One could argue that a family is a society of its own. It has its own rules, norms, histories and rulers. And, like any society, it has its share of power struggles, secrets, betrayals and dysfunction. If you’ve been on the books side of the Internet, it’s likely that you’ve seen discourse around Madeline Cash’s debut novel, Lost Lambs, which delves into the quirky family of the Flynns, who live in a fictional Catholic Christian town. The book follows each of their shenanigans, offering a funny, strange and often unsettling look at the dynamics that hold a family together, even as they threaten to tear it apart. Here are 10 books that explore families coming apart at the seams.
Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash
If you’ve been on the books side of the Internet, it’s likely that you’ve seen discourse around Madeline Cash’s debut novel, Lost Lambs, which delves into the quirky family of the Flynns, who live in a fictional Catholic Christian town. The book follows each of their shenanigans, offering a funny, strange and often unsettling look at the dynamics that hold a family together, even as they threaten to tear it apart.
Western Lane by Chetna Maroo
At once a coming-of-age sports novel and subtle drama about a family recovering from grief, Chetna Maroo's debut novel Western Lane explores the multifaceted ways in which we, as humans, seek a better way to live. Gopi is eleven years old when the novel opens and has recently lost her mother. She, along with her father, referred to as Pa, and her two older sisters, Mona and Khush, turn to the game of squash to have something to hold onto and focus on in their grief.
Some People by Parini Shroff
The interesting premise of this book is what makes it unique: an Indian mother-in-law and White son-in-law have to spend a week together, in close proximity, with no other choice. Adding to the complexity of this situation is the fact that Nathan and Malti’s daughter are divorced. At its heart, the story follows Nathan and Malti as they discover that, despite their different lives and losses, there is room for empathy. In Parini’s words, ‘We don’t have to be, and shouldn’t be, the same in order to connect.’
Summer Brother by Jag Robben
Thirteen-year-old Brian lives in a trailer on a forgotten patch of land with his divorced and uncaring father. His older brother Lucien, physically and mentally disabled, has been institutionalized for years. While Lucien’s home is undergoing renovations, he is sent to live with his father and younger brother for the summer. What follows is an honest, tender account of brotherly love.
The Complex by Karan Mahajan
The Indian family rarely exists in isolation. Their histories, relationships and the cities they live in, all come into play over time, in defining a family for who they are. In The Complex, Karan Mahajan, author of the acclaimed novels Family Planning and The Association of Small Bombs, the latter a finalist for the National Book Award delves into the grammar of family life in The Complex, through a sprawling family saga that comes to life against the social and political landscape of Delhi.
Lost on Me by Veronica Raimo
Born into a family with an omnipresent mother who is devoted to her own anxiety, a father ruled by hygienic and architectural obsessions, and a precocious genius brother at the center of their attention, our heroine Vero languishes in boredom in her childhood home. Lost on Me is a burningly witty novel of a young woman’s coming of age in a neurotic family from one of Italy’s most celebrated young writers working today.
Em and the Big Hoom by Jerry Pinto
Jerry Pinto’s tender Em and the Big Hoom deals with depression, albeit of a manic kind. Imelda or Em as she is known to her family is a manic depressive, where her highs are full of mad joy and her lows often turning to suicidal attempts. Her family consists of her husband, Augustine or The Big Hoom as she calls him; her son who is the narrator of this tale and her daughter, Susan. This book is not only about this subject but it is about what goes on in a family where one of its members is suffering from depression.
It All Comes Down to This by Therese Anne Fowler
Meet the Geller sisters: Beck, Claire, and Sophie, a trio of strong-minded women whose pragmatic mother, Marti, will be dying soon. Choices and consequences, mistakes and misapprehensions, obligations and desires: before long, everyone in this cast of indelible characters will have to come to terms with the ways their lives have turned out differently than they expected, as well as the secrets they’ve been keeping.
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Set in rural Ireland, The Bee Sting follows the Barnes family as they struggle to keep their lives and relationships from falling apart. As long-held secrets, financial troubles and personal resentments begin to surface, each member of the family is forced to confront the stories they have told themselves about one another. Paul Murray’s sprawling, darkly funny novel is an intimate portrait of a family on the brink.
The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee
Set in Calcutta in the 1960s, The Lives of Others centres on the sprawling Ghosh family, whose members are brought together under one roof despite their rivalries and resentments. As tensions over money, inheritance and political upheaval escalate, the family’s carefully maintained hierarchies begin to crumble.
Words Platform Desk
Date 15.9.2026