Lessing, Doris: 1919 - 2013

The Grandmothers, 2003 - Thematic Parallels: Relationships

Lessing, Doris: The Grandmothers, 2003
The novel explores themes around family dynamics, aging, and intergenerational relationships, particularly focusing on the roles of women within the family.
The following books are thematically simliar. These texts lend themselves well to being read in groups, compared with one another, or used to teach a similar topic over an extended period with a class:
- Dunne, Catherine: The Things We Know Now, 2013, ~340pp
  The focus of this novel is on family crisis, grief, and the navigation of fragile emotional territories among parents and children, with a strong spotlight on familial relationships and their evolution over time.
  - Both novels share key thematic similarities—moral ambiguity, family and interpersonal complexity, reflection on past and memory, psychological insight, and social critique—while also reflecting Lessing’s mature, restrained prose style.
- Niffenegger, Audrey: The Time Traveler’s Wife, 2003, ~530pp
  This novel involves complex relationships across time, often touching on family and aging.
  - Niffenegger and Lessing converge in their exploration of human relationships under extraordinary or morally challenging circumstances, the nonlinear unfolding of time, and the inevitability of certain human experiences.
- Steinbeck, John: Of Mice and Men, 1937, ~100pp
  This novella explores friendship and social relationships.
  - Both texts explore human vulnerability, isolation, the consequences of desire, and societal pressures, often leading to tragic outcomes. They focus on marginalized characters and use intimate, personal stories to reflect broader social realities.
- Walker, Alice: The Color Purple, 1982, ~300pp
  This novel explores complex personal and familial relationships, often touching on themes of identity, struggle, and connection.
  - "The Color Purple" and "The Grandmothers" share a focus on female experience, intergenerational relationships, power dynamics, personal growth, and moral complexity, making both novels rich explorations of how women navigate oppressive social structures and family legacies.
List of general discussion questions on Relationships (pdf)
List of essay prompts on Relationships (pdf)