Short Story by Nathaniel Hawthorne. A man stops at an inn high on a mountain pass and boats about his ambition to do something be remembered by. The family have built a safe house nearby in the event of an avalanche, but when the ‘slide’ comes, nature wins.
Short Story by Chinua Achebe. A light-hearted take on the challenges faced by a family in the aftermath of the Nigerian Civil War. Despite the corruption, devastation and lawlessness around them, the family are thankful for what they have and, by working together, find opportunity in adversity.
Short Story by Elizabeth Bowen. Car trouble on a deserted country road results in a woman spending several unsettling hours with an "amazon of a woman" and her seemingly psychic, paralyzed daughter. The pair, who she later learns harbor a frightening secret, make her increasingly anxious.
Novella by Franz Kafka. A man who works hard to support his parents and sister wakes up one morning, having metamorphosed into a giant bug. The man/bug is confined to his room where the family pays he/it less and less attention as they struggle to make ends meet.
Novelette by John Cheever. A near-death experience results in a “country husband’s” growing awareness of the shortcomings of his way of life. He becomes more demanding and impulsive, leading to a dangerous infatuation with an underage teen and other out-of-character behavior that almost destroys his family life.