Pithy Books

Books like Death of a Salesman

If you liked Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, start here: 12 similar summaries, with why each one matches.

  1. The God of Small Things

    Arundhati Roy · 1997

    Because shares tags: family, tragedy.

    Twins Rahel and Estha grow up in Kerala in 1969, where family rules and caste lines shape a loss that follows them into adulthood.

  2. Nineteen Minutes

    Jodi Picoult · 2007

    Because shares tags: family, tragedy.

    Sterling High student Peter Haddon commits a school shooting and lawyer Jordan McAfee defends him while Josie Cormier hides truth.

  3. The Crucible

    Arthur Miller · 1953

    Because also by Arthur Miller; shares tag: play.

    Salem witch trials inflame fear as John Proctor faces confession and conscience.

  4. The World According to Garp

    John Irving · 1978

    Because shares tag: tragedy.

    Writer Garp navigates fame, marriage, and loss with bears and wrestling.

  5. The Summer of Broken Rules

    K.L. Walther · 2021

    Because shares tag: family.

    Meredith plays Assassin at Vineyard wedding a year after sister Claire died.

  6. The Storyteller

    Jodi Picoult · 2013

    Because shares tag: family.

    Baker Sage Singer is asked by old Josef Weber to kill him for his SS past, while her grandmother Minka's war story weighs on her.

  7. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

    Stephenie Meyer · 2010 · The Twilight Saga #3.5

    Because shares tag: tragedy.

    Newborn Bree thinks through hunger with Diego in Victoria army basement.

  8. The Pearl

    John Steinbeck · 1947

    Because shares tag: family.

    Off La Paz, poor diver Kino finds a great pearl for his baby son Coyotito, but cheating dealers and greed force a flight ending in loss.

  9. The Measure

    Nikki Erlick · 2022

    Because shares tag: family.

    Small wooden boxes arrive for every adult, each holding a string that shows life length. Eight people decide if they will open theirs.

  10. The Good Earth

    Pearl S. Buck · 1931 · House of Earth #1

    Because shares tag: family.

    Wang Lung, a poor farmer in 1920s China, rises with his wife O-lan through famine and wealth, holding to land above all else.

  11. The Dead Zone

    Stephen King · 1979

    Because shares tag: tragedy.

    Coma waker Johnny sees futures in touch and faces demagogue Stillson.

  12. Olive Kitteridge

    Elizabeth Strout · 2008 · Olive Kitteridge #1

    Because shares tag: family.

    Thirteen linked stories orbit blunt Crosby teacher Olive, husband Henry and son Christopher through love, aging and Maine small-town life.

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