Books like…

Books Like We Were the Mulvaneys

by Joyce Carol Oates · about this book

Loved We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates? If its literary fiction, large family and emotional hooked you, these 20 books hit the same notes — starting with The Bee Sting, As I Lay Dying and Gather. Every pick is matched by what’s actually inside the book, not just its genre, and we skip other books by the same author so you find someone new.

What’s inside We Were the Mulvaneys: Literary Fiction · Large Family · Emotional · Sexual Assault · Character-Driven

1. 

   The Bee Sting

   Paul Murray

   Tragic · Family Secrets · Literary Fiction · Character-Driven · Toxic Family Dynamics

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2. 

   As I Lay Dying

   William Faulkner

   Large Family · Literary Fiction · Tragic · Rural Farm · Character-Driven

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3. 

   Gather

   Kenneth M. Cadow

   Rural Farm · Character-Driven · Small Town · Emotional · Trauma Recovery

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4. 

   This Is Where I Leave You

   Jonathan Tropper

   Large Family · Estranged Family · Character-Driven · Toxic Family Dynamics · Family Secrets

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5. 

   And the Mountains Echoed

   Khaled Hosseini

   Estranged Family · Multigenerational Family · Literary Fiction · Character-Driven · Emotional

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6. 

   The Nightingale

   Kristin Hannah

   Estranged Family · Tragic · Sexual Assault Content · Character-Driven · Emotional

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7. 

   Black Cake

   Charmaine Wilkerson

   Estranged Family · Multigenerational Family · Family Secrets · Literary Fiction · Character-Driven

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8. 

   My Name Is Venus Black

   Heather Lloyd

   Trauma Recovery · Family Secrets · Toxic Family Dynamics · Emotional · Character-Driven

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9. 

   The Pearl That Broke Its Shell

   Nadia Hashimi

   Multigenerational Family · Literary Fiction · Sexual Assault · Tragic · Emotional

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10. 

    Brother

    Ania Ahlborn

    Rural Farm · Tragic · Family Secrets · Sexual Assault Content · Toxic Family Dynamics

    ➕ Add Buy Libby Hoopla
11. 

    The Other Side of the Bridge

    Mary Lawson

    Literary Fiction · Character-Driven · Rural Farm · Small Town · Emotional

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12. 

    Malas

    Marcela Fuentes

    Multigenerational Family · Family Secrets · Literary Fiction · Character-Driven · Small Town

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13. 

    Wuthering Heights

    Emily Brontë

    Multigenerational Family · Tragic · Literary Fiction · Rural Farm · Toxic Family Dynamics

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14. 

    Ship of Magic

    Robin Hobb

    Multigenerational Family · Toxic Family Dynamics · Character-Driven · Sexual Assault Content · Family Secrets

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15. 

    Tess of the Road

    Rachel Hartman

    Sexual Assault · Character-Driven · Trauma Recovery · Toxic Family Dynamics · Sexual Assault Content

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16. 

    Long Bright River

    Liz Moore

    Estranged Family · Sexual Assault · Family Secrets · Character-Driven · Literary Fiction

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17. 

    Hamnet

    Maggie O'Farrell

    Tragic · Literary Fiction · Multigenerational Family · Character-Driven · Emotional

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18. 

    The Seven Daughters of Dupree

    Nikesha Elise Williams

    Multigenerational Family · Family Secrets · Literary Fiction · Sexual Assault · Character-Driven

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19. 

    Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

    Rebecca Wells

    Multigenerational Family · Family Secrets · Toxic Family Dynamics · Character-Driven · Emotional

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20. 

    Pachinko

    Min Jin Lee

    Multigenerational Family · Literary Fiction · Character-Driven · Tragic · Emotional

    ➕ Add Buy Libby Hoopla