounted
Car accident
Kidnapping

Daisy Haites by Jessa Hastings

All 20 year old Daisy Haites has ever wanted is a normal life, but it’s just not on the cards for her. Raised by her older brother Julian since their parents were murdered in front of them 12 years ago, Daisy hasn’t ever lived beyond the watchful gaze of her gang lord brother. But Julian’s line of work means that Daisy’s life is… complicated. And things don’t become any less complex when she falls hard for Christian Hemmes, the beautiful and emotionally unavailable boy she’s been involved with for the last few months, who also happens to be one of the few men in London who doesn’t answer to Julian. Christian’s life is no walk in the park either, being in love with his best friend’s girlfriend and… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Parental abandonment
Infidelity
Death of a sibling recounted
Death of parents recounted (on-page)
Murder
Gun violence