Literary Trauma

What if trauma was like a spell—one that doesn’t break all at once, but unravels, layer by layer? Reframing Trauma is a personal, straight-talking resource for anyone living with the long shadow of trauma. James Buffin shares what it’s really like to survive—and live with—the impact of childhood sexual assault, abuse, and loss. Through stories, reflections, and hard-earned insights, he speaks not as an expert, but as someone who’s been there. This book isn’t about fixing what’s “broken”—it’s about integrating the invisible burdens we carry and learning to hold them differently.

Eva Montgomery is at the peak of her career when she is viciously attacked by a stalker. While still traumatised by the event she makes the biggest mistake of her life - one she can never turn back from. Sixteen years later, Eva has managed to rebuild her life in a way that seemed impossible...

'Truly a book for our time' PAUL LYNCH FROM THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE SPECKLED PEOPLE Fleeing his failed marriage in Berlin, Lukas Dorn revisits the West of Ireland, the place of his honeymoon two decades earlier. While his former wife is being cancelled at work and his daughter is...

A finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and the Story Prize, the first ever collection of “dazzlingly told” (The New York Times) literary short stories from Don DeLillo, the National Book Award-winning author of Underworld and Falling Man. Set in Greece, the Caribbean, Manhattan, a...

You like it when the outlaws win? When survivors turn the tables on their abusers? Then this is a story you’ll love. Listeners will benefit from the full emotional impact of the story. How Wonder Woman Became a Smuggler is an adventure-fueled tale of a child coming of age in the midst of domestic violence to become an outlaw.

A triumphant family story and sharply observed exploration of privilege, identity, and love in all its forms, following four estranged siblings whose lives collide in the lead-up to a family wedding, when new clues surface about their long-missing father “Truly a great American novel that does...

"This is not just good storytelling, but a blueprint for survival." —The New York Times Book Review A transfixing and beautifully rendered novel about a refugee’s escape from civil war—and the healing power of community. A young woman sits in her apartment, watching the small daily dramas...

This is not an inspirational memoir. This is not trauma porn. This is a memoir about the forces that impact our lives, both good and bad. Athena Stevens has never learned the name of the doctor whose lack of intervention at her birth lead to her cerebral palsy, but she feels the consequences of...

In this “brilliant . . . and darkly funny” (Sarah Dunn) novel, Dolores O'Shea’s marriage collapsed when she discovers her husband’s AI sex doll in the garage—but after moving “Zoey” into the house, they become oddly bonded, opening the door to a lifetime of repressed feelings and...

National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree and author of Such Good Work Johannes Lichtman returns with a novel that is strikingly relevant to our times—about an American who takes a job in Ukraine in 2018, only to find that his struggle to understand the customs and culture is eclipsed by a...

Named a Most Anticipated Book by Vogue and Vulture “Alternately whimsical, sweet, and dark,” this astonishing debut novel about a lonely girl waiting for her mother “brim[s] with uncompromisingly African magical realism” (The New York Times). Ayosa is a wandering spirit—joyous...

One of the greatest Vietnam War novels ever written, by an award-winning writer who experienced it firsthand. Deployed to Vietnam with the U.S. Army's 1069 Intelligence Group, Spec. 4 James Griffin starts out clear-eyed and hardworking, believing he can glide through the war unharmed. But the...

Brütende Hitze, ein Freibad und mittendrin sieben Menschen, deren Lebenswege sich für einen schicksalhaften Moment miteinander verbinden. Da ist Kiontke, der Bademeister, der noch immer am Beckenrand steht, auch wenn die Leute meinen, dass es ihn eigentlich hätte umhauen müssen, dieses Unglück damals. Da ist Renate, die hinter der Kasse sitzt und zu viel raucht und die zwei, vier, acht Sachen an Kiontke mag, was sie natürlich niemals zugeben würde.

Amelia stands beside a highway in the Australian desert, alone except for her dog and the occasional road train that speeds past her raised thumb. After her mother's funeral, Amelia was confronted by Zach and reminded of the relationship they had when she was a teenager. She feels complicit and...

From an award-winning children's novelist, an adult debut about a grieving author who heads to rural England for a writer's retreat, only to stumble upon an incredible historical find. As the past and present collide, she'll discover the key to healing her trauma. Anna, a novelist based in...

‘Do yourself a favour and read this wonderful book’ Scotsman Based on the true story of conjoined Russian twins, Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapova, The Less You Know the Sounder You Sleep is a tale of survival and self-determination, innocence and lies. No one expects Dasha and Masha to live...

In un romanzo tutta la nostra vita: come la vogliamo, come, a volte, non la vogliamo. Luísa era ancora un'adolescente. Tiago era ormai un giovane adulto. Si erano conosciuti nella solitudine di una spiaggia, sulla riva di un fiume. Avevano in comune una storia famigliare traumatica. In un caso, genitori troppo amati. Nell'altro, genitori troppo odiati.Si erano conosciuti un giorno che sembrava contenere una vita intera.