Told through a series of "progress reports" written by the main character Charlie, Flowers for Algernon examines the potential for science to benefit humanity, as well as cause considerable harm. The novel also offers a critique of the treatment of the mentally disabled. After undergoing an experimental surgery, Charlie, who was mentally disabled, sees his IQ triple. With his higher intelligence, Charlie is able to live a full adult life. But, the effects of the surgery prove to be temporary and Charlie soon returns to his initial intelligence level.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is the story of Lily and Snow Flower, two girls born in the 19th century in China's Hunan province and bonded as a laotong pair. This relationship makes them closer than sisters or even husband and wife, but the pressures of the time and Lily's impetuous mindset tears them apart. The two experience wildly divergent lives before Lily returns to Snow Flower to nurse her through her final illness. The story is narrated by an old and regretful Lily.
Flowers in the Attic, a novel, chronicles the lives of the four Dollanganger children who are forced to live hidden in their grandparents' attic so that their mother can inherit her father's fortune. The children are given little food, attention, or freedom, and live in the attic for years as their mother continually neglects them. The older children, Cathy and Chris, must care for their younger siblings Carrie and Cory, and find themselves becoming deeply attracted to each other as they go through puberty.