Tag Archives: Death of a Mother

This page lists books that contain trigger warnings for the depiction of death of a mother.

See also Grief & loss depiction.

The Art of Taxidermy by Sharon Kernot

The Art of Taxidermy by Sharon Kernot

Lottie collects dead creatures and lovingly cares for them, hoping to preserve them, to save them from disintegration. Her father understands—Lottie has a scientific mind, he thinks. Her aunt wants it to stop, and she goes to cruel lengths to make sure it does. And her mother? Lottie’s mother died long ago. And Lottie is searching for a way to be close to her.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism & racial slurs
  • Sexism
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a mother
  • Kidnapping & captivity
  • Hostage situation
  • Blackmail
  • Fire
  • Drowning
  • Building collapse
  • Colonialism
  • Graphic animal death & dead bodies (theme)

Like a House on Fire by Lauren McBrayer

Like a House on Fire by Lauren McBrayer

After twelve years of marriage and two kids, Merit has begun to feel like a stranger in her own life. She loves her husband and sons, but she desperately needs something more than sippy cups and monthly sex. So, she returns to her career at Jager + Brandt, where a brilliant and beautiful Danish architect named Jane decides to overlook the “break” in Merit’s resume and give her a shot. Jane is a supernova—witty and dazzling and unapologetically herself—and as the two work closely together, their relationship becomes a true friendship. In Jane, Merit sees the possibility of what a woman could be. And Jane sees Merit… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Antisemitism mentioned
  • Cheating
  • Divorce mentioned
  • Weight loss
  • Miscarriage
  • Unplanned pregnancy
  • Recreational drug use
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a father from a heart attack
  • Death of a mother from breast cancer recounted
  • Death of a brother from AIDS recounted

Confessions by Kanae Minato

Confessions by Kanae Minato

After calling off her engagement in wake of a tragic revelation, Yuko Moriguchi had nothing to live for except her only child, four-year-old Manami. Now, following an accident on the grounds of the middle school where she teaches, Yuko has given up and tendered her resignation. But first she has one last lecture to deliver. She tells a story that upends everything her students ever thought they knew about two of their peers, and sets in motion a maniacal plot for revenge.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Misogyny
  • Parental neglect & abandonment
  • Transphobia mentioned & misgendering
  • Depression
  • HIV/AIDs (theme)*
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a father in a car accident mentioned
  • Death of a mother from illness mentioned
  • Murder of a daughter from drowning
  • Attempted murder of a child from electrocution
  • Murder of a teen girl from strangulation
  • Mass death of a family from poisoning discussed (mother, father & child)
  • Explosion, off-page
  • Animal death & cruelty mentioned

*Context: A teacher purposefully infects the two teenage boys who murdered her daughter with HIV/AIDs. The aftereffects of being infected are explored in depth. Mentions of HIV+ stigma and how the teacher’s ex-husband is dying of HIV/AIDs.

The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab

The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. There are no strangers in the town of Near. These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life. But when an actual stranger, a boy who seems to fade like smoke, appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true. The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. As the hunt for… Read more,

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Death of a father off-page
  • Death of a mother, on-page
  • Murder
  • Kidnapping
  • Fire
  • Animal death
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Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher

Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher

Stephen’s god died on the longest day of the year… Three years later, Stephen is a broken paladin, living only for the chance to be useful before he dies. But all that changes when he encounters a fugitive named Grace in an alley and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong. Now the pair must navigate a web of treachery, beset on all sides by spies and poisoners, while a cryptic killer stalks one step behind

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Infidelity recounted
  • Depression
  • Panic attack, on-page
  • Suicide by poison
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Decapitation
  • Autopsy scene
  • Death of a mother from consumption mentioned
  • Murder
  • Home invasion
  • False imprisonment
  • Military service recounted
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The Violent Season by Sara Walters

The Violent Season by Sara Walters

Every November, the people in Wolf Ridge are overwhelmed with a hunger for violence–at least that’s the town rumour. Last fall Wyatt Green’s mother was brutally murdered, convincing Wyatt that this yearning isn’t a morbid urban legend. but rather a palpable force infecting her neighbours. This year, Wyatt fears the call of violence has spread to her best friend Cash–who also happens to be the guy she can’t stop wanting no matter how much he hurts her. At the same time, she’s drawn to Cash’s nemesis Porter, now that they’re partners on an ambitious project for lit class. When Wyatt pulls away… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Attempted rape, on-page
  • Suicide
  • Self-harm
  • Smoking & recreational drug use, on-page
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Blood depiction
  • Dead bodies
  • Emesis mentioned
  • Death of a mother from suicide recounted
  • Death of a mother from murder recounted
  • Infanticide by drowning mentioned
  • Murder in an armed robbery mentioned
  • Car accident mentioned
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The Guncle by Steven Rowley

The Guncle by Steven Rowley

Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits, or when he heads home to Connecticut for the holidays. But in terms of caretaking and relating to two children, no matter how adorable, Patrick is honestly a bit out of his league. So when tragedy strikes and Maisie and Grant lose their mother and Patrick’s brother has a health crisis of his own, Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian. Despite having a set of “Guncle Rules” ready to go, Patrick has no…Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Sexual assault
  • Substance addiction
  • Emesis
  • Cancer
  • Hospital
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a mother
  • Death of a partner
  • Car accident
  • Earthquake

Steel King by Devney Perry

Steel King by Devney Perry

The former Clifton Forge, Montana motorcycle club has everyone in town convinced they’ve locked their clubhouse doors and ripped off their patches. Everyone but Bryce Ryan. There’s more happening at the club’s garage than muscle car restorations and Harley rebuilds. Her instincts are screaming there’s a story—one she’s going to tell. As the new owner of the small town’s newspaper, Bryce is hungry for more than birth announcements and obituaries. When a woman is brutally killed and all signs point to the club, Bryce is determined to expose the members and their leader, Kingston “Dash” Slater, as murderers… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Suicide
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Murder of a mother recounted
  • Organised crime (motorcycle gang)

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

As the daughter of a famed author, Isolde Ophelia Goodnight grew up on tales of brave knights and fair maidens. She never doubted romance would be in her future, too. The storybooks offered endless possibilities. And as she grew older, Izzy crossed them off. One by one by one. Ugly duckling turned swan? Abducted by handsome highwayman? Rescued from drudgery by charming prince? No, no, and… Heh. Now Izzy’s given up yearning for romance. She’ll settle for a roof over her head. What fairy tales are left over for an impoverished twenty-six-year-old woman who’s never even been kissed? This one.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Death from childbirth recounted
  • Blood & injury depiction
  • Scars
  • Sword violence
  • Death of a mother recounted, off-page

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

Sixteen-year-old Mattie Gokey has big dreams but little hope of seeing them come true. Desperate for money, she takes a job at the Glenmore, where hotel guest Grace Brown entrusts her with the task of burning a secret bundle of letters. But when Grace’s drowned body is fished from the lake, Mattie discovers that the letters could reveal the grim truth behind a murder. Set in 1906 against the backdrop of the murder that inspired Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy, Jennifer Donnelly’s debut novel weaves romance, history, and a murder mystery into something moving and real.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a mother
  • Murder by drowning