Powerful Fiction Books About Forgiveness

In her debut novel, Penitence, Kristin Koval delves into the lasting power of family loyalty and the limits of redemption. The book begins with a shocking murder at the home of Angie and David Sheehan. In the wake of the crime, the couple seek help from lawyer Martine Dumont, the mother of Angie’s first love, Julian. Julian is now a big-time attorney in New York, but he and Angie share a past that lingers into the present — one that involves a tragic accident and unresolved feelings of culpability, guilt, and love. Spanning from the snowcapped peaks of Colorado to the streets of New York City, Penitence is “both a gripping page-turner and a loving exploration of what it really means to forgive” (Mary Beth Keane, bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes).  

Tracey Lange excels at crafting nuanced family dramas, and What Happened to the McCrays? is her most powerful story to date. The novel centers on a divorced couple, Kyle and Casey McCray, who are brought back into each others' lives after Kyle's dad has a stroke. Kyle, who now lives across the country, soon realizes how much his departure impacted his whole family — especially his ex-wife, who can't forgive herself for the role she played in a tragedy that eventually ended their marriage. What Happened to the McCrays? is a complex look at the inside of a relationship and how forgiveness — of ourselves and each other — is the key to moving on from the past.

In Everything I Never Told You, bestselling author Celeste Ng tells the story of a Chinese American family in 1970s Ohio. Marilyn and James Lee are adamant that their daughter Lydia fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue themselves, but their vision for the future is shattered when Lydia is found dead in a lake. While it is an intriguing mystery, with plenty of family secrets and a whole lot of mutigenerational dysfunction, this is also a story about a family doing their best to endure the pain of extreme tragedy and find out what lies on the other side of that journey.

Mary Beth Keane, author of Ask Again, Yes, delivers a touching book about forgiveness in The Half Moon. Set in a small town, the novel follows Malcolm and Jess Gephardt as they strive to build a life together. Malcolm has always wanted to own a bar, so he purchases the Half Moon when his boss retires, even though it’s a big financial stretch. Jess is a lawyer who, after years of being unable to conceive, is facing the possibility of never having a baby. The entire story takes place over the course of a single week, but plenty happens: Malcolm learns a shocking secret about his wife, one of the bar’s customers goes missing, a blizzard hits the town, and more. This is more than just a book about midlife crises; it explores the meaning of family and the many ways in which forgiveness can manifest.   

Sabaa Tahir’s instant New York Times bestseller All My Rage is a powerful YA narrative about anger, love, loss, and forgiveness. The National Book Award winner employs two timelines to tell its tale. The first takes place in the past in Lahore, Pakistan, where Misbah has recently entered into an arranged marriage with Toufiq. After enduring a tragedy, Misbah and Toufiq leave Pakistan and immigrate to the United States, where they soon open the Clouds’ Rest Inn Motel. The second timeline, set in the present day, follows the couple’s son Salahudin as he strives to run the motel after his parents can no longer do so. Salahudin turns to his close friend Noor for support, until a fight threatens their thought-to-be-unbreakable bond. 

Brit Bennett’s New York Times bestseller The Mothers received rave reviews when it hit shelves in 2016, and it’s a great example of a novel about forgiveness. The book takes place in a primarily Black community in Southern California, where teenager Nadia Turner works to finish high school while mourning the sudden loss of her mother. She becomes romantically involved with Luke Sheppard, the local pastor’s son. A pregnancy and its resulting cover-up create a ripple effect through the years, as Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey, Nadia’s religious best friend, must grapple with past decisions and seek out ways to move forward while still wondering what could have been.

Ann Patchett’s The Dutch House, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, is a beautifully written family saga about two siblings. At the end of WWII, Cyril Conroy propels his family from rags to riches by building a huge real estate empire. He purchases a large estate called the Dutch House in the Philadelphia suburbs, which turns into a nightmare for all the family. Cyril’s kids Danny and Maeve are eventually banished from the house by their stepmother and forced to make their own way in the world without the wealth they knew as children. They only have each other — and a shared dark past that they must work to confront.   

Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling novel that follows grumpy Ove, a killjoy with strict rules, high expectations, and a short fuse. When Ove’s new neighbors run over his mailbox, it opens up a new chapter for the cranky old man. The friendly couple and their two talkative daughters change Ove’s life, and Ove changes theirs. We’ve all met an Ove — some of us may even be an Ove — but every Ove has a story, and this one is suffused with humor, heart, and forgiveness. 

Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is a contemporary classic about haves versus have-nots that explores power, sacrifice, betrayal, and redemption. The book is set in Afghanistan, and it centers on the unlikely friendship between Amir, the scion of a well-to-do family, and Hassan, the son of Amir’s father’s servant. We don’t want to give too much away, so we’ll say simply that after Amir fails his friend, he must atone for his actions.    

All Adults Here by bestselling author Emma Straub is a funny and poignant family dramedy about forgiveness that you’re sure to enjoy. After witnessing a school bus accident, Astrid Strick realizes she may not have been the mother she thought she was. She must now confront the ways her mistakes have impacted her three grown children and her grandchildren. Astrid’s youngest son is struggling and making his own parenting mistakes, her daughter is pregnant but having trouble growing up, and her elder son has unattainable standards for his life. Astrid’s young granddaughter and her friend might be the key to helping her find the courage to seek forgiveness, even if it may change the way her kids see her. 

Kristen Hannah’s Night Road rounds out our list of books about forgiveness, and we think it’s the perfect novel to end on. Like many of the books above, it explores how a single decision can alter multiple lives. Jude Farraday is devoted to her twin children, Mia and Zach, and happy when they befriend Lexi, a former foster child who’s new to town. Soon, the three teens become inseparable, and they enter into their senior year of high school with reckless abandon. But one fateful and foolish night is all it takes to upend everyone’s lives forever. In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of their actions and deal with the emotional fallout.