A boatload of books about family bonds and secrets

Writing about families with secrets, bonds, and estrangements must be the "it" thing right now.

NPR has interviewed a number of authors about such books, both fiction and nonfiction.

Nonfiction

Rachel Martin spoke with author John Blake about More Than I Imagined: What a Black Man Discovered About the White Mother He Never Knew.

Blake grew up, in his words, as a "closeted biracial person" since his white mother disappeared from his life shortly after he was born, but when he was seventeen, he was inspired to reconcile with the relatives who rejected him for being part Black.

Terry Gross spoke with authors Laura Dern and Cheryl Ladd about Honey, Baby, Mine: A Mother and Daughter Talk Life, Death, Love (and Banana Pudding).

The book collects conversations that the actresses had during long walks they took during Ladd's serious illness and adds lighthearted anecdotes to the heavy topics covered.

Fiction

Manuela López Restrepo spoke with author Jenny Xie about Holding Pattern.

The novel reunites Kathleen and Marissa, a daughter-mother duo, when the former returns home after a horrible breakup only to find the latter living the kind of life she thought she was on track for.

Mary Louise Kelly spoke with author Adrienne Brodeur about Little Monsters.

It's the story of Ken and Abby, siblings who were raised by their widowed father, and how their childhood as a tight-knit unit of three people continues to affect their relationships as their father turns seventy.