American Literature Theme: Faith?

[NickS1]

I have a school project where we must find 3 books (2 novels and a short story rather) with a specific theme. The theme I wanted to do was faith. However, I am not looking for your typical novel about faith, but a deeper look at it, where faith is almost a way for people to delude themselves from their problems. Recently I was looking for books with themes relating to Atheism, but I couldn't find any. So please, let me know of anything you think I could/should read!

 

[Ruby]

Margaret Atwood 'The Handmaid's Tale' is about the diary of a woman's life under the rule of a Christian fundamentalist in the USA. Women's rights are gradually stripped and the tale becomes more and more chilling.

Salman Rushdie 'The Satanic Verses' are based on faith and its loss or absence.

A lot of old Gothic literature expressed a twisted and uncertain view of religion and faith. The Monk by Matthew Lewis is certainly one to look at - you have torture, prisons in the bowels of a monastery, ghosts, forbidden love...

The Virgin Suicides by Jefferey Euginides portrays Christian values in a suburban family setting and the awful effects that this can have.

All of these are very different but give you a broad choice of atheist or faith based novels.