Books like 'Backlight'
Readers who enjoyed Backlight by Kanji Hanawa also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
psychological literary-fiction family
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I Hid My Voice by Parinoush Saniee
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThis is the story, based on fact, of a boy who couldn’t speak until the age of seven. Now twenty, he describes the events of his life.Four-year-old Shahaab has not started talking. The family doctor believes there is no cause for concern; nevertheless, Shahaab is ridiculed by others who call him "dumb... -
![Waiting to Begin by Amanda Prowse]()
Waiting to Begin by Amanda Prowse
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of The Girl in the Corner comes a story that asks: what would you risk for a shot at happiness?1984. Bessie is a confident sixteen-year-old girl with the world at her feet, dreaming of what life will bring and what she’ll bring to this life. Then everything comes crashing down... -
![Life Goes On by Kelly Moore]()
Life Goes On by Kelly Moore
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHappy go lucky Olivia McDill adores her fairy-tale life, married to the man of her dreams. It’s a love that should’ve lasted a lifetime…then in the blink of an eye, everything changed. She learns too quickly that life can be unfair, and she’s left trying to pick up the pieces and make sense of things on her own... -
![The Boy Under the Table by Nicole Trope]()
The Boy Under the Table by Nicole Trope
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTina is a young woman hiding from her grief on the streets of the Cross. On a cold night in the middle of winter she breaks all her own rules when she agrees to go home with a customer.What she finds in his house will change her life forever.Across the country Sarah and Doug are trapped in limbo, struggling to accept the loss that now governs their lives... -
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![A Daughter's Sorrow by Cathy Sharp]()
A Daughter's Sorrow by Cathy Sharp
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHeartache and hardship in London’s East End, from the bestselling author of The Orphans of Halfpenny StreetBridget has always been the one to take on the responsibility for looking after her family... -
![Coming Home by Patricia Dixon]()
Coming Home by Patricia Dixon
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFor a mother and her three daughters, this Christmas is a time to sort out secrets--and find hope for the future . . .As a young girl, Carmen Appleton loved Christmas, but a simple knock at the door was all it took to change things. Her father left home that fateful Christmas Eve and all that was left in his place were painful memories... -
![Remembrance of Things Past: Volume III - The Captive, The Fugitive, & Time Regained by Marcel Proust]()
Remembrance of Things Past: Volume III - The Captive, The Fugitive, & Time Regained by Marcel Proust
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe third and final volume includes THE CAPTIVE, THE FUGITIVE, and TIME REGAINED...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction 20th-century anthologies classics fiction historical literary -
![The Aftermath by Gail Schimmel]()
The Aftermath by Gail Schimmel
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThree women: a mother, a daughter, a friend. Can they save each other from the past?It’s been twenty-six years since the accident, but Helen still lives on autopilot, going through the motions of work and motherhood. Her one wish is for her daughter Julia to settle down with her own family—so Helen can let go... -
![The Other Son by Nick Alexander, Imogen Church]()
The Other Son by Nick Alexander, Imogen Church
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom the outside, Alice’s marriage looks successful. It’s true that Ken was never her first choice, but four decades in, she’s learned to tolerate him. Their two sons have chosen their own paths, Tim as a successful banker and Matt a carefree globetrotter she can’t keep up with... -
![Taking Care by Joy Williams]()
Taking Care by Joy Williams
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsStories deal with a young divorcee, a shared summer home, a troubled family, a wedding, childhood fears, the death of a pet, a lying child, and enlightenment...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction 20th-century adult anthologies female-author fiction historical -
![A Friend Like That by Marissa Finch]()
A Friend Like That by Marissa Finch
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWho needs enemies when you have a friend like that? I should wonder why I feel so comfortable with Taylor. Why I’m so enamored with a stranger I met at a bar.I should, but I don’t. Alice Brewster is at a low point. After being let go from her job at the ritzy Grant Hotel, she spends her days at a dingy Manhattan pub just so she won’t have to tell anyone the shameful truth... -
![Let the Light Shine by Nick Alexander, Penelope Rawlins]()
Let the Light Shine by Nick Alexander, Penelope Rawlins
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsFrom Nick Alexander, the number one best-selling author of The Photographer's Wife and The Other Son.Penny and Victoria are about as different as two siblings can be, one with a smart London lifestyle, the other struggling to make ends meet. But they are joined by more than blood, and their shared tragic past is affecting the present more than they realise... -
![The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer]()
The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMikki Brammer's The Collected Regrets of Clover is a big-hearted and life-affirming debut about a death doula who, in caring for others at the end of their life, has forgotten how to live her own, for readers of The Midnight Library... -
![Hunger for Life by Andy Marr]()
Hunger for Life by Andy Marr
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOn the day of his graduation, James says goodbye to the future and moves back to his parents’ house in Myreton, the sleepy village of his childhood. He’s not happy, but the thought of continuing his life anywhere else seems unthinkable while his sister, Emma, continues to suffer with the illness that’s plagued her since she was a child...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction romance fiction contemporary mental-illness psychological coming-of-age -
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![The Forgetting by Hannah Beckerman]()
The Forgetting by Hannah Beckerman
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of If Only I Could Tell You comes the story of two women determined to uncover the truth. But how can you trust the present if you can't remember the past?“Left me gasping. Brilliant.” —Alex Michaelides“Has one of the best story twists I have ever read…superb writing.” —Ruth Jones“Resonates long after you turn the final page... -
![The Marriage Mender by Linda Green]()
The Marriage Mender by Linda Green
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe only relationship she can't save is her own . . .Alison is a marriage counsellor. Her job is to help couples who fear they have reached the end of the line. But the trouble with spending your time sorting out other people's problems is that you tend to take your eye off your own. Even when her husband's ex Lydia arrives on the doorstep demanding to see her son, Alison thinks she can handle it... -
![A Life Worth Living by Louise Guy]()
A Life Worth Living by Louise Guy
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAre some white lies simply too big to forgive?Eve and Leah are identical twins—but beyond that, they’re polar opposites. Struggling journalist Leah envies Eve’s seemingly perfect life—the loyal husband, the beautiful twin daughters, the stellar career—little knowing that what Eve longs for most is Leah’s independence... -
![I’m Sorry You Feel That Way by Rebecca Wait]()
I’m Sorry You Feel That Way by Rebecca Wait
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFrom the author of the Waterstones Book of the Month Our Fathers comes a compelling domestic comedy about complex family dynamics, mental health and the intricacies of sibling relationships.For Alice and Hanna, saint and sinner, growing up is a trial. There is their mother, who takes a divide and conquer approach to child-rearing, and their father, who takes an absent one...Categorized as:
literary-fiction family fiction contemporary mental-illness realistic audiobook psychological -
![Nonfiction by Julie Myerson]()
Nonfiction by Julie Myerson
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThis is definitely not a ghost story. But for a while after you’re gone, I see you everywhere. Every ragged young person sitting huddled on a pavement, every stretched-out body under cardboard in a shop doorway.Two parents stand by powerlessly as their only child seems intent on destroying herself...Categorized as:
literary-fiction family fiction contemporary mental-illness substance-abuse psychological book -
![Lark Song by Jane Bailey]()
Lark Song by Jane Bailey
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThey want to move on—but one terrible truth could shatter it all.As a widowed mother of three, new love seems impossible for Freya—until she meets Duncan, and suddenly she feels alive again. But there are secrets afflicting Freya’s family, some more sinister than others, that could destroy their relationship before it has a chance to flourish... -
![The Index of Self-Destructive Acts by Christopher R. Beha]()
The Index of Self-Destructive Acts by Christopher R. Beha
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratings“Beha tackles finance, faith, war, entitlement, and no end of self-destructive acts. I greatly admired both the writing and the ambition... -
![The Only Child by Miranda Rijks]()
The Only Child by Miranda Rijks
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOne little boy. One little lie. Where will it end?Chantal and Stuart are a golden couple. She’s a high-flying divorce lawyer dealing with the biggest case of her career, and he’s the darling of daytime television, on the cusp of A list celebrity. Their seventeen-year old son Alex is a passionate environmentalist, the apple of his mother’s eye.And it’s all built on a lie.A lie told by Chantal...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction fiction thriller psychological female-author horror 21st-century -
![Circle of Doubt by Tracy Buchanan]()
Circle of Doubt by Tracy Buchanan
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsShe thought she was the perfect mother—until the new neighbours moved in.Emma and Dele’s dreams came true nine years ago when they adopted their daughter, Isla. It felt like fate, like they were meant to find each other, and now they’re living the life they always wanted... -
![The Woman on the Bench by Eliot Stevens]()
The Woman on the Bench by Eliot Stevens
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAt last, Mark has found the perfect woman. There’s just one small problem – his wife.Married couple Mark and Cecilia seem to have it all – looks, wealth, love. But behind closed doors, things are very different – they live in silent resentment, their marriage broken by the shattering loss of the child they so desperately wanted.Enter Alice – Mark’s idea of the perfect woman...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction fiction suspense thriller audiobook plot-twist psychological -
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![The Family Trap by Lorna Dounaeva]()
The Family Trap by Lorna Dounaeva
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsPrudence welcomed Zoe into her home. Now she’s fighting to survive.Two simple words shatter Prudence Ahern’s world - “I’m pregnant.”Her son Nathan is only eighteen when his new girlfriend Zoe drops that little bombshell. Prudence feels she has to support her son and asks Zoe to move in with them.Right from the start, Prudence knows something isn’t right...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction psychological fiction contemporary suspense thriller children -
![After the Wedding by Laura Elliot]()
After the Wedding by Laura Elliot
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsEveryone said she was the prettiest flower girl. But now her dress lies on the floor. It’s wet and torn, her shoes are lost. ‘Where did you go?’ her daddy asks. She shakes her head. All she can remember are the red rose petals scattering like drops of blood spilling to the ground... -
![Three Floors Up by Eshkol Nevo]()
Three Floors Up by Eshkol Nevo
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsSet in an upper-middle-class Tel Aviv apartment building, this best-selling and warmly acclaimed Israeli novel examines the interconnected lives of its residents, whose turmoils, secrets, unreliable confessions, and problematic decisions reveal a society in the midst of an identity crisis... -
![After She Left by Claire Amarti]()
After She Left by Claire Amarti
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsAbigail Gibson is gone. The morning after Christmas Day, she walks out of her home in the leafy suburbs of Westchester, New York, leaving behind a strange note on the kitchen table… and her ten-year-old son, Sam.When her sister Gillian gets the call, she can barely believe it...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction fiction contemporary suspense thriller psychological female-mc -
![Skyward by Mary Alice Monroe]()
Skyward by Mary Alice Monroe
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsE.R. nurse Ella Majors has seen all the misery that she can handle. Burned-out and unsure of her next step, she accepts the temporary position as caregiver to Marion Henderson, a frightened five-year-old who suffers from juvenile diabetes. But Ella soon realizes there is more sorrow in the isolated home than the little girl’s illness can account for... -
![In the Heart of the Heart of the Country and Other Stories by William H. Gass]()
In the Heart of the Heart of the Country and Other Stories by William H. Gass
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIN THIS SUITE of five short pieces -- one of the unqualified literary masterpieces of the American 1960s -- William Gass finds five beautiful forms in which to explore the signature theme of his fiction: the solitary soul’s poignant, conflicted, and doomed pursuit of love and community...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction 20th-century adult anthologies classics contemporary fiction -
![Valentina by S.E. Lynes]()
Valentina by S.E. Lynes
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen Glasgow journalist Shona McGilvery moves with her partner Mikey and their baby to an idyllic cottage in rural Scotland, they believe that all that lies ahead of them is happiness.But with Mikey working offshore, the frightening isolation of the Aberdeenshire countryside begins to drive her insane...That is, until she is rescued by a new friendship with the enchanting Valentina... -
![The Empty Place at the Table by John Ellsworth, Jode Jurgensen]()
The Empty Place at the Table by John Ellsworth, Jode Jurgensen
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOVER 1,500,000 COPIES SOLD, AMAZON HAS SAID, "WE ARE INSPIRED BY THE SUCCESS OF THIS WRITER AND HOW HE IS DELIGHTING READERS"--AMAZON PRESS RELEASE 10/15/18 It was just a quick sandwich in the hospital cafeteria... But when she returned to her daughter's room... Whatever happened to Melissa's daughter is anyone's guess... -
![The Girl in the Woods by Lorna Dounaeva]()
The Girl in the Woods by Lorna Dounaeva
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsShe finally had the family she had always wanted, so why did she feel as though someone had stepped on her grave?Suzannah and Noel are desperate for a child so when they get the chance to adopt a young girl called Orchid, they jump at the chance. They have been warned that it will take time for Orchid to settle into their family, but the problems they encounter seem out of the ordinary... -
![The River Home by Hannah Richell]()
The River Home by Hannah Richell
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom beloved international bestselling author Hannah Richell comes a spellbinding novel about the secrets brought to the surface when a large family gathers for a wedding... -
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![On the Divinity of Second Chances by Kaya McLaren, Allyson Ryan]()
On the Divinity of Second Chances by Kaya McLaren, Allyson Ryan
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA broken family finds its way back together in this captivating story from the author of Church of the Dog A charismatic author with a voice and message all her own, Kaya McLaren has become beloved in the book world as much for her upbeat energy as for her rich storytelling...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction action-adventure adult anthologies audiobook contemporary epic -
![Secret Lives of Mothers & Daughters by Anita Kushwaha]()
Secret Lives of Mothers & Daughters by Anita Kushwaha
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFor readers of Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s "Secret Daughter" and Nancy Richler’s "The Imposter Bride", a breathtaking novel from Anita Kushwaha about the ties that bind mothers and daughters together and the secrets that tear them apartVeena, Mala and Nandini are three very different women with something in common...Categorized as:
literary-fiction family fiction contemporary realistic audiobook psychological coming-of-age -
![Ten Birthdays by Kerry Wilkinson]()
Ten Birthdays by Kerry Wilkinson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratings*Winner of the Romantic Novelists' Association Young Adult Novel of the Year 2018*"There are going to be so many things I wish I could’ve told you in person, Poppy. I won’t get the chance to do that, so perhaps this is my only way…"It’s Poppy Kinsey’s birthday... -
![Scouting for the Reaper by Jacob M. Appel]()
Scouting for the Reaper by Jacob M. Appel
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEach of the characters in Scouting for the Reaper faces an unanticipated challenge: transporting a truckload of penguins across the country, arranging a proper Jewish burial for the remains of Gregor Samsa, selling tombstones dressed as a Girl Scout. These stories explore the domestic and professional adventures of people in over their heads, while leavening their struggles with humor.Jacob M... -
![War Against the Animals by Paul Russell]()
War Against the Animals by Paul Russell
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCameron Barnes, formerly of New York City, lives in a small town in upstate New York. After having nearly succumbed to AIDS, he's recently regained a measure of his health but his long-term lover has moved away, and Cameron faces the daunting prospect of learning how to live with the idea of a future in mind again... -
![My Mother's Daughter by Ann O'Loughlin]()
My Mother's Daughter by Ann O'Loughlin
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCounty Wicklow, Ireland. Margo has just lost her husband Conor and is grieving his passing, unsure how she and her daughter Elsa will survive without him. Then she receives a letter that turns everything she thought she knew on its head. Not only has she lost her husband, but now Margo fears she could lose her daughter as well. Ohio, United States... -
![The Color of Ice by Barbara Linn Probst]()
The Color of Ice by Barbara Linn Probst
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA story of love and redemption set among the glaciers and thermal lagoons of Iceland, and framed by the evocative art of glassblowing . . .Cathryn McAllister, a freelance photographer, travels to Iceland for a photo shoot with an enigmatic artist who wants to capture the country's iconic blue icebergs in glass...Categorized as:
literary-fiction family romance fiction contemporary womens-fiction mystery female-mc -
![Sundog by Jim Harrison]()
Sundog by Jim Harrison
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA “feisty, passionate novel” (Newsday) from a writer whose “storytelling instincts are nearly flawless” (The New York Times). The New York Times–bestselling author of thirty-nine books of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry including Legends of the Fall, Dalva, and Returning to Earth, Jim Harrison was one of our most beloved and acclaimed writers, adored by both readers and critics... -
![The Choice by Susan Lewis]()
The Choice by Susan Lewis
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSometimes the choice is too hard to bear...Nikki Grant is only twenty-one when she discovers she's pregnant. Despite her parents' disappointment and anger, she welcomes the news with joy. The baby will complete the happy home she shares with the man she adores, Spencer James. Baby Zac arrives and is perfect in every way... -
![Grand Opening by Jon Hassler]()
Grand Opening by Jon Hassler
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTwelve-year old Brendan tells the story, set in 1944-45, that begins with his parents' decision to buy a run-down grocery store in a tiny Minnesota town. What they discover about small town idealism, bigotry, and good old American values will change them and the town forever...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction adult book fiction historical historical-fiction psychological -
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![What I’d Rather Not Think About by Jente Posthuma]()
What I’d Rather Not Think About by Jente Posthuma
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhat if one half of a pair of twins no longer wants to live? What if the other can’t live without them?This question lies at the heart of Jente Posthuma’s deceptively simple What I’d Rather Not Think About. The narrator is a twin whose brother has recently taken his own life... -
![The Octopus Man by Jasper Gibson]()
The Octopus Man by Jasper Gibson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsOnce an outstanding law student Tom is now lost in the machinery of the British mental health system, talking to a voice no one else can the voice of Malamock, the Octopus God - sometimes cruel, sometimes loving, but always there to guide him.After a florid psychotic break, the pressure builds for Tom to take part in an experimental drugs trial that promises to silence the voice forever...Categorized as:
literary-fiction family fiction mental-illness contemporary psychological fantasy book -
![Concerto to the Memory of an Angel by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt]()
Concerto to the Memory of an Angel by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe title story is the tale of two friends with very different personalities—one competitive and aggressive, the other kind and disinterested. They are confronted with circumstances that lead to a catharsis in which both men will move beyond their predetermined roles. Another story, “The Return,” introduces a father whose work takes him far from home for months at a time...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction 21st-century adult anthologies contemporary fiction psychological -
![Praying Drunk by Kyle Minor]()
Praying Drunk by Kyle Minor
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe characters in Praying Drunk speak in tongues, torture their classmates, fall in love, hunt for immortality, abandon their children, keep machetes beneath passenger seats, and collect porcelain figurines...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction 21st-century adult anthologies contemporary fiction magical-realism -
![The Hummingbird by Sandro Veronesi]()
The Hummingbird by Sandro Veronesi
Rated: 3.85 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe #1 international sensation from a master of European literature—winner of Italy’s Premio Strega—a saga of a Florentine family from the 1960s to the present that brilliantly captures the power of history and the multi-faceted experience of life itself as it explores how we contend with uncontrollable forces that both buffet and buoy us...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction adult audiobook book contemporary fiction historical-fiction -
![The Ninth Step by Barbara Taylor Sissel]()
The Ninth Step by Barbara Taylor Sissel
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA novel of timeless love, loss, and family and the steps we must take for forgiveness. Livie Saunders is fluent in the language of flowers; she taught the meanings to her fiancé, Cotton O'Dell, but then Cotton vanished without explanation on their wedding day forcing Livie to learn the language of desolation...
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