Family Drama: Six Books, Secrets Galore

Jun 25

Family drama, especially when it’s not happening to me, is always fascinating. That’s why I love stories about family secrets.

The my-dad-has-a-second-family revelation? The surprise-I’m-your-kid? The secret-sibling, the grandpa’s-past-gets-shadier-and-shadier-with-every-story, or the mom-isn’t-the-housewife-she-seems-like? Secretly undercover, or a double agent, or a spy? It’s all rife with tension and drama.

For me, I think it’s a reminder that everyone, even the people who seem perfect, have a complex life behind closed doors (or hidden inside themselves). Just because there’s a white picket fence in their front yard doesn’t mean their whole lives are that pristine. Everyone is flawed. They make hard decisions. They give in to their impulses sometimes. Celebrities, upper-middle-class families, your English teacher: EVERYONE — yes, even you!

Luckily, there is no shortage of media on the subject, and in pretty much every genre, too. Horror, thrillers, comedies — it’s all fair game. Even more intriguing is the nonfiction on the subject: real stories from real people about secrets lurking right under their noses. I especially love podcasts where you get to hear it from the people involved — what happened and how they found out. I can’t get enough!

If you’re like me, you always want more. Here are six novels I curated for you about family secrets. They are guaranteed to peak and then satiate your curiosity!