Novels about family drama are perfect for fans of the TV shows This Is Us, Parenthood and/or Friday Night Lights. These immersive books comprise my all-time favorite genre, and their sagas have exceptional character development that makes you feel palpable emotions. I just love exploring the dynamics between people forced to engage with each other!
You’ll find bestsellers, award-winners, great book club books, and lots of five-star reads in this genre book list. Let’s get literary!
List of the Best Novels About Family Drama
TOP 4 PICKS
- The Dutch House by Ann Patchett: my best book of the year 2019
- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett: my best book of the year 2020
- The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave: my best book of the year 2021
- Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano: my best book of the year 2023
Classics
- East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Literary Fiction
- The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
- The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
- The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo
- This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Romance Sub-Plots
- Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
- Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
- Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
- Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson
- Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Mystery or Thriller
- The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
- The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
- The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Reviews of My Favorite Family Drama Books
Leo Tolstoy said it most memorably in this Anna Karenina quote:
The genre of family fiction focuses on the dynamics, relationships, and experiences within a family. It explores themes like conflict, growth, and connection, portraying the complexities of family.
Let’s take a closer look at what makes unique families unhappy in these thought-provoking family drama books.
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
In Ask Again, Yes, Francis and Brian are rookie cops in the New York Police Department and next-door neighbors. As the years go by, they marry and have children, two of whom become special friends.
However, the mental illness of Brian’s wife, Anne, sets the stage for a tragedy that both tears apart and pulls together the families for decades to come.
In addition to mental illness, this character-driven novel tackles addiction, forgiveness, growth, and love. It’s a longtime favorite that breaks your heart then puts it back together again.
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
In Black Cake, two estranged siblings must come together to deal with their mother’s death. In the process, they learn shocking secrets about her past.
This may sound like a familiar plot, but it’s so uniquely executed. This remarkable story spans from California to London to the Caribbean. It also weaves in the story of a black cake made from a family recipe and the mysterious story of a young swimmer who escaped her island home under the suspicion of murder.
This popular pick is as indulgent as the cake after which it’s named.
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
The Dutch House is one of the best books of the 21st century and a great book to read in the fall. The Conroy family is forever changed when they move into a suburban Philadelphia home. Danny and Maeve are left to fend for themselves, and Maeve becomes a mother-like figure to Danny.
They journey through decades of their lives, on occasion re-visiting the house. It’s a simple plot that’s teased out meticulously by the incomparable Ann Patchett, who’s known for her beautiful prose. She takes ordinary life and makes it feel extraordinary through her words, and this book is glaring proof of that.
Reading Tip: The audiobook is narrated exceptionally by actor Tom Hanks. It’s one of the best audiobooks of all-time.
Related Posts: Review of The Dutch House | Discussion Questions for The Dutch House | Best Ann Patchett Books
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
East of Eden is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It defines the genre “family saga” and, despite being a long classic, it’s hard to put down. It was my favorite required reading in high school, and I was glued to its pages.
Set in the Salinas Valley of California from the Civil War to the end of World War I, it’s the compulsively readable retelling of the story of Cain and Abel.
It’s told through the Hamilton and Trask families, and it shares profound themes of good versus evil while also having a dramatic “soap opera” quality packed with emotion. Like the stories of the Bible, this is the kind of story that sticks with you forever.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
In The God of the Woods, it’s August 1975, and a teenager disappears from her Adirondack summer camp. As the daughter of the camp’s wealthy owners, her disappearance stirs up old wounds, mainly because her older brother vanished under similar mysterious circumstances fourteen years earlier.
The ensuing search reveals hidden secrets within the very dysfunctional family.
Besides being a page-turner, the narrative has much to say on several themes, from class to gender, survival, and so much more. It gave me the rare, indulgent reading experience of waking up early just to finish it.
Reading Tip: The timelines and points of view can be difficult to learn at first, so I recommend you use my helpful book review of The God of the Woods for reading assistance.
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
Hearkening to Little Women, in Hello Beautiful, William’s family endured a tragedy that left him with parents who didn’t nurture him. As a college freshman, however, he meets a woman named Julia who lifts his spirits, along with her three unique sisters from a loving family.
When the past resurfaces, their lives are all inexplicably changed for generations. It’s one of the most epic novels about family, told in beautiful literary prose that imparts emotional themes of family, love, anger, forgiveness, and so much more.
The complex characters felt so alive that I referred to them as real people, and their choices were so emotional and debatable. I couldn’t stop thinking about it!
Related Posts: Review of Hello Beautiful | Hello Beautiful Book Club Questions
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
The Immortalists begins in New York City in 1969 when a traveling psychic claims to be able to tell anyone when he or she will die. The four adolescent Gold children seek their fortunes, and these prophecies impact the following five decades.
This novel about dying takes the reader inside each character’s world in separate parts. The twists shock you as they deeply question destiny versus free will and reality versus illusion. It’s the rare type of book that makes you think about big questions surrounding the meaning of life.
Related Post: Book Club Questions for The Immortalists
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
In The Last Thing He Told Me, a husband disappears into thin air one day with but a short note to his new wife: “Protect her” (his moody 16-year-old daughter). Then, his boss is very publicly arrested for fraud, and the FBI has questions.
As she and her stepdaughter head across the country, they face uncovering the past and creating a different future for themselves.
This novel about family is chock full of intrigue and suspense while also sharing the meaning of family. I couldn’t stop thinking about what I would do in these circumstances. I also bet you will never guess what’s behind the mystery.
Reading Tip: The author’s Spotify playlist for this book pairs especially well with it. You can also make the lead’s beloved brown butter and sage pasta.
Related Post: The Last Thing He Told Me Book Club Questions
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
In the literary fiction novel Little Fires Everywhere, the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights is laid out according to plan. There, upper-class resident Elena is a rule follower.
When artist and single mother Mia Warren rents a house from the Richardsons with her daughter, Pearl, the Richardsons are intrigued by them and their lack of conformity.
Then, friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, and the town becomes divided, with Elena and Mia on either side of the issue. Elena becomes fixated on figuring out Mia’s past, which becomes (literally) explosive.
You know a book will be juicy when it starts with a house burned to the ground! This one is especially unique in exploring the dynamics of multiple families, particularly minorities, engaging with each other in society.
Related Posts: Little Fires Everywhere Book Club Questions | Celeste Ng Books in Order | Best AAPI Books
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
On its face, The Lovely Bones is a page-turning thriller about the murder of a young girl and the hunt for her killer. But, underneath that, it’s a moving story of the aftermath of a family tragedy and the growth each member must make in coping with grief in the years afterward.
This is the book that made me an adult reader. It takes the thrills of a mystery and gives them meaning. If you like both thrillers and family dramas, The Lovely Bones is the perfect choice.
Reading Tip: It’s a book referenced on Gilmore Girls as one Emily’s book club was reading.
The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo
In The Most Fun We Ever Had, Marilyn and David have four troubled and uniquely different adult daughters, each doubting she will ever have a love like that of her parents.
Much of this modern family saga focuses on a complex relationship between the two eldest daughters and a teenage boy named Jonah, who enters their lives.
The characters are complex, sharp, and witty, and the novel’s style of following the seasons of the year and life offers something especially profound for the reader to take away. It’s long been popular with readers.
Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson
Pineapple Street is a smart and observational take on three women in the affluent Stockton family of modern Brooklyn.
Darley, the eldest daughter, has chosen motherhood over her job and inheritance, but she’s sacrificed a lot. Sasha, a middle-class woman from New England, married into the family and feels like an outsider. Georgiana, the youngest, has fallen in forbidden love, which has unexpected consequences.
This popular novel about family somehow feels both light and escapist yet also really clever. It makes sharp statements about family, love, and class. It also has a really bold ending that leaves you satisfied.
This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
In This is How It Always Is, five-year-old Claude is the youngest boy of five brothers, and his family is keeping the secret that he loves wearing a dress and wants to be a girl.
While Claude’s family supports him, they also tackle complex questions about how to parent a transgender child. They just aren’t ready to share the secret… until they have to.
It’s tenderly written and never too preachy or melodramatic. At the end of the day, it’s one of the most unforgettable novels about the true meaning of empathy. This book makes you feel.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
In Tom Lake, Lara’s three daughters visit the family’s Northern Michigan orchard, where they ask her to retell the story of the famous actor with whom she once shared both the stage (in Our Town) and a love affair.
It’s both a novel about family and a novel about love and the various forms it takes. It’s immersive and captivating as it methodically reveals a part of a mother’s life that her children didn’t experience with her. It makes you think about what you don’t know about your closest family members.
It also poignantly showcases what we leave in our youth for a more fulfilling adulthood, which makes your heart swell.
Reading Tip: The audiobook is narrated exceptionally by actress Meryl Streep.
Related Posts: Tom Lake Summary | Book Review of Tom Lake | Tom Lake Book Club Questions
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
The Vanishing Half is the immersive story of light-skinned Black twin sisters. Twin sister Stella leaves her sister to marry a white man, living a secretive new life as a white woman. Estranged twin sister Desiree marries a Black dark-skinned man and has a Black dark-skinned daughter.
The Vanishing Half tracks the journeys of these twins and their families from the 1950s to the 1990s as they live with different identities.
Thought-provoking themes are sprinkled throughout this book, from race to identity, exposure, education, environment, and acting. And the characters are so lovable that the last page leaves you wanting more!
Related Posts: The Vanishing Half Summary | The Vanishing Half Discussion Questions
Recap
The best novels about family are generally sweeping sagas that occur over long periods and involve lots of drama and dysfunction. They’re a great choice for fans of literary fiction and/or TV shows like Parenthood.
START HERE
Get started with my top 3 picks, which all earned by “book of the year” status for their respective years.
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
Great post! I haven’t heard of some of these, but they all sound really good.