Cover Found family fiction novels show how connection is built rather than inherited, spanning fantasy, contemporary fiction and science fiction, and focused on how people choose one another under pressure
Found family fiction novels show how connection is built rather than inherited, spanning fantasy, contemporary fiction and science fiction, and focused on how people choose one another under pressure
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Six found family fiction novels where chosen bonds replace blood ties, offering refuge, loyalty and a sense of belonging
Family is one of fiction’s most durable engines, but the versions that linger are rarely neat or inherited. Across genres and eras, novels return to the idea of people choosing one another, often under pressure, and building something functional from shared need rather than bloodline. These stories tend to unfold on the margins: among outsiders, runaways, misfits and survivors who find stability through proximity and mutual obligation. In that sense, found family fiction novels operate less as comfort reads than as studies in social improvisation, showing how trust is assembled over time. Travel, exile and displacement feature heavily, making them a natural fit for readers drawn to movement and reinvention.
The six books below approach the theme from different angles, fantasy, contemporary realism and science fiction among them, but each examines how belonging is constructed. These chosen family-themed books show why found family fiction novels remain such a durable narrative form, particularly when childhood bonds have failed or frayed.
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‘Six of Crows’ by Leigh Bardugo
Above ‘Six of Crows’ by Leigh Bardugo (Orion Children’s Books)
‘Six of Crows’ by Leigh Bardugo (Orion Children’s Books)
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Set in the bustling port city of Ketterdam, Six of Crows follows a crew of young criminals drawn together by a high-risk heist. Each member arrives with a separate past shaped by loss, debt or exile, and the novel balances the mechanics of the job with the slow formation of loyalty among the group. Leadership, vulnerability and trust are negotiated in real time as the stakes rise, making the relationships as central as the plot itself. Bardugo uses the found family fiction novels framework to explore how survival can become a shared project rather than a solitary one.
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‘The Lightning Thief’ by Rick Riordan
Above ‘The Lightning Thief’ by Rick Riordan (Photo: Puffin)
‘The Lightning Thief’ by Rick Riordan (Photo: Puffin)
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The opening novel of the Percy Jackson series introduces a boy who learns he belongs to a world of Greek gods and demigods. Removed from an unstable home life, Percy finds structure and protection at Camp Half-Blood, where peers and mentors step into roles left vacant elsewhere. Friendship develops through training and danger, with humour offsetting the violence of the mythic world. The novel frames family as something assembled through recognition and care rather than origin.
‘The House in the Cerulean Sea’ by T.J. Klune
Above ‘The House in the Cerulean Sea’ by T.J. Klune (Photo: Tor)
‘The House in the Cerulean Sea’ by T.J. Klune (Photo: Tor)
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Klune’s novel centres on a caseworker sent to evaluate an orphanage for magical children deemed dangerous by the state. As Linus Baker becomes embedded in the rhythms of the house, the boundaries between observer and participant begin to dissolve. The story focuses on routine, domesticity and the quiet negotiations of care, positioning home as a process rather than a place. It sits comfortably within the tradition of found family fiction novels that prioritise emotional safety.
‘The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches’ by Sangu Mandanna
Above ‘The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches’ by Sangu Mandanna (Photo: Hodderscape)
‘The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches’ by Sangu Mandanna (Photo: Hodderscape)
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This contemporary fantasy follows Mika Moon, a solitary witch who is invited to teach three young girls how to control their magic. Set largely within a remote house, the novel tracks how temporary arrangements harden into commitment as adults and children adjust to one another. Mandanna foregrounds practical questions of responsibility and trust, using the found family fiction novels structure to examine how care is learned through proximity and patience.
‘A Man Called Ove’ by Fredrik Backman
Above ‘A Man Called Ove’ by Fredrik Backman (Photo: Sceptre)
‘A Man Called Ove’ by Fredrik Backman (Photo: Sceptre)
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Backman’s novel opens with a widower rigidly organised around routine and loss. Ove’s carefully maintained isolation is disrupted by a stream of neighbours who require, and eventually offer, connection. The relationships form gradually, without sentimentality, as shared spaces and minor crises draw people together. Family here emerges through obligation and repeated contact, shaped by the everyday rather than by declaration.
‘The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet’ by Becky Chambers
Above ‘The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet’ by Becky Chambers (Photo: Hodderscape)
‘The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet’ by Becky Chambers (Photo: Hodderscape)
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Chambers’ science fiction debut follows the crew of the Wayfarer, a tunnelling ship staffed by multiple species. The narrative is episodic, favouring daily life aboard the vessel over a single driving conflict. As the crew travels between systems, their differences become a source of negotiation rather than division. The novel uses the conventions of found family fiction novels to consider how cooperation and respect function across cultures in confined, transient spaces.
Chonx Tibajia is a senior editor at Tatler Asia’s T-Labs team, where she writes widely on lifestyle subjects including beauty, style, entertainment and travel. She has a long career in journalism, including roles as a columnist at The Philippine Star, and is the founder of the creative platform Pineappleversed. Beyond Tatler, her bylines appear in regional lifestyle and business publications, showcasing a broad portfolio that spans beauty trends, travel guides and culture pieces.
