Thanksgiving, the uniquely American holiday, is a traditional time to gather with family and friends, notwithstanding the possibility of difficult interpersonal dynamics. From the first celebration in 1619, the holiday has always been dichotomous: about strife and about appreciation; with relationships at the heart of the holiday. Pick up one of the books in this list and settle into stories about all the complicated emotions and interactions of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving by Michael Dibdin. When Lucy dies in a plane crash, her husband Anthony is overcome with grief and loss. With his journalism skills, he tracks down Darryl, Lucy’s first husband. Lucy never said much about her first marriage; the more he digs, the more obsessed Anthony becomes.

An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott begins as the Bassett family prepares for the traditional meal, but this year the kids are in charge of everything. Are Tilly, Prue and the rest of the children up for the challenge?

The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler is the story of a grief-stricken travel writer, Macon Leary, who hates to travel or live outside of his predictable routines. When his path crosses with Muriel’s, her peculiarities draw him out of his insular existence and into a fuller life experience. A 1985 Pulitzer Prize finalist, the book contains a famously awkward Thanksgiving scene.

Thanksgiving by Ellen Cooney guides the reader through 350 years of one family’s history told by the Morley women as they prepare the Thanksgiving meal together. Sharing stories from their collective history, intense transformation and hidden connections come to light in this historical fiction.

Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet is a nonfiction picture book about Tony Sarg, the puppeteer who invented the balloon floats for the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The imaginative Sarg, a self-taught immigrant, introduced the larger-than-life balloons to the famous parade in 1928.

Thanksgiving Night by Richard Bausch is the story of the Coleman family. They are flawed, scarred and stubborn, but all looking for love as they navigate the catastrophic millennial predictions in late 1999.

The Thanksgiving Visitor by Truman Capote is a short story and sequel to A Christmas Memory. Complex despite its short length, it is a story about forgiveness, betrayal and unexpected friendships.

Thanksgiving by Janet Evanovich is a light and easy read. The book description says “When it comes to men, Megan Murphy has an aversion to ‘I do.’ Then she meets irresistible pediatrician Pat Hunter. Add in a cozy colonial cottage, the world’s biggest turkey, two hopeful families, and a skirt-chomping rabbit, and you’ve got a feast of fabulous fun.”

Still Life by Louise Penny is the first book in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. When a well-loved artist is found dead in the woods near a rural village over Thanksgiving weekend, Gamache is called in to investigate. The locals say it was a tragic accident but Gamache has other suspicions.

There There by Tommy Orange follows 12 Native Americans and their intertwining stories, as they all head to the Big Oakland Powwow. Goodreads describes the story as a “chorus of voices tells of the plight of the urban Native American—grappling with a complex and painful history, with an inheritance of beauty and spiritually, with communion and sacrifice and heroism.”

 

By Celeste McNeil; courtesy photos